The Church Times Podcast

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 why the Bishop of Burnley sees signs of hope. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

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 thinks the Church should not be silent about Brexit and what its role should be in post-Brexit Britain.

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 Church Times website. If you are not yet a subscriber to the Church Times, you can try your first ten issues for just £10. Visit churchtimes.co.uk/subscribe You can also subscribe to this podcast on iTunes.

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. The book is available from the Church Times Bookshop for the special offer price of £13.49.

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.

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 Festival. Ed Thornton spoke to Rebecca Stott about the book.

"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 Poole is an academic, teaches leadership to business leaders, and is tThird Church Estates Commissioner. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

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, where you can get 10 issues for £10. You can also subscribe to the Church Times Podcast on iTunes. Enjoying the podcast? Please rate and review us on iTunes – it helps people to find us.

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 “oxygen tank” in darkest times – although it does not pretend to offer easy answers. Ed Thornton spoke to Mark Meynell about the book.

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 diocese of Rochester on the General Synod.