Written in the 18th century, with words taken from the King James Bible, it is claimed that Handel's Messiah is 'the greatest piece of participatory art ever created'. Even today, it is performed and played in churches, cathedrals, theatres and music halls, each and every Christmas. In this programme, we ask the question: what is the enduring allure of Handel’s Messiah? Is it just a musical masterpiece, or is there something more going on?To help us ask this question, Jonathan Thomas is joined by the Gloucester Choral Society, pastoral theological Stephen Roberts, author Charles King, and authors of a new advent devotional on the Messiah, Dave & Sally Gobbett.
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Fraud, Faith, and Forgiveness
Azim Ahmed and guests ask if faith makes a person more susceptible to criminals or if it makes people more resilient in bouncing back afterwards because they're able to forgive? How much does being a victim of fraud test a person’s faith? Could it even break it?
Over the course of the programme we hear from people who’ve been in that position, learn what happened to them and how they dealt with the aftermath.
Jaci Prosser attends St Sannan's Church and volunteers at a foodbank.
Kamal Ali from Newport South Wales is the founder and inventor of My Salah Mat, the world’s first interactive prayer mat.
The Reverend Mike Hall is a Methodist Minister. He was working away from home in North Wales when his house was sold without his knowledge.
Jagdev Singh Virdee is the general secretary of the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara in Gravesend.If you’ve been affected by the issues we’ve discussed in this programme you can get help and information by going to bbc.co.uk/actionline
All of the BBC’s Scam Safe advice is available at bbc.co.uk/scamsafe
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Flags, faith and identity: Christianity in a Changing Britain
In September the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally, organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, drew many thousands of people to London. Advertised as the UK’s biggest ‘Free Speech Festival’, speakers made calls to reaffirm Britain’s Christian foundations. Many held wooden crosses and flags with Christian slogans, and the crowds were led in reciting the Lord’s Prayer.
In response to the march, a group of Church of England bishops and senior clergy joined leaders from across denominations to write a letter condemning the “co-opting or corrupting” of the Christian faith and symbols to exclude others. The letter said that ‘communities felt anxious, unsettled and even threatened by aspects of the march.’Meanwhile operation ‘Raise the Colours’, a campaign to cover Britain in flags, has seen St. George’s flags appear on lamp posts across England. Some see flying the flag as patriotism, while others are concerned and say the movement is underpinned by far-right nationalists.Today we’ll explore the issues. Why is it different to fly a Welsh Flag or a St. George’s Cross? What is the difference between patriotism and nationalism? In what way was the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march unsettling and exclusionary to others? Delyth Liddell is joined by Reverend Rhys Llwyd, leader of a Welsh speaking Baptist Church in Caernarfon, North Wales. The Rt Rev Philip North, Bishop of Blackburn who has recently written an article arguing that the flying of flags is a cry from long neglected communities. Suzanne Philpott lives near Swansea. She attended the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally in September and is a Christian. Ross Hendry is from Llanelli and is the CEO of Christian Action Research and Education. He was a joint signatory of the letter “Do not ‘co-opt’ the cross to divide."
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The Quantum Universe
This is Unesco's International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, marking a century and more since this fascinating branch of physics came to transform our understanding of the world. Not only that, for people of faith quantum science has arguably transformed our understanding of the nature of God and the nature of humanity. Rosa Hunt investigates the strange, and sometimes downright weird world of quantum uncertainty, dead-and-alive cats, and the possibility of multiverses.Her guests include Professor David Wilkinson, Dr Emily Qureshi-Hurst, Dr Nick Spencer and Father Lee Taylor.
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Cherry Vann: Beyond the Headlines
On November 8th, Cherry Vann will be enthroned as the 15th Archbishop of Wales. Her appointment has been covered in an abundance of headlines, as it has come in the midst of a turbulent time for the Church in Wales. The former archbishop stood down amidst problems in Bangor Cathedral. But, her appointment is also hailed by many as a new era for the Church.
A few weeks before her enthronement, Jonathan Thomas sat down with the new Archbishop of Wales at the Bishops office in Newport, to find out who she is beyond the headlines.
New Zealand