What has Jesus to do with trauma? Many people who experience trauma find solidarity in Jesus' experiences. Some would even claim that Jesus is a trauma survivor himself. Others may find the horror of Jesus' crucifixion to be re-traumatising. What do these perspectives mean for how we think about and relate to Christ? Karen O'Donnell explores these questions to enrich our understanding of Christ and humanity. Dr Karen O'Donnell is Academic Dean and Lecturer in Liturgy and Theology at Westcott Hou...
Jul 09, 2025•35 min
Over the course of Western history, how have religion and medicine worked together to tell women how their bodies work, and what they should do with them? How have Eve and Mary been used to convey these messages, and how has their role been challenged? Helen King explores the potential of both Christianity and medicine to work towards a healthier approach to the body. Helen King is Professor Emerita at The Open University, where she researched and taught the history of the body. She is an electe...
Jun 05, 2025•40 min
80 years after Dietrich Bonhoeffer's execution in Flossenbürg concentration camp in 1945, Rowan Williams reflects upon how his legacy could help the church remain truthful in a post-truth world. In a time of uncertainty, what does it mean to live with courage, integrity, and radical hospitality? Dr Rowan Williams is a poet and theologian, and was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury.
May 23, 2025•1 hr 26 min
Are men facing a "crisis," and what does that mean for us all? Will Rose-Moore explores what it really means to be a man today, how "masculinity" isn't one thing, but many, how the Bible portrays men, and new ways of thinking about masculinity, moving away from power and violence, and embracing diversity. The Rev’d Will Rose-Moore is Assistant Curate at St John the Baptist, Loughton in Chelmsford Diocese. He is studying for a PhD in Theology with Westcott House in the Cambridge Theological Feder...
May 08, 2025•40 min
‘Hope shows up when we are fighting for justice. Hope shows up when we show up making clear that the way things are is not the way they are destined to be, that the way things are is not God's promise for us.’ Join Kelly Brown-Douglas and Paula Gooder, as they reflect together on vocation and preaching, on racial justice and, most importantly, on hope. Kelly Brown-Douglas is an African-American priest in the Episcopal Church in the USA. She is a leading voice in womanist theology and racial just...
May 01, 2025•39 min
On 9th April 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was killed in Flossenbürg concentration camp. A German Lutheran pastor and theologian, he was imprisoned for his opposition to the Nazis during the 1930s and 40s. 80 years on, Bonhoeffer’s writings, especially his reflections on the Sermon on the Mount and what this means for discipleship, remain as inspirational as ever. Join Andreas Loewe and Paula Gooder as they discuss Bonhoeffer’s enduring legacy and impact. The Very Revd Dr Andreas Loewe is Dean of St...
Apr 10, 2025•37 min
Rose Hudson-Wilkin is the Church of England’s first black woman bishop. Overcoming challenging beginnings in Jamaica and discrimination in the UK, she became one of the first women to be ordained priest in the Church of England, going on to be the first black female priest to be Chaplain both to the Queen and the Speaker of the House of Commons. She will reflect on ‘a wonderful life and a wonderful God’. Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin is the Bishop of Dover. Appointed MBE for services to young people...
Apr 08, 2025•22 min
Who was Grinling Gibbons? Not just a man with a fantastic name, but also the master carver behind the incredible carvings around the Cathedral, including those in the Quire stalls and the floral garlands on the North exterior of the building. Find out more about his life and his contributions to St Paul’s, as well as how they’ve evolved over time through numerous restoration projects, in today’s podcast episode. Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.
Apr 04, 2025•8 min
Edith Cavell was a nurse who became a symbol of courage around the world. In 1915, she was executed for helping Allied soldiers escape - an act that shook many around the world. In the wake of her death, hundreds of nurses and mourners gathered at St Paul’s to honour her, and her legacy continues to inspire today. Hear her extraordinary story in our latest Stories from St Paul's podcast episode. Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.
Mar 06, 2025•9 min
Jane Williams says that the sacraments are a glorious expression of God’s love for the world in all its beauty and brokenness. They invite us into the mystery that the world has meaning and purpose, and that all things come together in Jesus. Though they can seem confusing and sometimes divisive, she says that by entering into them we can find ourselves not only refreshed but re-enchanted. Dr Jane Williams is the McDonald Professor in Christian Theology at St Mellitus College, London, and a visi...
Mar 04, 2025•37 min
The question of suffering has always been something with which people have wrestled. In his 2025 Lent book, Healing Wounds, Erik Varden attempts to offer new reflections on this most challenging of themes. Reflecting on the cross, on Jesus’ own suffering as well as on our own sufferings, he draws out the ways in which Jesus’ suffering on the cross can turn into sources of healing for ourselves and for others. In this online conversation, Erik Varden and Paula Gooder draw on these and other theme...
Feb 26, 2025•35 min
For two thousand years, the Virgin Mary has been depicted throughout art, literature and culture as symbolising the perfect mother: chaste, beautiful, meek, mild and white. These supposed virtues and symbols have penetrated not just Christianity but wider popular culture, and contributed to harmful views about motherhood and what it is to be a woman. Chine McDonald deconstructs the myth of perfect motherhood and reflect on its theological, social and personal impact, proposing a more authentic, ...
Feb 14, 2025•1 hr 21 min
Janet Williams introduces the tradition of apophatic spirituality and explores its relevance to 21st century Christian life. The Revd Dr Janet Williams is the Vice-Principal of St Hild’s College, Mirfield in Yorkshire, an Anglican centre for ordination training and theological study. Her latest book is Seeking the God Beyond: A Beginner’s Guide to Christian Apophatic Spirituality.
Feb 11, 2025•38 min
Did you know that world famous poet and writer, Walter de la Mare was a one-time Chorister of St Paul’s? Born in Charlton, South London, in 1873, de la Mare attended the Cathedral School from the age of 10 to 16. Find out more about his life, and how St Paul’s may have shaped his literary work. Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.
Feb 06, 2025•10 min
When is a cathedral not a cathedral? Answer: When it might also be the venue for a grand scientific experiment! Explore Sir Christopher Wren's vision - and whether is came to pass - in this, the strange tale of the telescope in the tower. Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.
Jan 09, 2025•10 min
Martin Luther King Jr’s memory is revered, but in his time he was a radical, controversial figure, sharply critical of militarism, inequality and poverty, and racism in the US and elsewhere. Marking 60 years since Dr King spoke at St Paul’s Cathedral, Richard Reddie will explore his profound and subtle theology, philosophy and politics, and the challenge he leaves us to work for justice in our own time. Richard Reddie is the Director of Justice and Inclusion at Churches Together in Britain and I...
Dec 12, 2024•39 min
Found in the Cathedral every festive season is the St Paul’s nativity scene. Discover its very special story which begins in 1989, when former Master Carver Tony Webb and assistant Hannah Hartwell got to work on a new crib – one that has been seen and enjoyed ever since. Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.
Dec 05, 2024•7 min
Few matters produce more public interest or division than sex and religion. Revolutions in attitudes in the last generations have brought liberation to some, fear and fury to others. Diarmaid MacCulloch, Emeritus Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford, will seek to calm fears and encourage understanding by telling a 3,000-year-long tale of Christians encountering sex, gender and family, from the Bible to the present day. Diarmaid MacCulloch is Professor of the History...
Nov 11, 2024•1 hr 16 min
Grief and grieving are universals, and on All Souls’ Day we hold before God those we hold dear in death as in life. Requiem settings for the Eucharist, named after the Latin text which begins 'Eternal rest grant them O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them', are some of the most powerful music ever written. Using music by Victoria, Mozart, Charpentier, Verdi, Fauré and Duruflé, Andrew Carwood explores how music and religion come together to deal with fear and loss, and provide comfort an...
Nov 07, 2024•28 min
‘Remember, remember, the 5th of November: Gunpowder, treason and plot.’ The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 is synonymous with the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, but the fates of some of the conspirators are inextricably linked to St Paul’s. Find out how in this podcast episode. Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.
Nov 05, 2024•6 min
Themed around ‘Money, race and climate’, this film is of an event organised by the Just Money Movement and hosted by St Paul's Cathedral during Good Money Week 2024. The Just Money Movement is an education and campaigning organisation that aims to equip Christians and churches to connect faith and finance.
Oct 15, 2024•57 min
A panel discussion to launch a new partnership between St Paul’s Cathedral and the educational charity Cumberland Lodge, which examines the values driving young people (18 to 25 years old) and their work practices, to further understand how this impacts on the corporate, social and creative sectors of the City of London.
Oct 11, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Steve Chalke talks about his work in communities and education that changes young people’s lives.
Oct 10, 2024•42 min
Marilynne Robinson’s new book 'Reading Genesis' is a profound meditation on the first book of the Bible. In it she explores both its greatness as literature and its rich articulation of themes that resonate through the whole of scripture and human history – the problem of evil, God’s relationship to humanity, the nature of creation. In this conversation with Paula Gooder, they explore why she turned to writing about Genesis, what it tells us about the nature and the love of God and the freedom o...
Sep 25, 2024•46 min
On 6th December 1964, Dr Martin Luther King Jr preached to a packed St Paul’s Cathedral. On a flying visit on his way to Norway to collect his Nobel Peace Prize, he addressed a congregation of 4,000 people on The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life, providing the British public with a rare opportunity to hear him in person. Afterwards he gave a press conference in the Cathedral’s Chapter House about race relations in the UK. Marking the 60th anniversary of this historic visit, Senator Revd Rapha...
Sep 09, 2024•1 hr 20 min
The Venerable Bede (c. 673 – 735) was the foremost scholar of the Middle Ages. A saint, historian, scientist, social reformer and translator of the Bible into English, he never left Northumbria but his impact was felt all over the Christian world. Fascinated by human nature, his writing reveals a man of vibrant curiosity with deep empathy for humanity and love of nature. Michelle Brown will explore his life and impact, and why he matters to us today. Michelle Brown is Professor Emerita of Mediev...
Sep 09, 2024•55 min
Autumn 2024 will see one of the most significant pieces of art in our collection back on display inside St Paul’s following a period of conservation work: William Holman Hunt’s The Light of the World. Discover the story behind this beloved and well-travelled painting in this podcast episode.
Sep 05, 2024•9 min
The Revd Paula Hollingsworth examines Jane Austen’s spirituality, faith and values through her novel 'Pride and Prejudice'. Paula Hollingsworth is Chaplain at St Paul’s Cathedral, and the author of 'The Spirituality of Jane Austen' https://www.eden.co.uk/christian-books/christian-living/christianity-and-the-arts/the-spirituality-of-jane-austen/
Aug 07, 2024•54 min
The Revd Paula Hollingsworth explores Jane Austen’s life and faith, looking at her major novels and the spiritual themes that run through them. Paula Hollingsworth is Chaplain at St Paul’s Cathedral, and the author of 'The Spirituality of Jane Austen' www.eden.co.uk/christian-books/c…y-of-jane-austen/
Aug 07, 2024•56 min
The bells of St Paul’s are a sound familiar to many who find themselves in the City of London, and the stories behind them reflect our rich history. Great Paul, Great Tom, the clock bells, the 12 change ringing bells, and the service bell – find out about them all in this podcast episode. Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.
Aug 01, 2024•9 min
