Talking Theology

How did the murder of George Floyd confront us with the reality of racism and its impact? How does theology tell stories that recognise the intrinsic value of each human story? What is the concept of Afrofuturism and how might it help us think theologically about God's future? And how can we walk within a hope which is characterised by Black flourishing and not struggle?In today’s show we are talking to Right Reverend Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy, who is Bishop of Willesden. Bishop Lusa was previously Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic Mission and Ministry Enabler in the Diocese of Leicester and was a member of the Church of England’s Anti-Racism Taskforce. 

How do we talk about contemporary worship in a way that describes what is actually going on in the Church today? How do we keep our worship faithful to our beliefs? How do we ensure worship includes both intimacy and awe? And why is worship about God coming to us rather than us working towards God? In today’s show we are talking to Revd Professor Maggi Dawn, who is a professor in the Department of Theology and Religion here in Durham. Maggi is a theologian, author, musician and priest, and has written extensively on liturgy, art and culture. 

What's it like to live in the constant anticipation of the end of time? How do communities which see time as short live out their faith and interpret the world around them? How does the study of communities such as the Plymouth Brethren or Jehovah's Witnesses help us think about mainstream Christian theology? And how might personally entering another religious culture inform and challenge our own faith?In today's show we are talking to Dr Joseph Webster. Joseph is an Assistant Professor in the Study of Religion at the University of Cambridge. His research combines theology and anthropology, and engages with big themes such as time, history and violence. 

Why should Christians be involved in politics? How can theology ask real world questions? What can we learn from Dietrich Bonhoeffer about how theology and politics need to go together? What are the challenges of engaging in faith and politics in a social media context?   And how do prayer and worship help us to see the world around us differently? In today’s show we are talking with the Rt Revd Nick Baines. Nick is Bishop of Leeds, and an expert in public engagement at the intersection of faith and politics, drawing on his background in politics, government and leadership experience in the Church of England. 

What do the stories and laws of the Old Testament teach us about a God of justice? How does the incarnation of Jesus shape the way we see issues of justice and mercy today? How does the cross hold mercy and justice together? How can facing up to our own broken humanity help us imagine a world beyond judgement? And what do we do when we are confronted by injustice in the world around us? In today's show we are talking to the Revd Dr Isabelle Hamley. Isabelle is currently the Secretary for Ecumenism and Theology on the Church of England’s Council of Christian Unity and Theological Adviser for the House of Bishops. Her recently-published book Embracing Justice was selected as the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book for 2022. 

What is loneliness and how does the Bible, and particularly the Old Testament, talk about it?How does the Old Testament's description connect with what we've learned about loneliness in the last 20 years?Why does God care about lonely humans and what does God do about it?How can Christians learn to live well with loneliness, and how can we be good friends in a world where people are lonely?In today’s show  we are talking to Elizabeth Hare.  Lizzie is a pastoral tutor lecturer in the Old Testament here at Cranmer Hall.  She is passionate about the Hebrew Bible and her doctoral research investigated the subject of loneliness in the Hebrew Bible.  Lizzie’s current research interests include biblical lament and trauma-informed biblical hermeneutics.  

What are the different voices in Scripture across the Old and New Testaments on war and conflict?How can a war ever be just?  And why does the Just War tradition still matter today?How does the story of Anglicans living in a time of war provide a cautionary tale for the Church in todays world?How has the relative peace in Europe since World War II led to a functional pacifism in many churches?  And how does the current conflict in Ukraine challenge that view? In today’s show we are talking to Canon Professor Michael Snape. Michael is the inaugural Michael Ramsey Professor of Anglican Studies at Durham University, and an ecumenical lay canon at Durham Cathedral. He has written extensively on church history, religion and war. His forthcoming book A Church Militant: Anglicans and the Armed Forces from Queen Victoria to the Vietnam War will be published with Oxford University Press this July, based on the 2020 Hensley Henson Lectures. 

What does it mean to be a theologian, and how does it relate to the everyday faith of the Church? What is a wise theological response to the problem of evil? How can we approach suffering without denying it on the one hand, or sacralising it on the other? How might Julian of Norwich help us hold together our unanswered questions with hope for God's unimaginable future? What's wrong with thinking of the doctrine of the Trinity as a tool for solving practical problems, and what then is the doctrine of the Trinity for? How can an apophatic approach help theology know its limits? In today’s show we are talking to Karen Kilby. Karen is the Bede Professor of Catholic Theology at Durham University and is one of the world’s leading systematic theologians. She has written numerous books and articles on a wide range of topics including the Trinity, suffering, apophatic theology, and the major Catholic theologians Karl Rahner and Hans Urs von Balthasar, as well as the medieval theologian Julian of Norwich. Her 2020 book God, Evil and the Limits of Theology was published with Bloomsbury and collects a number of seminal essays published over the last two decades. 

What does it mean to approach theology ‘feet-first’? Why should churches in the UK and the West more generally engage with global theologies, and what might they learn in the process? What are some ways in which the history of Christian mission is being complexified and re-storied? For instance, how have Dalit Christians been missionaries to the missionaries? And finally, how can learning about different contexts in the global church help reinvigorate the ways we work together for justice and peace? In today’s show we are talking to the Rev’d Dr Peniel Rajkumar.  Peniel is an Anglican priest and a theologian.  Last summer he was appointed as the Global Theologian at USPG and as an associate tutor at Ripon College, Cuddeston.  Prior to this he was Programme Coordinator for Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation at the World Council of Churches. He has also held teaching positions at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey and the United Theological College in Bangalore, and has written extensively on Dalit theology, missiology and interfaith dialogue.  

How should we think about the place of experience in Christian discipleship, and in what ways can the doctrine of the Holy Spirit help us to approach it wisely? How might paying attention to the emotional and embodied dimension of Christian doctrine help us to retrieve the riches of theologians such as St Augustine and Martin Luther? What can academic theology and the wider church learn from Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity, and what's it got to do with play? How does scientific research on social cognition help us to get beyond the binary of individual vs collective salvation? And what does all of this mean for the plausibility and persuasiveness of Christian mission? In today’s show we are talking to Simeon Zahl. Simeon is the University Associate Professor in Christian Theology in the Divinity Faculty at the University of Cambridge. In recent years, Simeon’s research has focused on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and the role of emotion and embodiment in Christian experience. His most recent book on The Holy Spirit and Christian Experience was published in 2020 with Oxford University Press.