Religion Media Centre
117 episodes listed below
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The only podcast to sit firmly in the space where religion and the media collide. We ease that relationship, strengthen links that already exist, and be part of building new ones through chat, reflection, and comment, with a panel of regular contributors of journalists, broadcasters, writers, comedians, and experts.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Expert panels connect religious belief with the institutions, media decisions and public consequences that shape how faith is understood.
Religion Media Centre Podcast turns live questions about belief, institutions and public life into focused panel briefings. The host brings journalists, academics, clergy and community advocates into the same conversation, then keeps pressing for concrete consequences: how…
That church you assumed the council funds? You may want to hear who actually keeps it standing.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A measured discussion of a historic appointment and the questions it raises for Anglican life.
The discussion centers on Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London, and her appointment as the next Archbishop of Canterbury. It stays close to what that means for the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion, while also returning to the plain fact that she is the first…
A clear briefing on faith becoming a political battleground.
This conversation treats religion, politics, and media in Trump's America as one tangled public argument rather than separate beats. Mark Easton opens with Donald Trump on God, prayer, and church-state separation, then hands the discussion to Sir Mark Thompson for a wide-ranging…
A careful discussion of Muslim representation, media bias, and the real-world costs of getting coverage wrong.
A measured panel on how Muslims in Britain are seen and reported, moving from British Muslim women’s representation to the real-world cost of careless coverage.
A measured look at Sarah Mullally's first test as Archbishop of Canterbury and the strains beneath it.
The story treats Sarah Mullally's arrival as Archbishop of Canterbury less like a ceremonial handover and more like a hard governance job. The pressure points are already lined up: same-sex blessings, safeguarding fatigue, trust, money, and too few resources, with General Synod…
Church repair is a funding problem, an awareness problem, and a shared responsibility problem.
This piece looks at Britain’s church buildings through money, awareness, and responsibility: who pays, who understands the scale of the problem, and who keeps the doors open as repair bills keep rising.
A thoughtful panel on faith and media, grounded in real examples and refreshingly uninterested in easy answers.
This Religion Media Centre panel starts with millennials, faith, and the digital space, then lets the discussion widen to Gen Z without getting lost in labels.
A clear, wide-angled briefing on where religion and politics met in 2025.
The briefing treats the religion headlines of 2025 as one public story rather than a pile of separate events. Rising hate crime, new Catholic and Anglican leadership, new organizations in the UK for progressive Jews and British Muslims, interfaith cooperation, continuing wars…
Bible study with the reverence stripped off.
Holy talk, comic timing, unresolved belief.
Odd questions, followed patiently down to the incentives.
The Religion Media Centre briefing examines "Questions of Hope and Hate", a Good Faith Partnership and Hope Not Hate report by Paul Bickley, drawn from 13 formal interviews of about an hour each with established faith leaders.
The FA's Head of Equality and Diversity discusses using football to inspire positive change through winning tournaments, promoting equal opportunities for women and girls, improving facilities, and eliminating discrimination.
The Religion Media Centre briefing previews the state visit of King Charles and Queen Camilla to the Vatican, where Pope Leo XIV will receive them five months after his election.
The Curriculum and Assessment Review chaired by Professor Becky Francis recommended on the day of recording that religious education be included in the national curriculum for pupils aged 5 to 18 in England.
Lord Russell Rook, appointed to the House of Lords in January 2025, says government cannot rely on legislation alone and wants to unlock the "power of faith" in local communities to foster social cohesion.
The Religion Media Centre briefing hears that the Crown Nominations Commission, chaired by former MI5 head Lord Evans, needs a two-thirds majority of its 17 members to name the next Archbishop of Canterbury.
Panelists from Nottingham, Leeds, Liverpool Hope, Edinburgh, Durham and the RE Council respond to a Theos open letter saying only 21 English and Welsh institutions still offer undergraduate theology and religious studies degrees.
The Faith and Belief Policy Collective, a group of about 40 members formed roughly a year ago, presents its first report, "Housing with Values," which recommends a New Towns Faith Task Force.
The panel begins by defining millennials as people aged 29 to 44 and noting that Gen Z is part of the conversation too.
The Religion Media Centre looks back at the religion news that defined 2025.
A panel brings together Akilah Ahmed, Dr Azim Ahmed, Burhan Vazir, and Rizwana Hamid to look at how Muslims in Britain are shown in the media.
The briefing starts with a National Churches Trust survey on the state of Britain's churches.
This episode looks ahead to Dame Sarah Mullally's installation as the next Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Religion Media Centre briefing, held hours after Bishop Richard Moth's appointment as Archbishop of Westminster, succeeds Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who is 80 and served 16 years.
A Religion Media Centre briefing on the government's BBC Green Paper, with consultation closing March 10th and the next Charter starting January 1st, 2028, brings together Archbishop Stephen Cottrell, Roger Bolton, Anna McNamee, Alison Green and Bishop John Arnold.
This podcast segment introduces a panel discussing British media and British Jews, featuring Rabbi Charlie Baginski from the new progressive Judaism movement and Dr.
Six guests, including Phil Rosenberg of the Board of Deputies and Jonathan Boyd of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, assess Jewish-Muslim relations after the Manchester synagogue attack that killed two people.
Five journalists at the Religion Media Festival, including The Times' Kaya Burgess and CNN's Christopher Lam, assess how religion reporting changed over a decade that included an Archbishop of Canterbury's resignation, Pope Francis's death and a new papal election.
The Religion Media Centre briefing marks three years since Sudan's civil war began in April 2023, citing up to half a million dead, 12 million displaced and over 30 million needing aid.
This episode discusses the Bible Society's withdrawal of its Quiet Revival report due to flawed survey data, which had claimed a 56% increase in church attendance and a rise in young people attending church.
After 105 men, Sarah Mullally changes the office.
Mark Easton interviews Sir Mark Thompson about the intersection of religion, politics, and media in Trump's America, covering topics like faith's influence on journalism, CNN's religion coverage, the new Pope's impact, and the challenges of reporting in a polarized society.
Interview with journalist Cathy Newman about her investigation into John Smythe's abuse and the Church of England's failures.
A panel discusses the recent General Synod meeting of the Church of England, focusing on internal matters and a redress scheme for abuse victims.
A panel of professors discuss research on how religious institutions responded to the COVID-19 pandemic across several countries and whether it accelerated secularisation.
A panel of experts discusses the election of Pope Leo XIV and what his papacy may mean for the Catholic Church.
A panel of journalists reviews major religion news stories from 2024, including UK riots, international conflicts, and church scandals.
An interview with Robert P.
A panel of teachers and academics discuss the results of this summer's A-level and GCSE religious education exams and the future of the subject.
Interview with evangelist Franklin Graham about his organization's disaster relief in Hawaii and his upcoming UK rallies.
An interview with Sir David Lidington about reforming the Church of England's governance amid claims of a collapse of trust.