Life Issues

With the fragility of international relationships, crisis fatigue, and financial instability, are we doing enough to care for the marginalised and oppressed? How can we counter attitudes of indifference when trying to overcome problems like poverty, and gender-violence, that persist across generations? In this week’s Life Issues, Vicky Gibbens speaks to Canon Bev Jullien, the Chief Executive of Mothers’ Union, and the charity’s Worldwide President, Kathleen Snow, as the organisation celebrates its 150th anniversary.

2026, is the national year of reading, have you got a favourite book? Well one book that seems to be enjoying a surge in popularity is the Bible – with 2025 UK sales at a “record high” & worth £6.3 million. So, if people are interested in the Bible, seeking value in its words – what does our attitude towards it say? What should our relationship be with God’s word? In this week’s Life Issues, The Bible - dusty book or living Word? Paul Hammond speaks to Dr John Andrews.

Is it time we rescued the idea of intimacy from being confined to the bedroom? How close do we really want to be to God? After all, God is omnipresent, but sometimes we question God’s proximity. In this week’s Life Issues, Vicky Gibbens speaks to Ed Shaw, pastor and the author of a book about the intimacy deficit in our world today.

Singleness is not a waiting room. You’re not on pause, singleness isn’t a placeholder, it’s a powerful chapter, it’s a season with meaning. It’s not the hallway before real life starts, it’s not God hitting pause until marriage shows up. You might be single, not by choice, but singleness isn’t a holding room, it’s holy ground. Reverend Eleanor Jeans, author of the Securely Single course, joins Ashley Andrew in this week’s Life Issues episode ‘Singleness is not a waiting room’.

God created it, society seems obsessed with it, so why do we struggle to talk about it. Maybe it’s time we found God’s perspective. It’s a frank, grown up and perhaps a little bit shocking conversation. Emma Waring from “the marriage course” joins Paul in this week’s Life Issues episode ‘Seasons of Sex and Intimacy’.