Life Issues

Everyone - or almost everyone - has doubts. Not everyone admits them. In his book Faith After Doubt, Brian McLaren says that it's not doubts themselves that hurt our faith,

but pretending we don't have them. In other words, hiding, denying, and pretending we don't have doubts creates a kind of dishonesty that is spiritually harmful.

Paul Hammond explores this with Brian McLaren - Author, Speaker, Activist, and Theologian.

Some people think that if you are following God’s plan for your life all will be blessing and good, so what happens when it isn’t? How do you restore a calling when tragedy strikes. Paul speaks to Ronan Walker.

Ronni Lamont, Teacher, Vicar & Author of Faith in Children.

How can the courageous women who took risks to challenge their patriarchal world in Biblical times inspire action today?

Vicky Gibbens talks to Elaine Storkey, renowned philosopher, sociologist and theologian who has been a passionate advocate of justice and gender issues for 30 years, including 28 years on the General Synod for the Church of England.

Pete Greig joins Paul to discuss unanswered prayer.

Pete is a well-known name in British Christendom. He has challenged a couple of generations now to think again about the power of prayer to change the reality in which we live and has written, taught and preached prodigiously over the last 20 or so years. What is less well known, is that during all that time he and his family have carried a reality that shows the truth of the mystery of prayer that often its strongest advocates carry experiences of unanswered prayer that shape and mould a life and ministry that releases others from hardship while they have to endure, or worse those that they love have to endure.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to leave your home, family, friends and career and start all over again in a new country? Maybe you have first hand experience of this? For some it’s a choice, for many others, circumstances force them to turn their back on all they’ve ever known to seek refuge elsewhere.

Dr Anne Therese Gallagher, Director – General of the Commonwealth Foundation and President of the International Catholic Migration Commission and Adam Baker, Director of Refugee Roots join Paul on this week's Life Issues.

What is a miracle? Do miracles still happen today? How do we know a real miracle? Do we need to protect the church from falsehood? How do we access a miracle? What do

we say to those who are still waiting for their miracle?

Author, Faculty Member of Crosslands Training and Elder at Grace Church Boroughbridge Dr. Tim Chester joins Paul to discuss all of these issues.

Covid 19 claims over 128,000 lives in the UK and there is a justifiable outcry, but in England & Wales there were over 200,000 abortions in 2019 so how should we react to that? What is the Christian, the biblical perspective & how do we communicate it in a way that stands for truth but shows compassion & love?

Alister McGrath, Professor of Science and Religion at Oxford University,

Author of Through a Glass Darkly: Journeys through Science, Faith and Doubt.

What makes a meaningful encounter when there are more than 7.9 billion of us in the world? What connects us to one another & God? Bishop Rachel wants to help us make new discoveries & connections in our own adventure with the ‘God of relationship’ as she shares her personal story.

The Right Reverend Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester, joins Vicky Gibbens.