On 6th December 1964, Dr Martin Luther King Jr preached to a packed St Paul’s Cathedral. On a flying visit on his way to Norway to collect his Nobel Peace Prize, he addressed a congregation of 4,000 people on The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life, providing the British public with a rare opportunity to hear him in person. Afterwards he gave a press conference in the Cathedral’s Chapter House about race relations in the UK. Marking the 60th anniversary of this historic visit, Senator Revd Raphael Warnock reflects on what Martin Luther King has to say to us today. The Revd Dr Raphael Warnock is a Democratic Senator and the Senior Pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta where Martin Luther King also served as Pastor. In 2021 he was elected to the United States Senate, the first African American to represent Georgia and the first Black Democrat to be elected to the Senate from a Southern State.

The Venerable Bede (c. 673 – 735) was the foremost scholar of the Middle Ages. A saint, historian, scientist, social reformer and translator of the Bible into English, he never left Northumbria but his impact was felt all over the Christian world. Fascinated by human nature, his writing reveals a man of vibrant curiosity with deep empathy for humanity and love of nature. Michelle Brown will explore his life and impact, and why he matters to us today. Michelle Brown is Professor Emerita of Medieval Manuscript Studies at the School of Advanced Study in the University of London, and was previously Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts at the British Library. The author of numerous books including on the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Lion Companion to Christian Art, her most recent book is 'Bede and The Theory of Everything'. She is currently advising on early society and Christianity for Archbishop Stephen's 'Faith in the North' revival in the northern province.

Autumn 2024 will see one of the most significant pieces of art in our collection back on display inside St Paul’s following a period of conservation work: William Holman Hunt’s The Light of the World. Discover the story behind this beloved and well-travelled painting in this podcast episode.

The Revd Paula Hollingsworth examines Jane Austen’s spirituality, faith and values through her novel 'Pride and Prejudice'. Paula Hollingsworth is Chaplain at St Paul’s Cathedral, and the author of 'The Spirituality of Jane Austen' https://www.eden.co.uk/christian-books/christian-living/christianity-and-the-arts/the-spirituality-of-jane-austen/

The Revd Paula Hollingsworth explores Jane Austen’s life and faith, looking at her major novels and the spiritual themes that run through them. Paula Hollingsworth is Chaplain at St Paul’s Cathedral, and the author of 'The Spirituality of Jane Austen' www.eden.co.uk/christian-books/c…y-of-jane-austen/

The bells of St Paul’s are a sound familiar to many who find themselves in the City of London, and the stories behind them reflect our rich history. Great Paul, Great Tom, the clock bells, the 12 change ringing bells, and the service bell – find out about them all in this podcast episode. Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

We live in times that challenge hope. Climate change, pandemic, racism, war and injustice: in the face of these, where we find hope is an urgent question. Susanna Snyder says hope is not just optimism that things will turn out alright, if not in this world then in the next, but is something much more present, supple and resilient. She will explore what hope is and isn’t, its surprising relationship with anger, courage, imagination and action, and how we can cultivate and sustain it in our own lives. The Revd Dr Susanna Synder is Programme Leader for Short Courses, Director of Research, and Lecturer in Theology and Ethics at Sarum College in Salisbury.

A talk by renowned biblical scholar and womanist theologian, the Reverend Professor Wilda C. Gafney on the story of Hannah and Peninnah in the Hebrew Bible. Professor Gafney is the Right Rev. Sam B. Hulsey Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas. She is also the author of 'A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church' and translator of its biblical selections, and 'Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to Women of the Torah and of the Throne'. She has completed the second volume of 'Womanist Midrash' focusing on women in the Former Prophets, which is expected later in 2024.

How do we build a movement of the people of God? If we turn to the earliest days of Christianity, we can find wisdom for how we can mobilise as Christians working for social justice today. Drawing as well from the great Liberation Theologians including Gutierrez, Cone and Black feminist theologians, Anupama Ranawana examines the connections between climate, poverty, race and colonisation, and on the redemptive and restorative work of the Cross as good news for the planet as well as for all people. Dr Anupama Ranawana is a theologian and political economist with research posts at St Andrew’s University and Christian Aid. Her latest book is A Liberation for the Earth: Climate, Race and Cross.

Kate Bottley talks about her own life and faith; about hope, being human, having doubts, getting through life’s hard bits, celebrating the great bits, and finding meaning and connection in it all.

Canon of St Paul’s Cathedral for 33 years, John Collins was a remarkable priest and social reformer who was one of the world's leading proponents in the causes of justice, freedom and peace. Discover more about Collins’ life, work and activism in this podcast episode. Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.