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
Tuesday Nov 07, 2023
Tuesday Nov 07, 2023
On this week’s episode of Politics in the Pulpit, Chris is chatting to John Cooper.
John Cooper is Director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. He finds joy in enabling people to live out their belief in a world built on peace and justice. He has previously worked for Christian Aid, the Joint Public Issues Team and All We Can.
Chris and John discuss preaching on the lectionary readings for Sunday 12th November, Remembrance Sunday:
Joshua 24: 1-3a, 14-24
1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18
Matthew 25: 1-13
Psalm 78: 1-7
‘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 @pulpit_politics or using #PoliticsInThePulpit, or on our Facebook community – find the group here or from the Joint Public Issues Team’s Facebook page.
Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
On this week’s episode of Politics in the Pulpit, Chris is chatting to Rev. David Hardman.
David is a British Methodist Minister ordained in 1994, and is currently the Methodist Liaison Officer for Jerusalem. He has served churches and circuits in the city centre, inner-city and suburbs of Manchester and London. He has also worked for Christian Aid as Senior Regional Coordinator in the North West of England and most recently as Methodist Team Leader of the Joint Public Issues Team. Justice and Peace have been at the heart of David’s ministry, he is an accredited mediator with Place for Hope and a committed activist.
Chris and David discuss preaching on the lectionary readings for Sunday 5th November:
Joshua 3: 7-17
1 Thessalonians 2: 9-13
Matthew 23: 1-12
Psalm 107: 1-7, 33-37
‘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 @pulpit_politics or using #PoliticsInThePulpit, or on our Facebook community – find the group here or from the Joint Public Issues Team’s Facebook page.
Tuesday Oct 24, 2023
Tuesday Oct 24, 2023
On this week’s episode of Politics in the Pulpit Chris is chatting to Revd Sally Foster-Fulton.
The Rt Revd Sally Foster-Fulton is Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for 2023-2024. Born and raised in South Carolina, she came to Glasgow to study on an exchange scholarship, then held roles as a Hospital Chaplain, Church of Scotland minister and co-Pastor, before taking up the role of Head of Christian Aid Scotland in 2016.
Chris and Sally discuss preaching on the lectionary readings for Sunday 29th October:
Deuteronomy 34: 1-12
1 Thessalonians 2: 1-8
Matthew 22: 34-46
Psalm 90: 1-6, 3-17
‘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 @pulpit_politics or using #PoliticsInThePulpit, or on our Facebook community – find the group here or from the Joint Public Issues Team’s Facebook page.
Tuesday Oct 17, 2023
Tuesday Oct 17, 2023
On this week’s episode of Politics in the Pulpit Chris is chatting to Caro Penney.
Caro is a member of the Iona Community and of the United Reformed Church. She is currently warden of Iona Abbey - where the resident group live out the Community's commitment to radical hospitality. Previously she’s undertaken other roles within the Iona Community; been a URC minister - mainly in two of Glasgow’s housing schemes - also very community orientated; participated in a church partnership with Cuba and led worship at conferences.
Chris and Caro discuss preaching on the lectionary readings for Sunday 22nd October:
Exodus 33:12-23
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Matthew 22: 15-22
Psalm 99
‘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 @pulpit_politics or using #PoliticsInThePulpit, or on our Facebook community – find the group here or from the Joint Public Issues Team’s Facebook page.
Tuesday Oct 10, 2023
Tuesday Oct 10, 2023
On this week’s episode of Politics in the Pulpit Chris is chatting to Revd Dr Inderjit Bhogal.
Inderjit is currently working with Churches Together in Britain and Ireland to develop and Promote the Church of Sanctuary movement. He is founder of City of Sanctuary, and a former President of the Methodist Church. Inderjit is married to Kathy, they live in Sheffield.
Chris and Inderjit discuss preaching on the lectionary readings for Sunday 15th October:
Exodus 32: 1-14
Philippians 4: 1-9
Matthew 22: 1-14
Psalm 106: 1-6, 19-23
‘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 @pulpit_politics or using #PoliticsInThePulpit, or on our Facebook community – find the group here or from the Joint Public Issues Team’s Facebook page.
Tuesday Oct 03, 2023
Tuesday Oct 03, 2023
On this week’s episode of Politics in the Pulpit, our new host, Chris, is chatting to Bishop Rob Wickham.
Raised in Surrey, Bishop Rob Wickham studied geography at Durham University, specialising in urban regeneration. Bishop Rob has also completed an MA in Theology, politics and faith-based organisations, and has written another thesis on the creative use of church buildings.
Before training for ordination at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, he witnessed high unemployment while working in a Tyneside council estate in the declining years of the nearby the Swan Hunter Shipyard, where decades earlier his grandfather had worked.
As rector of St John’s, Hackney, in east London, then-Fr Rob oversaw a re-ordering of the 2,000-seater church to allow for greater community use. The church hosted concerts, job fairs, a food bank, a night shelter, debt advice, the local branch of the credit union, and what became the most-used knife bin in London.
In 2012 the Speaker of Hackney Council gave him an award for outstanding community building during and after the London riots the previous year. In the days after the disturbances, he led a peace vigil with other faith leaders, headed a clean-up operation, hosted community meetings in the church and organised a community street party for 400 people, to help restore trust.
In 2015 was made Bishop of Edmonton in north London, becoming the country’s youngest bishop, at 43, and in 2023 he became the CEO of Church Urban Fund.
Chris and Bishop Rob discuss preaching on the lectionary readings for Sunday 1st October:
Exodus 20: 1-4, 7-9, 12-20
Philippians 3: 4b-14
Matthew 21: 33-46
Psalm 19
‘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 @pulpit_politics or using #PoliticsInThePulpit, or on our Facebook community – find the group here or from the Joint Public Issues Team’s Facebook page.
Tuesday Sep 26, 2023
Tuesday Sep 26, 2023
On this week's episode of Politics in the Pulpit, Steve is chatting to Revd Chris Upton.
Chris grew up on a small island in Essex, but has recently been landlocked in Haworth, West Yorkshire where he has been served as a Baptist minister since 2000 and a pastoral supervisor since 2019. At the start of this year he stood down from the pulpit and took up the role of church funding officer for Christians Against Poverty, and in August he also became the National lead for the Waterways Chaplaincy. In his spare time he runs the local cinema, enjoys cycling and playing cards.
They discuss preaching on the lectionary readings for Sunday 1st October:
Exodus 17: 1-17
Philippians 2: 1-13
Matthew 21: 23-32
Psalm 78: 1-4, 12-16
‘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 @pulpit_politics or using #PoliticsInThePulpit, or on our Facebook community - find the group here or from the Joint Public Issues Team’s Facebook page.
Tuesday Sep 19, 2023
Tuesday Sep 19, 2023
On this week's episode of Politics in the Pulpit, Steve is chatting to Revd Terry Hinks.
Terry is a United Reformed Church minister serving two churches in High Wycombe and Bourne End, Buckinghamshire. He has a longstanding concern for the environment and care for God’s creation, and is a member of the URC Thames North Synod’s Green Team. He is also the author of a number of books on prayer.
They discuss preaching on the lectionary readings for Sunday 24th September:
Exodus 16: 2-15
Philippians 1: 21-30
Matthew 20: 1-16
Psalm 105: 1-6, 37-45
‘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 @pulpit_politics or using #PoliticsInThePulpit, or on our Facebook community - find the group here or from the Joint Public Issues Team’s Facebook page.
Tuesday Sep 12, 2023
Tuesday Sep 12, 2023
This week, we share again a special episode of Politics in the Pulpit for the Season of Creation and Harvest, originally recorded in 2022. It features Revd David Coleman and Dr Ruth Valerio in conversation.
David is a URC special category minister, working full-time and ecumenically across the whole of Scotland with Eco-Congregation Scotland, as their Eco-Chaplain.
Ruth is Global Advocacy and Influencing Director at Tearfund. She is the author of several books on Christian environmental ethics, and is a regular contributor on Radio 4 and the BBC World Service.
Find out more about Ruth and Tearfund here:
They discuss how we might approach preaching about food, farming and the environment in the midst of climate breakdown. They focus on some of the lectionary readings suggested for Harvest :
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
1 Timothy 6:6-10
Matthew 6:25-33
Psalm 65
This special episode was originally produced as part of JPIT’s Season of Creation 2022 resources. Find them, and more resources, at jpit.uk/creation
‘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 @pulpit_politics or using #PoliticsInThePulpit, or on our Facebook community - find the group here or from the Joint Public Issues Team’s Facebook page.
Tuesday Sep 05, 2023
Tuesday Sep 05, 2023
We're back! On this week's handover episode of Politics in the Pulpit, Ali is chatting to incoming host, Revd Steve Tinning.
Steve is currently the Baptist Union’s Public Issues Enabler, and a member of the Joint Public Issues Team. He’s previously served as a local minister in Southend on Sea where he was very involved in supporting refugees. At heart, Steve describes himself as “an activist, with practical theology and community-organising theory working as the foundations of a ministry of justice and compassion.”
They discuss preaching on the lectionary readings for Sunday 10th September:
Exodus 12: 1-14
Romans 13: 8-14
Matthew 18: 15-20
Psalm 149
‘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 @pulpit_politics or using #PoliticsInThePulpit, or on our Facebook community - find the group from the Joint Public Issues Team's Facebook page.