In Good Faith

Why are Bible sales and Church attendance on the rise? Why are far-right nationalists invoking Christian beliefs and symbols? Is there a way forward for Britain that unifies its citizens and respects difference?
To learn more about these questions, I spoke to James Walters, both a priest and a professor. James is founding director of the LSE Faith Centre and LSE Religion and Global Society. He is a Professor in Practice, affiliated to the Department for International Relations and an associate of the LSE Department of International Development.
James studied theology at Cambridge University and writes on the interface of theology, philosophy, and political science. He has published five books, his most recent being Loving Your Neighbour in an Age of Religious Conflict (Jessica Kingsley 2019), and his next one coming later this year.
He is a priest in the Church of England, an honorary canon of Chichester Cathedral in West Sussex, a member of the Academic Board of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Examination in Theology, and a member of the governing council of Westcott House Theological College.
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(0:00) Overarching worldview
(2:40) Upbringing & background
(7:35) Jesus & the Trinity
(12:55) Mystery of divine self-disclosure
(18:25) Approaches to religious pluralism
(27:32) The Church & multiculturalism
(33:40) Is Britain still a Christian country?
(37:02) Religious resurgence & Church revival
(42:42) The problem of Christian nationalism
(50:50) Does the Church have an online strategy?
(55:08) Crises facing the Church
(57:42) Advice for the new Archbishop
(1:04:49) Mediating Gaza debates on campus
(1:13:33) The tech threat to humanity
(1:23:39) Upcoming projects
(1:26:01) A brief sermon

In this clip, I contrast different approaches to being faithful in the work environment.
Watch my full conversation with Ali and Fiyal here.

Hear from Arfah Farooq, Founder of Muslim Tech Fest, about a small change that can make a big difference when it comes to one issue that concerns all parents nowadays: screen time!
Watch or listen to my full conversation with Arfah here.

Like me, Dr Mamnun Khan has a big issue with how we understand basic terms such as "Muslim"... but we differ on the best practical way forward. Much of this discussion was dedicated to hashing out questions of identity, not just in terms of how we see ourselves, but also how we see and relate to others.
Dr Mamnun is the author of Being British Muslims: Beyond Ethnocentric Religion and Identity Politics, and a Fellow at Equi think tank. He explores the topics of identity, Islam, and the social integration of Muslims in contemporary Britain. His work critically examines the challenges and opportunities faced by British Muslims, advocating for a balanced God-centred approach that transcends ethnocentrism and ideological extremes. In his spare time, Mamnun advises a number of UK organisations on projects and strategy. He has over 20 years of experience in corporate management and strategy in the science and tech sector.

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(0:00) Core observations and background
(6:47) Being “Muslim” - form vs substance
(14:32) The problem with Islamophobia
(18:45) Translation vs transliteration
(30:09) Inclusive vs exclusive language
(39:23) Monotheism vs Islam
(50:04) Revelation, morality and accountability
(59:00) A summary of the key ideas
(1:04:38) How to increase religious literacy
(1:06:35) Mamnun’s current projects

Watch my full conversation with Dr Bilal Hassam here.