Questions of Our Times

Dr. Claire Gilbert is an author, lecturer, and ethical mentor. She has founded or co-founded five ethics-focused institutions and advised on medical ethics for the Church of England and the BMA. A theology graduate from Oxford and former Research Fellow at King’s College London, Dr. Gilbert's interest in medical ethics is both academic and personal, exploring the question: how ethical is medicine?

Born in Nigeria and moving to the UK at four, Chine McDonald, got her first by-line at six. She studied theology at Cambridge and trained as a journalist, writing for The Times and The Financial Times. A regular on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Thought for the Day’ and the ‘Daily Service’, she also serves on charity boards like Greenbelt and Christian Aid. Currently, she is the Director of Theos and the author of Am I Beautiful?

A former nurse and midwife, she became England’s Chief Nursing Officer in 1999. In 2004, she left the NHS to become an Anglican priest, serving in London, Salisbury, and Crediton before becoming the Bishop of London in 2018. She is a member of the Privy Council, the House of Lords, and a Dame Commander of the British Empire. The Right Revd and Right Hon Dame Sarah Mullaly, Bishop of London, answers the question: Is wellbeing more than skin deep?

Historian, author, and former director of Micah Liverpool – a faith-based initiative challenging social injustice and poverty – The Revd Dr. Miranda Threlfall-Holmes has had first-hand experience of the effects of poverty, having spent most of her working life in far less privileged surroundings. She examines the question: will the poor always be with us?

Rev Dr Gillian Straine, director at The Guild of Health and St Raphael, looks at the question of health in a time of pandemic, asking, `how can we find wholeness in a broken world?’

The Revd Jonathan Aitken, former cabinet minister, author, broadcaster, columnist, lecturer, and campaigner for prison reform, looks at the question of truth in a world of fake news. Jonathan Aitken is now Prison Chaplain of HMP Pentonville.

Rowan Williams, Lord Williams of Oystermouth, Honorary Professor of Contemporary Christian Thought, Cambridge University, looks at prayer in a time of spiritual hunger, asking, is God really listening?

John Bell, the acclaimed hymnwriter and activist, talks about how Jesus might react to war, poverty, suffering and the climate crisis. He also examines the accuracy of the Victorian depiction of Jesus as ‘Gentle Jesus, meek and mild’, which still influences how people think about Jesus.

Jennifer Wiseman, a leading astronomer and astrophysicist who co-discovered a new comet when she was a student, and who serves as senior project scientist, gives her personal views on the search for extra-terrestrial life, the place and purpose of humans in the universe and the excitement of scientific discovery.

Alister Mc Grath, Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at the University of Oxford, and Director of the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, talks about the myths and realities of the relationship between science and religion, the role of science in setting public policy and what evidence religion can offer for the existence of God.

Lord Richard Dannatt, Head of the British Army from 2006 to 2009, gives his personal views on war, peace and faith. Questions of Our Times is brought to you by the Christian Evidence Society in partnership with the Montgomery Trust

Sir Gary Streeter MP, who has held several ministerial and front bench posts, gives his personal views on politics, parliament and faith. Questions of Our Times is brought to you by the Christian Evidence Society in partnership with the Montgomery Trust

Simon Thomas, the host of Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports and President of Blood Cancer UK, gives his personal views on grief, loss and faith. Questions of Our Times is brought to you by the Christian Evidence Society in partnership with the Montgomery Trust.

Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the first black woman to become a Church of England Bishop, gives her views on discrimination, immigration and faith. Questions of Our Times is brought to you by the Christian Evidence Society in partnership with the Montgomery Trust