The Church Times Podcast

This week, the editor, Sarah Meyrick, is joined by senior writer Madeleine Davies and news reporter Francis Martin to discuss a momentous and turbulent week for the Church of England: the publication of the Makin review into the abuse carried out by John Smyth, which resulted, five days later, in the Archbishop of Canterbury announcing his resignation. They talk about the findings of the Makin review, the significance of the Archbishop's announcement and what it will mean for safeguarding in the Church, how people are responding in parishes and wider society, and what happens next. The discussion also touches on what the legacy of Archbishop Welby's archiepiscopate might be. Try 10 issues of the Church Times for £10 or get two months access to our website and apps, also for £10. Go to www.churchtimes.co.uk/new-reader Photo credit: Alamy

On the podcast this week, the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, talks about his new book, Praying By Heart: The Lord’s Prayer for everyone. The book takes readers through the Lord’s Prayer phrase by phrase, exploring its meaning and significance for us today. The prayer, he writes, is a “declaration of intent”, which should come with a health warning — ‘don’t say this prayer if you are not prepared to be changed.” An extract from the book is published in this week’s Church Times. Praying By Heart is published by Hodder & Stoughton at £14.99 (Church Times Bookshop £11.99); 978-1-3998-0530-8. https://chbookshop.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9781399805308/praying-by-heart-the-lords-prayer-for-everyone?vc=CT508 Archbishop Cottrell will be talking about the book at the next Church Times Festival of Faith and Literature, which takes place in Winchester from 28 February to 2 March. Find out more and book tickets at https://faithandliterature.hymnsam.co.uk Picture credit: Ravage Productions Try 10 issues of the Church Times for £10 or get two months access to our website and apps, also for £10. Go to www.churchtimes.co.uk/new-reader

Orbital by Samantha Harvey, shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize, is the choice for this month’s Church Times Book Club. On the podcast this week, the Revd Gerry Lynch, who has written about the book in this week’s Church Times, discusses it with Ed Thornton. Read the essay here: https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2024/1-november/books-arts/book-club/book-club-orbital-by-samantha-harvey Orbital is published by Vintage at £9.99 (Church Times Bookshop £8.99); 978-5299-2293-6. https://chbookshop.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9781529922936/orbital?vc=CT401 Orbital is a series of meditations by six fictional astronauts on the International Space Station. Travelling at an altitude of 250 miles above sea level, and orbiting the Earth 16 times a day, the book covers the life of the crew over a 24-hour period. Observations by the astronauts as they look down wistfully on the Earth are ones mixed with wonder and fear. Crossing war zones and impenetrable borders, and tracking a menacing typhoon, the book makes for uncomfortable viewing. Ultimately, Orbital is a book of hope, reaffirming in the reader a sense of insignificance in the presence of a larger, more magnificent realm. The Revd Gerry Lynch is Rector of the Wellsprings Benefice, in the diocese of Salisbury. Ed Thornton is Assistant Editor of the Church Times. The Church Times Book Club is run in association with the Festival of Faith and Literature, which is taking place in Winchester from 28 February to 2 March. Find information about the programme and how to buy tickets here. Sign up to receive the free Book Club email once a month. Featuring discussion questions, podcasts and discounts on each book: churchtimes.co.uk/newsletter-signup Discuss this month’s book at facebook.com/groups/churchtimesbookclub Try 10 issues of the Church Times for £10 or get two months access to our website and apps, also for £10. Go to www.churchtimes.co.uk/new-reader

This week, Rupert Shortt is interviewed about his latest book, The Eclipse of Christianity: And why it matters (Comment, 13 September, Books, 20 September). The wide-ranging book reports on the unsettling consequences of secularisation, but also offers a robust defence of the intellectual coherence of Christian belief and argues that Europe’s historic faith remains critical to the survival of a humane culture. In a review of the book in the Church Times, John Saxbee writes: “It remains to be seen just how close to total any eclipse of Christianity might be, but eclipses are by their very nature transitory, and Shortt, notwithstanding his painfully honest analysis, provides a halo of hope sufficient to confound the doubters and re-energise the faithful.” Rupert Shortt is a research associate at the Von Hügel Institute for Critical Catholic Inquiry at the University of Cambridge, and was an editor at the Times Literary Supplement from 2000 until 2020. His previous books include The Hardest Problem (Books, 16 September 2022), Outgrowing Dawkins: God for grown-ups (Podcast, 29 November 2019), Does Religion Do More Harm Than Good? (Podcast, 29 March 2019), and Rowan's Rule: The biography of the Archbishop (2014). The Eclipse of Christianity is published by Hodder at £25 (Church Times Bookshop £20). https://chbookshop.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9781399802741/the-eclipse-of-christianity?vc=CT011 He will be speaking about the book at the Church Times Festival of Faith and Literature, to be held in Winchester from 28 February to 2 March 2025. https://faithandliterature.hymnsam.co.uk Try 10 issues of the Church Times for £10 or get two months access to our website and apps, also for £10. Go to www.churchtimes.co.uk/new-reader