Immigration is among the top four concerns driving voters at the general election, and their religious identity impacts how they regard the issue, according to speakers at a Religion Media Centre briefing. Polling analysed by the Theos think tank has found that the British public is not overly positive about asylum seekers, but non-practising Anglicans have the coldest approach to the issue, a response which was described as “deeply depressing” in the briefing. Speakers pointed out that asylum s...
Jun 20, 2024•52 min•Ep. 63
A range of experts from across the education and faith spectrum joined this Religion Media Centre election briefing, reviewing the various parties’ manifestos on education. It’s a topic not regarded as a key election priority issue by voters, who instead tend to focus on the economy, the NHS and immigration. But religion is long associated with education in Britain, with a third of all schools having a faith foundation. Concerns were expressed on a shortage of teachers, contraction of arts subje...
Jun 19, 2024•53 min•Ep. 62
How will people from the religious traditions in the UK affect the vote in the General Election on 4 July? The majority of the UK population is affiliated to a religion - 63 per cent in England and Wales, 49 per cent in Scotland and 83 per cent in Northern Ireland. And in this Religion Media Centre briefing, faith representatives explained the issues for each group which will sway the vote, in addition to the usual election battlegrounds of the economy, the NHS and immigration. This time a forei...
Jun 04, 2024•50 min•Ep. 61
The Theos Think Tank has analysed data from the British Election Survey on the correlation between religion and election voting. It indicates that religiously affiliated voters are more likely to vote on polling day than non-religious voters. Anglicans are the group most likely to vote. Overall they tend to vote Conservative, but those who attend church regularly are more likely to vote Labour. Catholics are floating voters, with their traditional support for Labour swinging to the Tories in 201...
May 15, 2024•53 min•Ep. 60
The decision by the United Methodist Church to row back on anti-gay legislation dating back 50 years came after overwhelming votes in favour at the general conference in Charlotte. But the picture that paints of a “super liberal, progressive” church with all traditionalists having left, is not accurate, according to researchers who have tested the opinions of clergy and congregations. Drs Joseph Roso and David Eagle from Duke University were among the panellists at our Religion Media Centre brie...
May 10, 2024•48 min•Ep. 59
The decision by the High Court to back the ban on prayer rituals at the Michaela School in North London has provoked a wide discussion on the place of religion in schools and what it means to live in a multicultural society. In this Religion Media Centre briefing, we hear from a lawyer who says the judgment is surprising and is concerned it may be viewed as the model of a secular way forward, when it is simply a judgment on one school at one time. An academic points out that the Muslim populatio...
Apr 25, 2024•55 min•Ep. 58
A report into the work of cremation and crematorium staff during Covid and how it changed the industry has described their common feeling that they were taken for granted or ignored. Not regarded as key workers, they nevertheless felt a responsibility to ensure the death care system didn't fall apart as the number of bodies for cremation increased by 23 per cent in 2020. In this Religion Media Centre briefing, the panel discussed lessons learned and changing rituals which have continued. Live tr...
Apr 17, 2024•56 min•Ep. 57
The Vatican's declaration on human dignity, Dignitas Infinita, has created headlines on what it says about sex change operations. Its 12,000 words conclude there are many grave threats to human dignity on issues such as poverty, human trafficking and war, alongside sexual and reproductive ethics. But although the section on gender theory, surrogacy, abortion and sex change operations is only 1,000 words long, it is dominating the reports. In this Religion Media Centre briefing, the panel discuss...
Apr 11, 2024•53 min•Ep. 56
There's a resurgence of interest across the world in Passion Plays, which depict the story of Jesus from Palm Sunday to the resurrection. The main one in Britain is at Trafalgar Square, produced by the Wintershall Trust, which attracts audiences of 20,000. There are at least twenty others taking place in towns and cities across Britain. But this year they are staged against a backdrop of heightened community tension and rising antisemitism after the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel and the war i...
Mar 27, 2024•56 min•Ep. 55
The UK is experiencing a swirl of headlines and widespread concern at the extent of hatred targeting Muslim and Jewish communities. Since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October, there has been a huge rise in incidents of Islamophobia and antisemitism, and arguments over the policing of pro-Palestine marches where chanting and banners have caused offence. News headlines have been dominated by rows over Islamophobic comments by politicians. The Prime Minister delivered a speech on the steps of Do...
Mar 13, 2024•58 min•Ep. 54
The Church of England has been boiling over in recent months, with divisions on same-sex blessings and frustration at the debacle over safeguarding, with talk of parishes withholding money and calls for an alternative set of bishops. But the February 2024 General Synod struck a different tone. There were some issues on which the whole synod agreed, such as more churches on housing estates. And the clergy felt appreciated, with open discussion on their pay and pensions and moves to deal with rebe...
Feb 29, 2024•49 min•Ep. 53
The charity Inform (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements) has just celebrated its 35th anniversary and in this briefing, we look back at its work with founder, Professor Eileen Barker; honorary director, Dr Suzanne Newcombe; and senior research officer, Dr Sarah Harvey. Inform's role has always been to research and communicate information about minority religions, sects and new religious movements. Over 35 years, the landscape has changed from clearly visible groups like the Moonies ...
Feb 22, 2024•49 min•Ep. 52
A report by Prof Alexis Jay into safeguarding in the Church of England recommends two new charities should be set up to deliver and scrutinise safeguarding operations, and they should be entirely separate from the church. It says the current safeguarding system is “flawed and cannot be sufficiently improved whilst it remains within church oversight” and needs to fundamentally change to restore the confidence of victims, survivors and clergy. In this Religion Media Centre briefing, our panel disc...
Feb 21, 2024•52 min•Ep. 51
The impending closure of the Inter Faith Network after 37 years has shocked and dismayed faith leaders across the UK. The government says it is withdrawing funding because a new IFN trustee is associated with the Muslim Council of Britain, an organisation which the government will not speak to due to a dispute in 2009. The Inter Faith Network was set up to raise awareness and understanding of different faith communities and promote good interfaith relations. It has supported local initiatives an...
Feb 16, 2024•53 min•Ep. 50
Church leaders have hit back at allegations that they are naively backing fraudulent asylum claims by accepting the validity of fake conversions. In a Religion Media Centre briefing, The Bishop of Chelmsford, Guli Francis-Dehqani said wisdom and discernment needed to be applied to the conversion process and it should not be seen as a ticket to get someone magically through the asylum process. There was no “cast-iron set of criteria to be 100 per cent sure of what’s going on in people’s hearts an...
Feb 09, 2024•55 min•Ep. 49
The National Churches Trust has published a manifesto calling for urgent action to save the UK’s church buildings. ‘Every Church Counts’ sets out a six-point plan to support volunteers, make more use of church buildings for the community, achieve annual government funding of £50 million for maintenance and repairs, work with tourism organisations to make more of their heritage, keep them open for the community outside worship times, and collect the information and data on church buildings and th...
Jan 25, 2024•52 min•Ep. 48
The Media Bill going through parliament will change the landscape for public service broadcasters — the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, STV and S4C. They are being given powers for more flexible programming and the requirement to include specific genres of programmes on religion, science and arts will be removed. Questions have been raised as to whether this endangers the provision of religious broadcasting, where there has already been a dramatic decline over the past ten years. In this briefin...
Jan 23, 2024•55 min•Ep. 47
Reporters on religion joined our panel to look ahead at the stories likely to make the headlines in 2024, within the UK and around the world. They unpacked headlines such as the way religion will be interwoven in the US and UK election campaigns, the response to war in Israel / Gaza and its impact among religious groups here, a split in the Church of England over same-sex blessings, Pope Francis and the Rome synod, alongside long-running stories on climate change, poverty and freedom of religion...
Jan 10, 2024•59 min•Ep. 46
The Church of England has agreed to introduce standalone services for blessing same-sex couples, for a trial period, following a marathon 10-hour debate at the general synod. But the church is deeply divided, with just four votes in it as the final proposal passed. In this Religion Media Centre briefing, the panel spoke of their concern at the tight votes, the lack of consensus, the possibility of schism and the prospect of “years and years more” of discussion over alternative structures for peo...
Nov 17, 2023•53 min•Ep. 45
The Sunday programme on BBC Radio 4 has been going for more than 50 years, reporting and explaining stories about religion across the globe. To mark the 50-year milestone, SPCK has brought out a book simply called "Sunday", written by presenter Ed Stourton, and producer and editor Amanda Hancox. They identify 19 topics which the programme has reported and returned to over the decades, from internal Church of England rows to global political shifts. In this Religion Media Centre briefing, past re...
Oct 25, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 44
Community reporting in England is under threat, as Meta (formerly Facebook) withdraws a multi-million-pound scheme providing community reporters, and the BBC cuts local radio broadcasting hours to become regional instead. Editors representing local publishing groups said the cut was like a hammer blow and they are trying to secure alternative funding, speaking to MPs for support. In a Religion Media Centre briefing, they agreed that the future lies in collaboration between all engaged in local c...
Sep 12, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 43
In this Religion Media Centre Big Interview, Rosie Dawson speaks to Robert Jones about his latest book - "The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future". Origin stories are really important – they determine how America sees itself, and they are one of the reasons why we’re fighting so much over our history, right now,” says Robert P Jones, founder and president of Public Policy Research Institute in Washington DC. In his latest book - "The Hidden Roots of White Sup...
Sep 08, 2023•31 min•Ep. 42
Headteachers, especially in urban areas with multiple nationalities, are enthusiastic about providing Religious Education, as children are surrounded in daily life by different religious dress, symbols and customs. And the future of all children, from rural or urban settings, is global, with many religions, many cultures, many languages and a competitive global market. Religious Education has a unique place in the school curriculum, spanning different subject areas, but it is hard to provide, wi...
Sep 06, 2023•54 min•Ep. 41
Children's book author Onjali Rauf told the Religion Media Festival 2023 that children should not be overly protected from the problems of the world today. When she speaks in schools, she finds that children ask tough and great questions, which she describes as the “Tintin moment”, after the boy reporter in Hergé's stories, who kept asking questions to solve baffling mysteries. That is why, when delivering any talk, she carries with her a toy dog like Snowy, Tintin's loyal companion. Tintin’s le...
Sep 01, 2023•31 min•Ep. 40
Dr Opinderjit Kaur Takhar, president of Theology and Religious Studies UK, told the Religion Media Festival 2023 of her passion to ensure that the study of religion is given a degree of seriousness in schools and is part of the national curriculum. But it was time to rebrand religious education to reflect world views and lived experiences, so “world views” was a good way forward. She said it was about moving away from the textbook and focusing on lived experience - ethical issues, morality, reli...
Aug 25, 2023•14 min•Ep. 39
The American evangelist Franklin Graham, who believes Donald Trump defends the Christian faith, now confirms that Trump definitely lost the 2020 election. In an interview with Roger Bolton for the Religion Media Centre, he said there was no question the election was lost, though he acknowledged that millions of people do not believe that. Aged 71, Franklin Graham attracts thousands at his rallies around the world, following in the footsteps of his father, Billy Graham. He is returning to Britain...
Aug 22, 2023•21 min•Ep. 38
Sir David Lidington, once the de facto deputy prime minister under Theresa May, and long-standing member of the Church of England, has spoken of his shock at discovering a total breakdown of trust within the church: "I was used to acrimony in politics, but I hadn’t expected to find it in the church”. In this RMC "Big Interview", Sir David told Roger Bolton of the deep suspicion he found at all levels while writing "The National Church Governance Report", which proposes an overhaul of CofE struct...
Aug 02, 2023•32 min•Ep. 37
The rich pageantry, sacred music and innovative liturgy will make the coronation service of King Charles III a profound statement of how the modern era meets a thousand-year-old tradition. Royal authors, the Rev Prof Ian Bradley and journalist Catherine Pepinster, were joined by Canon Prof Alison Milbank to analyse the order of service. Their overriding impression is to note the centrality of the idea of service from beginning to end, and its very Protestant nature. They discuss the historical i...
May 04, 2023•38 min•Ep. 36
The Evangelical Alliance has cautioned evangelicals within the Church of England that it is too early to leave in protest at same-sex blessings, because the pastoral guidance, including words for the prayers of blessing, has not been issued yet. CEO Gavin Calver, speaking to Roger Bolton for the Religion Media Centre Big Interview, said that a number of Anglican churches will probably join his organisation because they are seeking unity with other evangelicals while staying put in a challenging ...
Mar 24, 2023•35 min•Ep. 35
Justin Welby was virtually unknown outside Anglican circles when he became Archbishop of Canterbury in March 2013. Ten tumultuous years later, the mild-mannered Old Etonian has become a globally recognised figure, having helped the Church of England navigate troubled times, ranging from bitter theological disputes over women bishops and gay relationships to the Covid pandemic and the death of Queen Elizabeth. His leadership style, achievements, and legacy were reflected upon during this Religion...
Mar 22, 2023•54 min•Ep. 34
