All Things Considered

Roy Jenkins talks to former nun Catherine Coldstream, who has recently published a fascinating, challenging and highly praised memoir of her former life in a Carmelite monastery. Following the death of her father, Catherine Coldstream abandoned her musician's life in Paris and sought spiritual solace in a monastery, and found what she thought was a vocation for life as a Carmelite nun. She was only in her mid-20s Yet on a rainy night 12 years later she would try to escape from the community which had once seemed idyllic. By that time it was riven between two factions, one for maintaining the old traditions at all costs, and the other for embracing the Catholic church’s modernising concern for individual welfare. In recent years Catherine has been a teacher of religion and ethics, and in this conversation she reflects on both the good and the bad parts of her experience in the monastery to which she gives the fictional name of 'Akenside'.

Roy Jenkins talks to former Carmelite nun Catherine Coldstream.

Jonathan Thomas joins the audience in the Swansea Arena to watch the musical 'Jesus Christ Superstar' on its 50th anniversary tour. He speaks to three expert guests; Swansea born singer and song writer Steve Balsamo whose award winning performance of Jesus in the 1990s launched his career. Cameron Smith who writes a blog 'Middle Brow Musicals' and also for Premier Christianity Magazine. Lastly Revered Emma Ackland, Bishop’s Chaplain in the Diocese of Llandaff. The show first launched in the UK at the Palace Theatre in London in 1972, one of the most popular shows of all time, the rock opera depicts the last few days leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion. Some Christians have called it blasphemous, others see it as an evocative retelling of Jesus’ final days. With church congregations declining, Jonathan Thomas explores these issues and what still draws audiences today to a story about Jesus’ life and death.

Minister and biker Sean Stillman gives a searingly honest insight into a life that's been turned upside down since his diagnosis some three years ago, after experiencing a number of strange symptoms. Sean is a Christian minister at Zak’s Place , which is both a church and outreach to the homeless in Swansea. He's also international president of a Christian motor-cycle club called ‘God’s Squad’. But, like many people living with a serious illness, he has had to cut back on some of his commitments. At the same time he has also taken on new challenges such as boxing and ballet in order to maintain strength and balance. In this special programme for Parkinson's Awareness Week, recorded over several years, Sean tells his story in his own words through interviews and audio diaries. Details of organisations offering information and support with Parkinson’s are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5TzWfx4YgJVMS3N49BsyTcR/information-and-support-parkinsons-disease

While attention is understandably focussed on the latest horrors of the Gaza-Israel conflict, it’s easy to forget that in Ukraine and dozens of other countries, people are also being forced from their homes, seeing communities destroyed, and living in daily fear. In other places, the memories of much earlier atrocities continue to shape lives. It’s the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda which killed 800,000 people in 100 days in 1994. The UK parliament faces yet another round of votes on the government’s plans to send asylum seekers there, proposals hailed as a means of protecting borders, deterring people without legitimate claims, and fighting the traffickers. And widely condemned as inflicting unnecessary suffering, breaching international agreements, and incurring huge expense. while working with a country with a far from perfect record on human rights. On the day two years ago when the plans were first announced, Roy Jenkins was interviewing a survivor of that genocide in 1994. He was in Wales, visiting a couple who’d kept in touch with him since he was in an orphanage. Today we’re repeating that conversation with Jean-Pierre Sibomana, who was maimed in an explosion which killed his mother. He’s faced many struggles, but that devastating event was eventually to help set a vision for his life – he’s now a disability rights champion.

Recent figures suggest that Christianity is now one of the most widely persecuted religions in the world. Rosa Hunt speaks to three people who have had experience of persecution in countries where to follow Christ demands a high price - sometimes literally. In Malaysia, Susanna Koh talks about the day seven years ago when her husband, Pastor Raymond Koh, was abducted possibly at the hands of Malaysian police and religious authorities, unhappy that he was doing social work among people of various religions, including Muslims. In Manipur, in north-east India, Sharon Singsit-Evans talks about the way conflict between tribes has ended up destroying churches, killing pastors and displacing thousands from their homes. Finally, in West Africa, Suleiman talks about the extreme dangers facing Christians there, where kidnapping, murder and the destruction of farmlands is becoming ever more common.

Dr Bablin Molik holds a PhD in Biology from Cardiff University with a specialism in Glaucoma. Today she is CEO of the charity Sight Cymru and Lord Mayor of Cardiff. She speaks with Azim Ahmed about her her role as Lord Mayor and her work advocating for the blind and partially sighted. Bablin moved to Wales from Bangladesh at the age of six and went on to excel in her schooling here. She’s dedicated much of her working life to campaigning for those with impaired sight and in her role as Lord Mayor her nominated charity is UCAN Productions, a performance and creative arts charity supporting children who are blind and partially sighted. During the month of Ramadan, Bablin shares the challenges of fasting while being a CEO and Lord Mayor, but also how her resilience and compassion is rooted in her Muslim faith.

This week the Media Bill has been scrutinised and debated in the House of Lords. The aim is of the bill is to reform decades-old legislation for Public Service Broadcasters (including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and S4C), but in its current form it will remove the requirement for specific genres of programmes on religion, arts and science. With religious programming already in decline, some groups are concerned that this will deal a serious blow to faith broadcasting. Others argue it’s a necessary step, giving broadcasters greater flexibility and reflecting a post-Christian Britain. What might happen if there isn’t a a requirement to make programmes about religion and belief? With a rapidly changing religious landscape in Britain, do current faith programmes meet audience needs? To what extent does religious broadcasting matter? Azim Ahmed is joined by four guests to explore the issues; Tony Stoller, Chair of the Sandford St. Martin Trust, Tim Pemberton, Head of Religion and Ethics for BBC Audio, Kathryn Riddick from Humanists UK and journalist and broadcaster Remona Aly.

Two students from a school in Bristol were fatally stabbed last month – and the one person many journalists sought out for comment was a Baptist minister. Not because he knew them, but because he heads the academy trust that their school belongs to – along with 53 other schools across the country. Today's guest is Steve Chalke – activist and writer, broadcaster and social entrepreneur – founded the Oasis Trust nearly 40 years ago. Today it links churches and other community groups in challenging injustice and inequality. Its initiatives range from the big schools network to specialist neighbourhood debt advice, job training, mental health drop-ins for children and young people, and much more. It also works internationally in housing and education and healthcare. Steve Chalke has never shied away from controversy, not least among the evangelical Christians who nurtured him – he’s been outspoken in his defence of minority groups and some traditional ways of understandings the Bible.

It’s coming up to two years since Russia’s so-called ‘special operation’ against Ukraine led to one of the biggest conflicts on European soil since the end of WW2. Shocking as that was, it’s been followed by yet more global insecurity. In the Middle East, the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues; meanwhile, some commentators look nervously at China’s threatening position towards Taiwan. At home in Britain there have been dire warnings that we are living in a ‘pre-war era’; and further afield, the Doomsday Clock has been set to merely 90 seconds before midnight and a nuclear holocaust. For people of faith, making sense of the human propensity for violence has always been challenging. How can we justify pacificism in the face of evil? And contrariwise, how can we justify warfare when we claim to follow the command of Christ to love our enemies? And what does horrendous warfare do to your faith in God and in humanity? Rosa Hunt talks to four people who have had to think through some of these issues in great depth. In Lviv, Ukraine, Rev. Roman Zaviyskyy is a philosopher and theologian and president of the Ukrainian branch of the European Society of Catholic Theology; in Princetown, Ukrainian theologian Pavlo Smytsnyuk reflects on how life has changed over the last two years. In Israel Elena Volkova – originally from Russia and now and independent scholar after leaving her mother country - offers her perspective. And in Aldershot, retired soldier and lay minister Major General Tim Cross, who served during the Cold War and during peace keeping operations in the Balkans, offers his perspective.

Azim Ahmed visits one of Wales' most fascinating religious communities, now celebrating 50 years since it was founded in a peaceful corner of Carmarthenshire, near the village of Llanpumpsaint. This monastery and temple complex is devoted to worship and to service to both animal and human lives. Boasting no fewer than three elephants, the Community of the Many Names of God was established back in 1973 by a former Sri Lankan florist based in London, Guru Sri Subramanium. The Guru came to Wales guided by a vision. From unpromising beginnings - he had spotted a derelict farm for sale in the small ads of the Farmers Weekly magazine - the Guru built up a temple complex that is nowadays home to some twenty permanent members, and many more lay people and devotees. Still guided by the late Guru's vision, Skanda Vale attracts many thousands of worshippers annually, and is home not only to a human community - it is also home to numerous animals, including no fewer than three elephants! https://www.skandavale.org/

Sleep is said to be a gift from God, but what happens when you can't drift off at night, or you regularly wake up in the small hours? Rosa Hunt investigates the science and spiritual purpose of sleep. Roughly 1 in 3 people experience periodic bouts of insomnia, and there's no it can be deeply troubling, both mentally and physically. Rosa Hunt (who suffers herself from insomnia) investigates the fascinating science and spiritual purpose of sleep, and talks to a number of fellow insomniacs. Rev'd Belinda Huxtable-Goy has suffered from disturbed sleep as a legacy of her previous job as a nurse working night shifts in trauma and obstetrics. Rev'd Dr Emma Whittick has managed to overcome her sleep difficulties after a lifelong struggle to sleep at night, whilst Rev Jon Birch started his teens as a very good sleeper, only to end with a very disrupted sleep pattern whilst experiencing the pressures of student life. As for so many people, this only got worse with the pressures of parenthood and dealing with very young children. In the past sleep was deemed practically a waste of time, and even the Bible sometimes seems to equate sleep with laziness. But as scientific understanding gets ever deeper, we can appreciate that sleep performs a whole range of essential functions. Professor Mark Blagrove, a psychiatrist from Swansea University and no stranger himself to wakeful hours in the middle of the night, explains some of the science and the multiple functions of sleep. Presenter: Rosa Hunt Producer: Geoff Ballinger

We’re three weeks into January - Christmas seems a distant memory, the weather pattern this month has ranged from flooding to freezing cold temperatures, and there’s still a couple of months to go before the clocks go forward, when the days grow longer and lighter. And perhaps, for many us, those hope-filled new year’s resolutions are now long forgotten. For some, these factors all contribute to a decline in mood. So-called ‘Blue Monday’ falls this week. The label was reportedly coined by psychologist Cliff Arnall in 2004 when a holiday company asked him for a ‘scientific formula’ to calculate the most depressing day of the year. In fact, there’s nothing scientific about it, and the term ‘Blue Monday’ has been disputed over the years. But, does January really make the world feel different; or is the notion a myth, negatively conditioning the way we routinely view the first month of the new year? How deeply do the changing months and seasons affect the way we view and experience our daily lives, and our spirituality? To discuss these issues, Delyth Liddell is joined by Vishvapani Blomfield, a Buddhist writer, broadcaster and mindfulness teacher; Dr Simon Braybrook, a GP from Cardiff; and Sr Gemma Simmonds, director of the Religious Life Institute at the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology, and an ecumenical canon of the Church in Wales.

Roy Jenkins speaks to the Church in Wales' newly-appointed Director of Mission and Strategy, the poet and writer Grahame Davies. Before his recent appointment to the church of which he has been a lifelong member, Grahame served as deputy private secretary to King Charles III, where he worked behind the scenes helping with - among other things - the huge task of organising royal visits. Grahame talks about his faith journey - sometimes literally, when he reflects on a profound spiritual experience he had after visiting the island of Iona - and about the joy of hearing his own words sung and performed to millions of TV viewers around the world during the King's Coronation.

This year All Things Considered marked the 900th anniversary of St David's recognition by Pope Callixtus II as patron saint of Wales, when he declared that two pilgrimages to St Davids were worth one to Jerusalem. Across the seven weeks between St David's Day and Easter this year, All Things Considered and Celebration celebrated the life and impact of this man whose feast day we mark every year but about whom we know relatively little. During the course of the series programmes were made examining David's relationships with Pembrokeshire, Brittany, Rome and Jerusalem – following in the footsteps of the saint himself, and asking what this medieval figure might have to teach us today. Jonathan Thomas introduces highlights from the series.

Delyth Liddell introduces four Christmas cards from Llandaff Diocese. Will and Jude Souter are from Urban Crofters church in Roath; Edwin Counsell is at St Illtud's in the Vale of Glamorgan; Mark and Ruth Greenaway-Robbins are at Margam Abbey; and Sarah Jones is from St John the Baptist in the centre of Cardiff.

The birth of Jesus is an important even for both Muslims and Christians, but there are some key differences in how the nativity story is told. For any Christians expecting to hear about donkeys and asses, innkeepers and shepherds there's disappointment in store: these do not feature in the Islamic nativity story, although Mary and the Angel Gabriel do enjoy a key role! Azim Ahmed explores the Islamic traditions of Jesus, who is regarded not as the Son of God, but as an important prophet. For some critical scholars such as Professor Gabriel Said Reynolds the Islamic narrative derives from earlier Christian sources, sometimes from texts that were banned by the mainstream church. For Muslims such as Ahmad Thomson, however, the version contained within the Qur'an is the definitive one, revealed to the Prophet by the Angel Gabriel. Both traditions, however, are united in their belief in the virgin birth, and the eventual return of Jesus at the Second Coming. Rana Kahn, the Church in Wales' representative on interfaith matters, takes an even handed view of both the Biblical and the Quranic versions, whilst for Amanda Morris the story of Mary giving birth alone to Jesus is a story of immense emotional power. Producer: Geoff Ballinger

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed on 10th December 1948, is seen by many to be a milestone document in human history. Drafted in the aftermath of the Second World War, it set out basic rights that belong to all of us regardless of race, religion, gender or politics. But has the declaration withstood the test of time? Roy Jenkins examines the issues with four people who have dedicated their working lives to fighting for human rights. Professor Sir Malcolm Evans, Principal of Regent’s Park College in Oxford and former Chair of the United Nations Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture. Canon Paul Oestreicher, an Anglican priest and a Quaker, a CND vice-president and former Chair of Amnesty International UK. Yasmine Ahmed, UK Director of Human Rights Watch and Marissa Conway CEO of the United Nations Association in the UK.

Rosa Hunt looks at the ethical and religious implications of AI's growing involvement in our lives. The second of two programmes looks at our relationship with AI in our religious lives. Might Artificial Intelligence become our priest - or even our King? Rosa talks to: Marius Dorobantu, a theologian specialising in the intersection of science and religion at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; Zoe Kleinman, BBC News' technology correspondent; Jonas Summerlin, researcher at the University of Vienna in Austria who's recently mounted an AI-led church service; and John Lennox, Oxford mathmetician and Christian apologist who writes about the interface of science, philosophy and religion.

The term 'spiritual abuse' is increasingly used in faith contexts, but what exactly is it, and how does it differ from other forms of abuse? Jonathan Thomas explores the issues. Jonathan hears the testimonies of those who have suffered abuse including Caroline Plant, founder of Replenished Life, a charity based in St David's that supports victims of spiritual abuse. Co-founder Simon Plant explains their personal motivation to establish the charity. Dr Lisa Oakley, Professor of Safeguarding and Knowledge Exchange at the University of Chester, and joint author of the book Exploring the Maze of Spiritual Abuse explains what makes spiritual abuse distinctive from other forms of abuse. The most recent allegations to hit the headlines about spiritual abuse have been against Mike Pilavachi, founder and figurehead of Soul Survivor in Watford. Over many years this church attracted tens of thousands of young worshippers through their annual Christian festivals. Allegations of 'inappropriate relationships' between Pilavachi and young male interns have come as a shock to the Evangelical Christian community. Megan Cornwell, Deputy Editor of Premier Christianity Magazine and host of podcast Soul Survivors examines the allegations. This autumn St David's Catholic Cathedral in Cardiff is hosting a week-long 'Loud Fence' initiative to provide a voice to those who have experienced abuse in faith based settings. During the week people are encouraged to tie brightly coloured ribbons and messages of support to railings to recognise survivors of abuse. Antonia Sobocki is the leader of the initiative in the UK. She explains why we need a radical change in the way we respond to survivors of abuse.