A weekly series for preachers, ministers and worship leaders, discussing the dimensions of justice present in the Bible readings explored by many churches each Sunday, and reflecting on how they connect with current affairs and our calling to be justice seekers.
Episodes
Friday Oct 17, 2025
Friday Oct 17, 2025
The sixth episode of Politics in the Pulpit Autumn 2025 is hosted by Stephen Ansa-Addo, and featuring our special guest Claire Nicholls!
Claire is Regional Minister for London Baptists, looking after 80 plus churches in South East London. She also oversees the Justice Hub in the association and has a particular focus on enabling and empowering women in leadership. She is a director of the London Baptist Property Board and does many other things as well – it’s a very varied role! She represents the Baptist Union on the JPIT SPG. Claire has led churches in North Manchester and South Croydon, and before she went to train for ministry she was a maths teacher in Derbyshire. She is passionate about bringing people together, within and despite of difference and loves to see churches walking with and watching over one another so that we can thrive in order to enable the good news of Jesus to be brought and lived out in our local contexts. She is a baker of wild and wonderful things and she likes a good walk and plenty of laughter. Good music makes her heart sing – one of the advantages of living in London is the access to last minute cheap tickets to shows and concerts, and Claire definitely takes advantage of this!
This week, Stephen, Claire and Roo explore the lectionary readings for Sunday 26th October.
Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 06:00 - Joel 15:20 – Psalm 65 23:30 - Psalm 84 34:17– Luke
Monday Oct 13, 2025
Monday Oct 13, 2025
The fifth episode of Politics in the Pulpit Autumn 2025 is hosted by Stephen Ansa-Addo, and featuring our special guest Melanie Smith!
Reverend Melanie Smith is the Training and Development officer and Pastoral Consultant for the West Midlands Synod of the United Reformed Church. She is also a Synod Green Apostle and a trained mediator through Place for Hope. Previously, Melanie served for two years as the Director for the Centre for Gender and Social Justice at the Pacific Theological College in Fiji, a higher education college serving 20 churches of 6 denominations across 16 nations in the south Pacific. Her first career took her from banking, to public sector accountancy, to working for Christian Aid as a Volunteer Development Officer in the West Midlands. She has tried to walk the talk by protesting against Trump, the arms fair, and at various climate protests. She has worked locally on Syrian Refugee Resettlement Schemes and individual refugee cases. She helped set up two food banks and two debt centres and chaired a homelessness charity during the pandemic. If she could live anywhere other than near family, it would be India.
This week, Stephen, Melanie and Thomas explore the lectionary readings for Sunday 19th October.
Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 09:00 - Luke 18: 1-8 24:10 – Jeremiah 31: 27-34 30:51 – Psalm 119: 97-104 37:12 – 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
Mentions JPIT's guidance on the rise of the British National Party in 2006 - https://jpit.uk/wp-content/uploads/20... Freedom Sunday resources - https://www.ijmuk.org/freedom-sunday Tent of Nations - https://tentofnations.com/ Daoud Nassar from Tent of Nations visits JPIT at Methodist Church House - https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...
Monday Oct 06, 2025
Monday Oct 06, 2025
The fourth episode of Politics in the Pulpit Autumn 2025 is hosted by Stephen Ansa-Addo, and featuring our special guest Sarah Edwards!
Sarah Edwards is Executive Director of the JustMoney Movement, an ecumenical education and campaigning charity which has a vision of a world where money is used to shape a greener, fairer future for all. Sarah oversees the organisation’s work, which aims to resource a movement of Christians and churches to act more justly with their own money and to speak out for a more just use of money in the economy. Sarah has recently started training for ordination in the Church of England. She lives in North London with her husband and two children.
This week, Stephen, Sarah and Thomas explore the lectionary readings for Sunday 12th October.
Mentions
JustMoney Movement - justmoney.org.uk
- Tuesday 7 October - Greening our Finances: Practical steps for Eco Churches
- Wednesday 8 October - Investing in a Fairer, Greener World
UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association - uksif.org
Bill McKibben, environmental writer - billmckibben.com
Friday Sep 26, 2025
Friday Sep 26, 2025
The third episode of Politics in the Pulpit Autumn 2025 is hosted by Stephen Ansa-Addo, and featuring our special guest Pat Bennett!
Pat is a writer, scholar and liturgist who has worked at the intersections of the humanities and sciences fostering conversation, exploration and the exchange of ideas. She has a background in both science and theology. She is a member of the Iona Community, for whom she has also worked developing programmes and resources to help people explore faith and activism.
This week, Stephen, Pat and Alex explore the lectionary readings for Sunday 5th October.
Pat's work: The Spirituality of Conflict project - https://www.spiritualityofconflict.com/ Editor of the book 'What were you arguing along the way?' - https://canterburypress.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9781786223999/what-were-you-arguing-about-along-the-way
Other mentions: Housing Justice (for Homelessness Sunday) - https://housingjustice.org.uk
Friday Sep 19, 2025
Friday Sep 19, 2025
The second episode of Politics in the Pulpit Autumn 2025 is hosted by Stephen Ansa-Addo, and featuring our special guest Fiona Haworth!
Fiona is a member of the Iona Community and an associate priest in the Church of England, based in St Peter Mancroft Church in Norwich. She has a long interest in issues of justice and peace, the intersection of science and faith, and climate and nature, and finds that life is generally much happier when shared with a dog.
This week, Stephen, Fiona and Roo explore the lectionary readings for Sunday 28 September - Disability Awareness Sunday.
Sunday Sep 14, 2025
Sunday Sep 14, 2025
Friday Jul 11, 2025
Friday Jul 11, 2025
Join our host Alex Clare-Young for the final episode of the season as they speak to Father Angus Ritchie and Simeon Mitchell to discuss how politics could appear in our preaching for Sunday 20th July.
Drawing on the lectionary readings:
- Genesis 18:1-10a - A Son Promised to Abraham and Sarah
- Colossians 1:15-28 - The Supremacy of Christ / Paul’s Interest in the Colossians
- Luke 10:38-42 - Jesus Visits Martha and Mary
Father Angus Ritchie is the director of the Centre for Theology and Community, which supports churches in their engagement in community organising. An Anglican priest, he has served in east London parishes since 1998, and his books include Inclusive Populism: Creating Citizens in the Global Age.
‘Politics in the Pulpit’ is JPIT’s weekly lectionary resource, helping to equip preachers, ministers and worship leaders to unpack justice and peace issues in the pulpit. You can join in the conversation on Twitter/X at @publicissues or using #PoliticsInThePulpit, or on our Facebook community at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1001084297426200/
Friday Jul 04, 2025
Friday Jul 04, 2025
Join our host Alex Clare-Young as they welcome Dr Frances Clemson and Roo Stewart to discuss how politics could appear in our preaching for Sunday the 13th July.
This week’s discussion draws upon the following lectionary readings:
- Deuteronomy 30:9-14 - God’s Faithfulness
- Colossians 1:1-14 - Paul Thanks God for the Colossians
- Luke 10:25-37 - The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Dr Frances Clemson is Christian Aid's Faith Communications Specialist. In this role she works with churches and communities across the UK and with Christian Aid's partners around the world, exploring how and why our faith compels us to take action on poverty and injustice. Prior to joining Christian Aid in 2023, Frances was Assistant Professor in Theology and Ministry at Durham University. In this role she worked on the Common Awards partnership - the national framework that supports the academic components of ministry training in a range of UK churches. Her theological interests include embodiment, justice, and the arts, particularly drama. Her PhD was on theologies enacted in mid-twentieth century drama, particularly plays by Dorothy L. Sayers.
Relevant dates and links:
Climate Coalition mass lobby – Join the Mass Lobby of Parliament on the 9th of July, organised by the Climate Coalition – JPIT and Christian Aid will be around! Mass Lobby 2025 - The Climate Coalition
Beckley lecture - watch “Whiteness is the Sea, not the shark” with Anthony Reddie here: https://youtu.be/MTrl9eL2ymI?si=t1aHOuslGGW-Ho5S
To find out more about the Consituency Action Network head to: https://jpit.uk/can
Find the reimagined version of When i needed a neighbour from Christian Aid here: https://www.christianaid.org.uk/news/about-us/when-i-needed-neighbour-reimagined#listen
‘Politics in the Pulpit’ is JPIT’s weekly lectionary resource, helping to equip preachers, ministers and worship leaders to unpack justice and peace issues in the pulpit. You can join in the conversation on Twitter/X at @publicissues or using #PoliticsInThePulpit, or on our Facebook community at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1001084297426200/
Friday Jun 27, 2025
Friday Jun 27, 2025
This week our host Alex Clare-Young talks to Molly Boot and Roo Stewart to ask the provocative question of how politics could appear in our preaching for Sunday the 6th July.
Their discussion draws upon the Lectionary, this week being:
- Isaiah 66:10-14 - The Worship God Demands
- Galatians 6:1-16 - Bear One Another’s Burdens
- Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 - The Mission of the Seventy
Revd. Molly Boot is a theologian, musician and priest, currently based in rural Gloucestershire. They’re very enthusiastic about a lot of things, including music, prayer, LGBTQ+ liberation, and the stranger corners of medieval church history.
‘Politics in the Pulpit’ is JPIT’s weekly lectionary resource, helping to equip preachers, ministers and worship leaders to unpack justice and peace issues in the pulpit. You can join in the conversation on Twitter/X at @publicissues or using #PoliticsInThePulpit, or on our Facebook community at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1001084297426200/
Monday Jun 23, 2025
Monday Jun 23, 2025
This week our host Alex Clare-Young is joined by Mel Beaven and Paul Morrison to discuss how politics could appear in our preaching, drawing upon the Lectionary: 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21, Galatians 5:1, 13-25 and Luke 9:51-62.
Mel Beaven is a Methodist Deacon and lives in Birmingham. Since 2020, she has been a tutor at The Queen’s Foundation, teaching Pastoral Theology, Mission & Evangelism and Leadership in Social Justice. She is a PhD student at the Institute for Christian Social Practice, Heidelberg University, Germany, researching approaches to diaconal training. In September 2025, Mel will leave Queen’s to take up the role of Director of Discipleship within the Evangelism & Growth Team.
Find out more about our conference here: https://jpit.uk/conference
Find out more about our Constituency Action Network here: https://jpit.uk/can
‘Politics in the Pulpit’ is JPIT’s weekly lectionary resource, helping to equip preachers, ministers and worship leaders to unpack justice and peace issues in the pulpit. You can join in the conversation on Twitter/X at @publicissues or using #PoliticsInThePulpit, or on our Facebook community at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1001084297426200/