Jubilee Centre

This week the Jubilee Centre team explores David Olusoga’s article ‘The toppling of Edward Colston's statue is not an attack on history. It is history.’ Do statues in public places suggest veneration? How should we respond to difficult histories? And can we reimagine how we create and use statues of public figures? David Olusoga’s article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/08/edward-colston-statue-history-slave-trader-bristol-protest Recorded on Tuesday 9th June 2020

This week the Jubilee Centre team explores the Black Lives Matter protests, starting with Brandon Tensley’s article: ‘The protest pictures alone tell the story of America's racial hierarchy.’ We touch on antiracism, the American progress narrative and Britain’s colonial past. As ever, we ask, how can we think biblically about this? And what is the relationship between racism and sin? Brandon Tensley’s article: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/29/politics/george-floyd-protests-american-racism/index.html Recorded on Tuesday 2nd June 2020

This week the Jubilee Centre team unpacks Harriet Sherwood’s article ‘Bishops turn on Boris Johnson for defending Dominic Cummings.’ It’s a tale that involves drives to Durham, prime ministerial (non-)apologies and tweeting Bishops. But really, it’s a conversation about trust. As ever, we ask, how can we think biblically about this issue? And how should Christians lead in the public square? Harriet Sherwood’s article: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/may/25/bishops-turn-on-boris-johnson-for-defending-dominic-cummings Further articles: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/25/indignation-cowardly-bishops-cummings-bizarre/ https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/bishops-get-death-threats-for-criticising-dominic-cummings Recorded on Wednesday 27th May 2020

This week the Jubilee Centre team unpacks Uscinski and Enders’s article ‘The Coronavirus Conspiracy Boom.’ It’s a conversation that explores conspiracy thinking – not just as something ‘other people’ do - but as an instinct in all of us. As ever, we ask how can think biblically about this issue? And what does it mean for Christians to be people of both faith and reason? Joseph E. Uscinski and Adam M. Enders’s article: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/04/what-can-coronavirus-tell-us-about-conspiracy-theories/610894/ Further resources:  https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2020/april/christians-and-corona-conspiracies.html https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/expert-guide-to-conspiracy-theories-83678 Recorded on Tuesday 12th May 2020

This week the Jubilee Centre team unpacks Freddie Sayers’s article ‘Which epidemiologist do you believe?’ It’s a conversation that explores how we frame the pandemic based on our understanding of the telos of society. As ever, we ask, how can we think biblically about this issue? Specifically, can 2 Samuel 24 offer us insight into leadership and disaster? Freddie Sayers’s article: https://unherd.com/2020/04/which-epidemiologist-do-you-believe/ Recorded on Tuesday 28th April 2020

This week the Jubilee Centre team unpacks George Monbiot’s article ‘The horror films got it wrong. This virus has turned us into caring neighbours’. It’s a discussion that explores the limits of the state and the good instinct towards neighbourly action. As ever, we ask, how can we think biblically about these issues? And, specifically, what insight can we gain from a biblical view of human nature? George Monbiot’s article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/31/virus-neighbours-covid-19   Recorded on Tuesday 21st April 2020

Recording of a BBC radio discussion on prison reform, featuring comments from Jonathan Burnside.

David Nussbaum. July 2019. David Nussbaum was invited to give our first annual lecture. He is CEO of The Elders (an independent group of global leaders working together for peace, justice and human rights founded by Nelson Mandela) and formerly CEO at WWF-UK and at Transparency International. His lecture addressed the question, is there a way to eat that is good for me, good for others and good for the planet?

This is the fourth episode in our new, four-part podcast series 'Eating Thoughtfully'. Eating is never a solitary act; each meal connects us to a food chain, precious resources, human labour and a global ecology. Given the growing environmental impacts and social consequences of today’s agricultural practices, urgent action is needed. In this podcast series, we outline some biblical principles regarding food and propose a framework for thoughtful eating – so that we can learn to eat joyfully, relationally and sustainably. In this episode, Hannah Eves, Katherine Martin and Andrew Phillips (authors of the new book 'Thoughtful Eating') explore the applications of a biblical food ethic, suggesting practical actions at the individual, business and policy levels. We were also pleased to welcome Ruth Valerio (Director of Global Advocacy, Tearfund and author of 'L is for Living') to discuss sustainability and ethical living. Episode 1  Episode 2  Episode 3 

This is the third episode in our new, four-part podcast series 'Eating Thoughtfully'. Eating is never a solitary act; each meal connects us to a food chain, precious resources, human labour and a global ecology. Given the growing environmental impacts and social consequences of today’s agricultural practices, urgent action is needed. In this podcast series, we outline some biblical principles regarding food and propose a framework for thoughtful eating – so that we can learn to eat joyfully, relationally and sustainably. In this episode, Hannah Eves, Katherine Martin and Andrew Phillips (authors of the new book 'Thoughtful Eating') explore biblical perspectives on food. We were pleased to welcome our guest Professor Norman Wirzba (author of 'Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating') whose concept of 'Thoughtful Eating' inspired the title of our book and podcast. Episode 1  Episode 2  Episode 4 

This is the second episode in our new, four-part podcast series 'Eating Thoughtfully'. Eating is never a solitary act; each meal connects us to a food chain, precious resources, human labour and a global ecology. Given the growing environmental impacts and social consequences of today’s agricultural practices, urgent action is needed. In this podcast series, we outline some biblical principles regarding food and propose a framework for thoughtful eating – so that we can learn to eat joyfully, relationally and sustainably. In this episode, Hannah Eves, Katherine Martin and Andrew Phillips (authors of the new book 'Thoughtful Eating') explore agriculture and the environment, drawing attention to some of the current environmental and social impacts of global food systems. We were also pleased to welcome Caroline Pomeroy, Director of Climate Stewards, to discuss farming, the environment and how churches can respond. Episode 1  Episode 3  Episode 4 

This is the first episode in our new, four-part podcast series 'Eating Thoughtfully'. Eating is never a solitary act; each meal connects us to a food chain, precious resources, human labour and a global ecology. Given the growing environmental impacts and social consequences of today’s agricultural practices, urgent action is needed. In this podcast series, we outline some biblical principles regarding food and propose a framework for thoughtful eating – so that we can learn to eat joyfully, relationally and sustainably. In this episode, Charlee New interviews Hannah Eves, Katherine Martin and Andrew Phillips (authors of the new book 'Thoughtful Eating') as they provide a introduction to the wonderful world of food, relationships and the environment. Episode 2  Episode 3  Episode 4   

Jonathan Tame unpacks the biblical foundations for social reform. He presents a biblical worldview for public engagement, articulates the importance of biblical Law and offers some suggested principles for political economy.

Jonathan Tame unpacks the life of Henry Dunant, founder of the Red Cross. Dunant's story offers us many lessons for the work of Christian social reformers today.

This is an audio tour for the Archetypes Sculpture exhibition, organised by Jubilee Centre, outside Great St. Mary's Church in Cambridge. 

Dr Judd Birdsall, April 2019. A great number of Western Christians have laudably invested their time, money, and energy to confront the massive global challenge of religious persecution. Sadly, their effectiveness has too often been limited or undermined by several common mistakes. This talk explores seven of these pitfalls and points to Christian principles that enable us to more effectively advance religious freedom for all. Judd's goal in pointing out these dangers is not to condemn any particular organisation or tactical approach, but rather to commend a more considered, capacious, and constructive promotion of religious freedom. This talk is based on Judd Birdsall's Cambridge Paper, available to read online: http://www.jubilee-centre.org/pitfalls-in-combatting-persecution-by-judd-birdsall/

Rodney Green, October 2018. Knowing to whom we are accountable lies at the heart of integrity. Is it self, public opinion or God? We must distinguish self-referential integrity from a Christian understanding of integrity that is accountable to Christ. Integrity faces counter-currents and riptides capable of causing our scattered self to drift, sometimes to drown. We will describe examples of these undercurrents to warn of their force; they are not always easy to discern and continually change direction and intensity to sweep us off our feet. We will also examine some of the flawed solutions that we fondly hope will be adequate to protect our integrity, but turn out to be a wholly inadequate selective moralism. Finally, we will attempt to define the key ingredients of Christian integrity in terms of moral accountability, relational consistency and personal discipline. This talk is based on Rodney Green's Cambridge Paper, available to read online: http://www.jubilee-centre.org/integrity-cambridge-paper/ 

Calum Samuelson, October 2018. Sport is a distillation of the God-given impulse to play. With its tightly organised form and rules, it can become a world in its own—but it is also susceptible to corruption. How can we approach this complex topic from a biblical worldview? This talk is based on Calum Samuelson's Cambridge Paper, available to read online: http://www.jubilee-centre.org/redeeming-sport-calum-samuelson/ 

Julie Smith, July 2018. In this talk, given at the Social Reformers Summer School 2018, Baronness Julie Smith explores lessons from the life of prison reformer Elizabeth Fry.

Philip Powell, July 2018. In this talk, given at the Social Reformers Summer School 2018, Philip Powell explores lessons from the life of Japanese social reformer Toyohiko Kagawa, otherwise known as 'The Saint in the Slums'.

Jonathan Tame, July 2018 In this talk, given at the Social Reformers Summer School 2018, Jonathan Tame explores how Jesus came to fulfill the law, and the implications for our commission to be salt and light to the world.

Harvey McMahon, September 2017. Free-will is fundamental to our sense of wellbeing, and underwrites our sense of morality, our judicial system and the Judeo-Christian faith. However, science has provided evidence that free-will may be an illusion. Whilst we may not be as free as we like to think, we can still make decisions that determine our character, relationships and future.  This talk is based on Harvey McMahon's Cambridge Paper, available to read online: http://www.jubilee-centre.org/free-free-will-harvey-mcmahon/