Religion and Global Challenges

Exploring Interfaith Futures: insights from Cambridge Divinity students

In this episode of the Interfaith Futures conversation series, three undergraduate students from the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge—Tassy, Alice, and Tom—discuss their experiences attending the national launch event for Inter Faith Week in London.

Speaking with CIP Programme Manager Dr Iona Hine, they share their initial awareness of Inter Faith Week, the key takeaways from the event, and how interfaith dialogue intersects with their studies and future aspirations.

The conversation highlights the importance of interfaith engagement in academia, community building, and policy-making, and underscores the potential for young people to shape interfaith futures--from thinktanks to religious education.

00:00 Introduction to Interfaith Futures

00:16 Background and recent developments in interfaith initiatives

01:06 Meet the students: Tassy, Alice, and Tom

01:26 Student reflections on Inter Faith Week

04:11 Highlights from the Inter Faith Week launch event

09:12 Personal takeaways and future aspirations

14:38 Conclusion and final thoughts

In this episode, Ryan Keating, a PhD student at Cambridge University and pastor in North Cyprus, engages with Professor Sriya Iyer, a pioneer in the field of economics of religion. They discuss the role of religion in mental health, the impact of religious communities on public welfare, and how economic theories can help understand religious interactions. Their dialogue explores the intersection of religion and economics, offering valuable perspectives for policymakers and faith leaders alike.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

01:32 Exploring the Economics of Religion

03:31 Religion, Mental Health, and Wellbeing

06:13 Faith Communities and Economic Perspectives

11:08 Concluding Thoughts and Future Directions

Resources mentioned

• SCORE | Religion and Economic Development programme, reported at interfaith.cam.ac.uk: Exploring religion and economic development.

• Iyer’s research on religion, mental health and wellbeing, reported at interfaith.cam.ac.uk Research news: “Religion may have helped during COVID”.

• Sriya Iyer, 2018, The economics of religion in India (Harvard University Press).

In this episode, Susie Triffitt, a third-year PhD student studying Theology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge, interviews Michael Wakelin, the executive chair of the Religion Media Centre. They discuss Wakelin's extensive background in religious broadcasting, his work with the Cambridge Interfaith Programme, and various interfaith projects, such as the leadership training program at St George's, Windsor. Wakelin also talks about the Religion Media Centre's mission to improve religious literacy in the media, responding to the Bloom Review, and the importance of new media, including TikTok, in furthering interfaith engagement. The conversation highlights the significance of building interfaith relationships and addresses the challenges and successes in the interfaith space.

Michael and Susie find themselves in agreement: despite secular trends in census data, many people continue to exhibit religious behaviors, and the future of faith is promising, filled with passionate individuals.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

01:11 Michael Wakelin's Background and Career

01:54 Interfaith Leadership Program

02:54 Religion Media Centre

05:01 Religious Literacy and Bloom Review

07:32 Challenges and Successes in Interfaith Work

11:31 New Media and Interfaith Engagement

13:34 Future of Faith and Interfaith Relations

16:28 Closing Remarks and Final Thoughts

Resources mentioned

• Faith in Leadership (St George’s Windsor)
• Religion Media Centre (ReligionMediaCentre.org.uk)
• Bloom Review
• Religious Literacy Partnership
• Creating Connections (an RMC project)

Dr Anastasia Badder, an anthropologist of religion at the University of Cambridge, converses with Dr Kathryn Wright, the Chief Executive of Culham St Gabriel's, about the evolving role and significance of Religious Education (RE).

They discuss how RE can respond to contemporary challenges by fostering understanding, empathy, and critical thinking among students. Dr Wright highlights the importance of policymakers recognizing the subject's value, backed by public opinion supporting its role in promoting a respectful society. In addressing a question on shared values, Dr Wright introduces the concept of a “pedagogy of embrace.” Quoting Miroslav Volf, she emphasizes the idea of an embrace as an enriching encounter that respects individual integrity while fostering communal harmony and understanding, indicating its potential as a metaphor for interfaith relations as well as R.E. pedagogy.

00:00 Introduction to Dr. Anastasia Badder and Dr. Kathryn Wright

01:45 The Role of Religious Education in Contemporary Society

03:13 Building Empathy and Understanding Through RE

05:37 Future Challenges and the Role of RE

11:01 Policymakers and the Importance of RE

17:44 Values for a Holistic Society and RE Futures

24:46 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Resources mentioned

• Savanta Comres survey statistics on Culham St Gabriel’s website (2021)
• Nobody Stands Nowhere: an animation created in partnership between Culham St Gabriel’s and the Theos thinktank. www.theosthinktank.co.uk
• Miroslav Volf (1996) Exclusion & Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation
• Kathryn Wright (2017) A pedagogy of embrace: a theology of hospitality as a pedagogical framework for religious education in Church of England schools [PhD Thesis]

Ian McKay Constantine, a legal professional from St Lucia and alumnus of The Faith & Belief Forum's ParliaMentors Programme, interviews Dr Daniel Moulin, Religious Education lead at the University of Cambridge. They discuss the importance and potential of religious education (RE) in contemporary society. Dr Moulin emphasizes the need for deep, authentic engagement with religious traditions in RE, going beyond superficial understanding to address issues like prejudice, discrimination, and moral development. They also consider the implications of artificial intelligence on education and the necessity of maintaining our humanity, including through deep and meaningful engagement with religious studies.

Part of the Interfaith Futures series, this episode also belongs to a three-part special on Religious Education produced in partnership with The Faith & Belief Forum. Religious Education is a statutory subject in UK schools, but a shortage of specialist teachers is among several challenges that have challenged its delivery. In principle, the subject is intended to provide chance to learn about and from different religions, supporting learners’ individuation, character development, and understanding of the world.

CIP Programme Manager Dr Iona Hine interviews Bushra Nasir CBE, a pioneering educator and advocate for religious education. They discuss the importance of religious education in the UK, particularly amid contemporary societal challenges such as politicized differences and misinformation. Bushra Nasir emphasizes the role of schools in fostering understanding, tolerance, and respect among young people, referring to specific examples of good practice from her time as head of Plashet girls’ school and an academy CO—and advocating for the importance of specialist teachers and an equitable place for RE. In context of the national curriculum review, discussion highlights the opportunity to address global and multicultural issues, and the essential skills of debate and critical thinking RE can develop.

Listeners are encouraged to reflect on the role of education in their communities and consider how embracing diverse faith perspectives can contribute to a more cohesive and understanding world.

00:00 About the series: RE Future & Interfaith Futures

01:22 Introducing Bushra Nasir CBE

03:03 The Role of Religious Education in Contemporary Society

05:15 Building Capacities Through Religious Education

08:06 Policy Makers and Religious Education

12:56 Values in Religious Education

16:56 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Dr Iona Hine interviews Professor Flora Samuel, Head of the Department of Architecture at the University of Cambridge. The conversation explores the concept of urban rooms, spaces where communities converge to discuss city futures, and the potential role of faith groups in these discussions. They discuss theoretical and practical challenges of considering representation, noting the 1% of a populace that typically participates in planning consultations is far from diverse.

Dr Hine also invites Professor Samuel to reflect on four possible ways faith communities can engage in sustainable urban futures, referring to a recent article by Prof Christopher Baker and Dr Chris Ives.

This episode is part of the Cambridge Interfaith Programme's UK Interfaith Futures series.

00:00 Introduction to the Interfaith Futures Series

00:38 Meet Professor Flora Samuel

01:37 The Concept of Urban Rooms

02:19 Faith Groups and Community Building

04:23 Challenges in Representation and Engagement

07:32 Faith and Urban Sustainability

10:01 Reflecting on Faith's Role in Urban Spaces

12:21 Concluding Thoughts

Resources mentioned

• The Cambridge Room, an urban room for Cambridge: www.cambridgeroom.org
• Quality of Life Foundation: www.qolf.org
• Ives & Baker, Engaging faith for a sustainable urban future, in Global Sustainability 7. doi.org/10.1017/sus.2024.32

Peach, a PhD student at the University of Cambridge, interviews Professor Jagbir Jhutti Johal from the University of Birmingham about the role of women in interfaith activities. Professor Jhutti Johal discusses the increasing prominence of women in interfaith dialogue, emphasizing the need for support and mentorship to facilitate these conversations. They also talk about the importance of community engagement and academics co-producing research with communities. The discussion includes insights into empowering other underrepresented voices, such as young people, those with disabilities, and the LGBT community, in interfaith conversations and policy-making.

Part of the UK Interfaith Futures series.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:50 The Role of Women in Interfaith Activities

02:44 Academics and Interfaith Engagement

05:20 Challenges and Opportunities in Interfaith Dialogue

10:36 Underrepresented Voices in Interfaith Conversations

16:51 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Dr Iona Hine, Programme Manager for the Cambridge Interfaith Programme, interviews Professor Esra Ozyurek, Academic Director of the Cambridge Interfaith Programme and Sultan Qaboos Professor of Abrahamic Faiths and Shared Values. Discussion begins by considering how Esra's research on interreligious relations in Turkey and Germany may be applied to the UK. They discuss the impact of historical empires, British and Ottoman, and how imperial management of diverse groups and historical actions affect modern interfaith relations, policy, and governance. Past injustices and material realities impact on present conflicts. The conversation also highlights the value of cross-disciplinary partnerships and the erosion of shared values in today's socio-political landscape.

Part of the UK Interfaith Futures series, November 2024.

00:00 Introduction to the Cambridge Interfaith Programme

01:15 Esra Ozyurek's Research and Its Relevance to the UK

02:09 Historical Context of Interfaith Relations

04:31 Modern Implications of Historical Conflicts

08:01 Religion and Global Challenges Initiative

11:18 Collaborations and Unexpected Partnerships

15:05 Abrahamic Faiths and Shared Values

17:47 Conclusion and Future Prospects

• What does the future hold for interfaith relations?
• What research is needed?
• What knowledge do researchers and practitioners hold that might benefit each other?
• And what do policymakers need to know?

Such are the questions that underpin Interfaith Futures, a 15-part conversation series featuring a mix of academics, practitioners and activists, interviewed by an emerging generation of scholars and professionals—around the central topic of Interfaith Futures.

The interviews were first published on the Faculty of Divinity YouTube channel in November 2024, and now repackaged for podcast listeners. Episodes range from 12 to 25 minutes, and cover a diversity of topics. Listen in and join the conversation, with #InterfaithFutures.

More information: Interviews: 15 perspectives on Interfaith Futures via www.interfaith.cam.ac.uk

Produced by the Cambridge Interfaith Programme.