Thought for the Day

Rev Dr Sam Wells


Listen Later

Good morning. Over New Year, two elite Premier League clubs decided being in the top six wasn’t good enough, and they needed a new manager. One of them, Chelsea, has appointed the man currently in charge of Strasbourg, Liam Rosenior. Rosenior becomes one of only two Black managers among the 20 Premier League clubs—making him one of just 12 Black individuals to hold a managerial position in the Premier League since Ruud Gullit's appointment in 1996. 43 per cent of Premier League players are black. Yet a contrasting 97 per cent of their exec and non-exec leaders are white.

Rosenior’s demeanour taking up the role has been gracious. Unusually, he gave a press conference at the club he’s left, thanking them for the opportunity and expressing his affection for the team. He has a history of writing a column for a national newspaper and raising issues of race and justice. Wayne Rooney’s among those who’ve lauded his coaching style.
I have a friend who, when he married a white woman, had to wait six years before he was welcomed in her parents’ home. But I’ve never heard him utter a word of reproach or introduce race as a reason for any denial of opportunities elsewhere. By contrast I have another black friend who’s repeatedly been subject to projections about her volatility, unreliability and lack of organisation, whereas I’ve always found her meticulously well prepared and even-tempered. We’ve often spoken about whether making a formal complaint would be wise or counterproductive.
Last week the Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja, announcing his retirement, looked back over his 88-test career. He said, ‘I had to work harder than everyone else, score more runs than the rest, and make sure I didn't give them any excuse not to pick me.’ Like my two friends, Liam Rosenior and Usman Khawaja have had to choose when to fight and call out, and when to put their head down and trust their own ability and the goodness of the system they’re in.
Jesus did both. He certainly preached humble faithfulness and self-denying sacrifice. But if that’s all he’d said, he’d never have been crucified. He was crucified because he told the political and religious leaders of his time they were wrong about truth, about justice, and about God, and because he proclaimed and modelled a society where everyone belonged with one another and with him. For him, social change was about setting an outstanding example, but also taking the risk of directly and unflinchingly highlighting where that ideal was being blocked or subtly subverted. Two thousand years later, nothing much has changed.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Thought for the DayBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

56 ratings


More shows like Thought for the Day

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,775 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

371 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

898 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,062 Listeners

The Reith Lectures by BBC Radio 4

The Reith Lectures

171 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,508 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,802 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,876 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,867 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,074 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,970 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,079 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

490 Listeners

Profile by BBC Radio 4

Profile

108 Listeners

Last Word by BBC Radio 4

Last Word

45 Listeners

The Week in Westminster by BBC Radio 4

The Week in Westminster

33 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

410 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

302 Listeners

Moral Maze by BBC Radio 4

Moral Maze

56 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

836 Listeners

Start the Week by BBC Radio 4

Start the Week

162 Listeners

The Briefing Room by BBC Radio 4

The Briefing Room

61 Listeners

Political Thinking with Nick Robinson by BBC Radio 4

Political Thinking with Nick Robinson

107 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,212 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,039 Listeners