Transforming the one million who regularly attend Church of England services into “agents of mission” is crucial to the Church’s multi-million-pound evangelism push, the General Synod will hear next week. Ed Thornton talks to Madeleine Davies about the drive to give the laity confidence to evangelise - and whether English reticence stops them from doing so. Plus, Adam Becket catches up with the Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, Prebendary Rose Hudson-Wilkin, at the C of E's Nation...
Feb 08, 2019•17 min
This week, the education secretary Damian Hinds talks to Hattie Williams about why he would like more faith schools to convert to academies. The Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek, talks to Adam Becket about how churches must not ignore the realities of domestic abuse. And the Bishop of Liverpool, Paul Bayes, talks to Madeleine Davies about his new book, The Table.
Feb 01, 2019•36 min
Meg Munn was appointed first independent chair of the Church of England’s National Safeguarding Panel in September. She took over from the Bishop of Bath & Wells, Peter Hancock, who is the lead bishop on safeguarding. Meg Munn is a practising Methodist and former social worker and former MP, who established and chaired the All-Party Child Protection Parliamentary Group. She left Parliament in 2015 to become an independent governance consultant. Hattie Williams sat down with Meg Munn for her ...
Jan 25, 2019•38 min
This week, more Brexit uncertainty – what are the bishops saying? Adam Becket has been hearing from them. And we hear from the Revd Christine Smith, publishing director of Hymns Ancient & Modern, about the second Festival of Preaching, which is being organised by Canterbury Press Norwich and the Church Times
Jan 18, 2019•18 min
This week, a critical moment for Brexit: the Archbishop of Canterbury says that a no-deal Brexit would be a moral failure, and Dame Caroline Spelman calls on the Church to pray for the nation. What’s going on in the diocese of Oxford, where more than 100 clergy are uneasy with their bishops’ approach to sexuality? And, news of the finalists of the inaugural 'Theology Slam' competition.
Jan 11, 2019•17 min
On the first episode of the new year, editor Paul Handley talks about work of the groups charged with resolving the Church’s disputes about sexuality. He has been quizzing two of the people leading the Living in Love and Faith group, the Bishop of Coventry, Dr Christopher Cocksworth, and Dr Eeva John. What are the project’s aims and what will its work mean for the Church’s stance on same-sex relationships?
Jan 04, 2019•15 min
This week, we talk to actor and playwright Justin Butcher about his new book Walking to Jerusalem: Blisters, hope and other facts on the ground, published by Hodder. It tells the story of a pilgrimage from London to Jerusalem in 2017, which marked three major anniversaries: the centenary of the Balfour Declaration; the 50th year of Israel’s military occupation of the Palestinian territors; and the tenth year of the blockade of Gaza. Brian Eno says that the book "displays the kind of unusual empa...
Dec 21, 2018•28 min
This week, Ed Thornton talks to John Pritchard, the former Bishop of Oxford and a popular writer of books such as The Life and Work of a Priest, Why go to Church?, and God Lost and Found. His latest book is called Five Events that Made Christianity, published by SPCK. In the book, he takes readers on a pilgrimage of the Holy Land, as he unpacks the five great events that made Christianity: Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. For each event, he explores what happened, what d...
Dec 14, 2018•34 min
This week, the Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie is in conversation with the writer and historian Tom Holland. They talk about Fergus's new book, A Field Guide to the English Clergy: A compendium of of diverse eccentrics, pirates, prelates and adventurers; all Anglican, some even practising. The conversation was recorded at an event at Hatchard’s Bookshop in London last month. The book is available from the Church Times Bookshops at the special price of £11.70.
Dec 07, 2018•39 min
On this week's podcast, Madeleine Davies speaks exclusively to Archbishop Justin Welby, in Blakeney, Norfolk, his childhood escape. The Archbishop speaks candidly, among other things, about why he draws on his difficult family history in his public ministry; whether he would have liked to have been an MP; and why he loves to mess around on boats. Subscribe to the Church Times Podcast on iTunes.
Nov 22, 2018•18 min
This week, freelance journalist Andy Walton joins us to talk about his recent visit to the diocese of Ely, which has ambitious plans to increase churchgoing. Andy visited a new church-plant in Huntingdon and spoke to people in the diocese about the plans. Plus, Madeleine Davies reports back on her recent visit to Norfolk with the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Nov 16, 2018•27 min
This week we have published a very special edition of the Church Times to mark the centenary of the Armistice. Deputy Editor Glyn Paflin has delved into the archives to produce an eight-page supplement recounting the course of the First World War as seen through the pages of the Church Times at the time. At the end of this podcast, he reads the paper’s Leader from 15 November 2018. Our coverage also includes stories and pictures of how churches have been marking the centenary; William Philpott, ...
Nov 09, 2018•25 min
Where are all the young people? Across the country, the average C of E church has just three children attending, and the smallest 25 per cent have none at all. At the Christian Resources Exhibition last month, the Church Times Live event brought together a panel of youth workers to talk about this: Ali Campbell, who runs the Resource youthwork consultancy; Savannah John-Leighton, Youth Leader at St John’s, Hoxton in London; and Polly Baker, who works as a youthworker on an estate. The session wa...
Nov 02, 2018•21 min
This week, Ed Thornton speaks to Adrian Harris, the Head of Digital for the Church of England, and Thomas Allain Chapman, the Head of Publishing for Church House, about the C of E’s Christmas campaign this year: #FollowtheStar. As well as offering daily reflections on the website and app, the campaign encourages churches to make the most of the surge in interest in the 72 hours running up to Christmas Day by giving details of their services and events on the church-finding website A Church Near ...
Oct 25, 2018•19 min
Robert McCrum is an associate editor of The Observer, and was the paper’s literary for 12 years. Before that, he was editor-in-chief of Faber & Faber, where he edited writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Marilynne Robinson, and Peter Carey. His books include The Story of English and a definitive life of PG Woodhouse. Robert McCrum’s latest book is Every Third Thought: On life, death and the endgame, published by Picador. The book confronts an existential question: in a world where we have learnt ...
Oct 19, 2018•25 min
For this week’s environmental issue, timed to coincide with the report by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we appointed a guest editor: Richard Black, a former BBC environment correspondent, and director of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit. With his help, we have assembled an impressive group of commentators to reflect on the threat to the planet posed by global warming. Among them are Christiana Figueres, who was the head of the UN’s climate body at the time of the Paris Agree...
Oct 11, 2018•15 min
This week, we talk about clergy well-being – are unrealistic job descriptions leading to stress and burnout? We hear about Conservative Party Conference and what the party’s Christians have been up to. And we hear from the Church Times Green Health Live conference – about how churches are harnessing the healing power of gardening. You can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.
Oct 05, 2018•26 min
On this week’s episode, we bring news of an exciting new competition – Theology Slam - which aims to find young voices who think theologically about the contemporary world. Ed Thornton talks to one of the organisers, David Shervington of SCM Press, Also on this week’s episode, Adam Becket brings us up to speed with the Labour Party Conference, where Jeremy Corbyn seems to have been paying attention to Christians in his party. And Madeleine Davies talks about the church and housing estates, and w...
Sep 28, 2018•17 min
The UK is undergoing a great upheaval, which will change our relationships with the rest of the world and materially affect millions of people in this country. We're talking about Brexit, of course. In this week’s issue, we explore this political shift, from different angles and in depth: how we have got to here and where we might go next. Contributors include the Bishop of Leeds, Nick Baines, who is lead bishop for Europe in the House of Lords. Ed Thornton spoke to Bishop Baines about why he th...
Sep 20, 2018•19 min
This week, the Church Commissioners have defended their multi-million-pound stake in Amazon after the online company was heavily criticised by the Archbishop of Canterbury in his speech to the Trade Union Congress this week for “paying almost nothing in tax”. Madeleine Davies tells us how she broke the story. Plus, we look at our new month-long feature series on the religious life: from centuries-old monasteries to dispersed communities and new monastics. Read these, and all our stories on the C...
Sep 14, 2018•15 min
Born in Latakia, a port city in Syria, Fr Nadim Nassar is the first Syrian priest in the Church of England, and director of the Awareness Foundation. This week, Madeleine Davies caught up with him about his first book, The Culture of God: the Syrian Jesus - Reading the Divine Mind, Sailing into the Divine Heart, published by Hodder. He talked about growing up in the region where Christ was born, how his faith was shaped by living through four wars, and bringing passion and emotion to ministry. T...
Sep 07, 2018•21 min
On this week’s podcast, Dr Josiah Idowu-Fearon, the first African Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, talks to Madeleine Davies. The interview is also written up in this week’s issue, which is out now.
Aug 31, 2018•36 min
Rebecca Stott’s book In the Days of Rain tells the story of her family’s membership of and escape from the Exclusive Brethren. Reviewing the book for the Church Times, Malcolm Doney described it as “a dark journey into indoctrination, cruelty, and control”, and a “powerful and compelling” read. It was awarded the Costa Biography Award and is available in paperback from the Church House Bookshop for £9.99. Rebecca Stott will be in conversation with Malcolm Doney at this weekend’s Greenbelt Festiv...
Aug 24, 2018•26 min
"We are gripped by the power of consumerism – but it doesn’t have to be that way," says theologian Dr Eve Poole. In her new book, Buying God: Consumerism and theology, published by SCM Press, Eve Poole explores how we can wean ourselves off the material and on the eternal. She has also written on the subject in the Comment section of this week’s Church Times. Ed Thornton spoke to Eve about the new book, which is available from the Church House Bookshop at a special offer price of £14.99. Dr Eve ...
Aug 17, 2018•21 min
This week, Madeleine Davies and Ed Thornton talk about the latest wave of church plants from Holy Trinity, Brompton. What’s the strategy? They also discuss the ethical questions a senior cleric has been asking about the Church House Conference Centre hosting the annual Land Warfare Conference. And Ed talks to the Revd Peter Crumpler about why democracy needs local newspapers, and how churches can help them to survive. If you don’t subscribe to the Church Times, go to churchtimes.co.uk/subscribe,...
Aug 10, 2018•23 min
The Revd Mark Meynell is Europe and Caribbean Director for Langham Preaching, part of the Langham Partnership. For nine years, he was on the senior ministry team at All Souls Langham Place, in London. His latest book, published by IVP, is called When Darkness Seems My Closest Friend. It explores the shame, confusion, exhaustion, isolation and despair of living with depression, especially as a Christian minister. It seeks wisdom from the Bible – especially the Psalms, which he describes as his “o...
Jul 26, 2018•34 min
This week, our reporters Madeleine Davies, Hattie Williams, and Adam Becket discuss the key debates and highlights from the General Synod in York, which finished on Tuesday. Plus, a survivor of clerical abuse, Gilo, tells us about a Synod fringe meeting on safeguarding, last Friday evening, and gives his thoughts on the debate on the House of Bishops report, which took place the next day. In this podcast, Gilo is joined by Martin Sewell, a retired child protection lawyer who represents the dioce...
Jul 13, 2018•23 min
Guy Stagg spent 10 months walking from Canterbury to Jerusalem, following medieval pilgrim paths across 5,500 km. He began the journey after several years of mental illness, hoping that the walk would heal him. A non-believer, he wanted to understand religion by taking part in its rituals. The Crossway, published by Picador, is an account of his journey, a mix of travel and memoir, history and current affairs. Guy came into Church Times offices to talk about his extraordinary journey. The Crossw...
Jul 06, 2018•39 min
On this week’s podcast, how can church investors step up pressure on corporate polluters to combat climate change? Ed Thornton talk to the Chief Investment Officer of Epworth Investment Management, Stephen Beer, who manages the investments of the Methodist Church. And we hear about GA Studdert Kennedy, or Woodine Willie, the World War 1 Chaplain. A new critical edition of his book of theology from the trenches, The Hardest Part, has just been published by SCM Press. Its editors, Professor Thomas...
Jun 29, 2018•31 min
For this week’s podcast, Madeleine Davies spoke to Vicky Beeching, who was given an award last year by the Archbishop of Canterbury for her outstanding contribution to contemporary worship music. Her new memoir, Undivided, tells her story of coming out, becoming whole, and living free from shame. You can read the interview in this week’s Church Times.
Jun 22, 2018•31 min
