Advertise on podcast: The William Temple Foundation Podcast

In episode 2 of the Radical Hope Podcast, Matthew Barber-Rowell interviews Rev Dr Jesse Zink about his book, Faithful Creative, Hopeful: Fifteen Theses for Christians in a Crisis-Shaped World The Rev. Dr. Jesse Zink is principal of Montreal Diocesan Theological College and canon theologian in the Diocese of Montreal. In those roles, he teaches at McGill University and in the Montreal School of Theology consortium, while also relating broadly to churches in Canada and the United States. His latest book, Faithful, Hopeful, Creative: 15 Theses for Christian Witness in a Crisis-Shaped World was published in fall 2024.

In Series 2 of the Radical Hope Podcast, we are offering a series of book reviews, where we interview the author about a given text. In Episode 1, we interview Dr Joseph Forde from the Urban Theology Union about his edited collection compiled with Dr Terry Drummond 'Celebrating 40 Years of Faith in the City'.

In this final episode the series, we hear critical reflections from Professor Martyn Percy, Bishop John Arnold and delegates from the conference which offer a basis for the expansion of search for radical hope in the months and years to come.

In this episode we hear a set of practical case studies, who explore the experience they have had using dialogue across difference in response to crises. Speakers include Grace Thomas from Manchester Cathedral, Julie Guegan from the Global Collaboration Institute, and Francesca Bernardi from the Gramsci Society UK. Once again, speakers provide papers before engaging in dialogue together opening up point of interdisciplinary interest and intersection between the experiences shared.

In this episode we hear papers which explore specific conditions for the search fro radical hope, these papers cover themes of environment and integral ecology by Dr Emma Gardner, freedom of religion and belief and the law by Professor Mark Hill, and propaganda and information warfare by Professor Emma Briant. Following the papers, speakers engage in interdisciplinary dialogue to develop a cross cutting exploration of the conditions for our search for radical hope.

In this episode, we hear papers which explore faith based organisations from institutional and social movement perspectives, and from ecumenical christian, non-religious and islamic perspectives. These papers are offered by Professor Simon Lee and Dr Kerim Balci.

In this episode, we hear the first two papers from the Communicating Radical Hope Conference. These papers are from Dr Matthew Barber-Rowell who establishes the terms of reference for the search for Radical Hope that this conference commences, and Nicky Burridge who sets out understandings of authentic communications as it pertains to faith based organisations, and radical hope in the public square.

In this episode Nicky and Matthew welcome Professor Martyn Percy to the podcast to discuss the significance of social media in Communications, Faith based Organisations and Dialogue in the public square. We cover topics from realism, to missionary anthropology, to the Makin Review and the resignation of Justin Welby, to the democratisation of information, and the revolution that social media and digital spaces is bringing about akin to that of the printing press and the reformation.

This podcast is hosted by Dr Matthew Barber-Rowell, communications officer and research fellow for the William Temple Foundation, and a Dean’s scholar at Virginia Theological Seminary and Vice President for Communications at VTS Nicky Burridge. In this series we explore the contours of communications faith based organisations and dialogue in the public square. We will draw on stories and experiences from both sides of the Atlantic and consider what these might mean for people and institutions who are seeking to contribute to public life in the UK,  US and around the world. 

In this special edition of the William Temple Foundation Podcast, our Director of Research Chris Baker, hosts a panel of international experts who explore the theme of Ethical Robots through the lenses of theology and philosophy, offering innovative insights from their own work and discussing key emerging issues such as the current paradigm shift in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a post-digital world. Guests include Canon Dr Eve Poole (Widely acclaimed Theologian and Institutional Leader), Prof Nigel Crooke (Oxford Brookes University), Dr Anna Puzio (University of Twente and University of Oxford) and Rev Eric Trazzo (University of Divinity, Australia). Each panelist offers a 10 minute reflection from their own work, and then Prof Baker guides an open dialogue, exploring the future of this pioneering and interdisciplinary dialogue. This podcast is offered in memory of Rev Dr John Reader, William Temple Research Fellow and Chair of the Ethical Future Network at University of Oxford, who passed away unexpectedly in late 2023.

Richard Irvine ends the series by joining the dots between geology and anthropology. Are these vast timescales ultimately dehumanising? And can we learn something about time from monastic communities?

In this episode, Simone Kotva speaks about deep time, religious apocalypse, and the ‘end of the world’. She makes the case that what we believe is potentially much less important than spiritual exercises and practices of attention for encouraging ecological concern.

In this episode, Cecil Abungu explains some of the philosophy of longtermism, and how it ties in to both the effective altruism movement and the study of existential risk. He also explores a variety of African perspectives on longtermism, suggesting how western voices might learn from indigenous thought when discussing the distant future.

Michelle Bastian raises some possible concerns with deep time thinking. She introduces a wide range of different ways of thinking about time, and reflects on some of the links between time and power. Are some of the popular engagements with deep time causing more harm than good?

Manjana Milkoreit discusses the importance of imagination for thinking about the future. From climate fiction to dystopian film, she digs into what such creations reveal about our current priorities in the present—and why such imaginings need to be grounded in diverse communities.