BBC Radio 4: Keeping fit South Asian style, Navajo Nation, Church post-lockdown
Post pandemic many say that the Church of England will never be the same again. While their doors may be physically closed - spiritually – some believe that God is reaching into more homes than ever. Online services are booming and pulling in record numbers of participants. But when all of this is over and the doors to places of worship reopen will there still be a demand for congregations gathering via the web? William is joined by Rev Charlotte Bannister-Parker, Chaplain to the Bishop of Oxford for Online Services and the author and academic Dr Bex Lewis who studies how we interact with the digital world.
(First aired July 2020)
Reformation Divisions; No Technology Shabbat; 21st-century Sunday
Sexual harassment allegations against the film producer Harvey Weinstein have led to a public discussion about how institutions and organisations deal with these serious issues. Emily speaks to the Rev Charlotte Bannister-Parker who says it can be difficult for women to speak out while the Revd Canon Dr Emma Percy says the Church has clear guidelines on dealing with serious complaints. The Chief Rabbi has called on Jews around the country to celebrate an authentic Shabbat for ShabbatUK. Trevor Barnes talks to the Chief Rabbi and meets a family who are trying to manage without breaking the rules. For the last ten years photographer Matt Writtle has been documenting how people spend their Sunday. With fewer people attending church he set out to discover what they are doing on the traditional day of rest.
(First aired 29 October 2017)
Trafficked Women Refuge, Homeless Jesus, Singing Carols for Good Health
Sunday has been given exclusive access to Bakhita House, a support centre for trafficked women formed from a partnership between the Catholic Church and the Metropolitan Police. Kati Whitiker reports. Rev Charlotte Bannister-Parker takes a personal look at the stigma and fear of violence suffered by gay Christians in South Africa. Rt Rev Bethlehem Nopece, Bishop of Port Elizabeth in South Africa responds. After a 2 year search the Canadian sculptor, Tim Schmalz, has finally found a UK home for his life size sculpture of Jesus sleeping on a park bench. The Rt Rev David Walker, Bishop of Manchester tells Edward why he has backed the placing of the statue outside St Ann's Church in the city centre.
(First aired 11 December 2016)
Escape from Isis; Tutu's Daughter's Call to Anglicanism; Religion & Fidel Castro
In his first UK broadcast interview the Syrian Catholic priest captured by IS, Father Jacques Mourad, talks to Sima Kotecha about his ordeal and the circumstances of his release. The daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mpho Tutu van Furth, talks to Rev Charlotte Bannister-Parker about giving up her priest's license in order to marry her female partner and why she thinks it's time that the Anglican Church took a different view on same-sex marriage. As the world reflects on the life and impact of Fidel Castro, Austen Ivereigh talks to Sima Kotecha about his complex relationship with religion.
(First aired 27 November 2016)