Share Sounds. related to Ethics & Morality - Religions

Podcast Directory


Genre: Ethics & Morality / Topic: Religions
Strand: Share Sunday
Clear Selection

Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Could Justin Welby hold the key to peace in Ukraine?

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Could Justin Welby hold the key to peace in Ukraine?
In a House of Lords debate on the continuing conflict in Sudan, Archbishop Justin Welby called for a long-term plan towards peace building. The need for that is just as acute in Ukraine and, using all his considerable skills in reconciliation, he could open the door to a pathway to peace by going to meet Patriarch Kirill in Moscow. Thus far Kirill has given steadfast spiritual support to Putin, but is this in keeping with the Christian faith? How can the clear instruction to 'love your enemies' be reconciled with the continuing devastation and anguish in Ukraine and the abduction of more than 20,000 children? Background music: 'Confliction & Catharsis' by Asher Fulero

Published:
Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Time

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Time
What does time mean for you? A busy diary, rushing people, stress and anxiety — 'never enough hours in the day'? If so, there's plenty of that to watch on the Sky Movies channel. Or do you see it as one of the crowning glories of creation which makes all life possible? Nobel Prize winner Kip Thorne helped to unravel its mysteries in 'The Life Scientific' following his input on 'Interstellar', and thus inspired our thought for this week. Background music: opening with grandfather clock chimes, closing with 'Take Your Time' by Dan Lebowitz

Published:
Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Usurping God

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Usurping God
‘God is on my side', Trump told his re-vitalised Republican Party following the attempt to assassinate him. Bob Dylan's 1964 song 'With God on our side' told how this claim has been used to justify violence and oppression throughout history. Trump is not alone: Patriarch Kirill makes exactly the same claim for Putin's murderous assault on Ukraine. When will we learn that none of us can usurp God's favour or authority? Background music: 'With God on Our Side' by The Golden Gate Strings

Published:
Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Shadow over Christmas — Massacre of the Innocents

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Shadow over Christmas — Massacre of the Innocents
The Holy Family's flight in Egypt was followed by the 'massacre of the innocents' in and around Bethlehem. Today's Middle Eastern tragedy is again denying thousands of children and young people a future — why can we not learn to live in peace with each other? Every child born into our world has the same mix of amazing potential, whatever their gender, nationality, race or religion. It's not nature which condemns them to mediocrity and despair, but nurture. Therefore, let's all make a new year resolution to vastly improve the way we value and respect children and young people: not only for the sake of their current circumstances and prospects of survival, but also to give them all a real chance to achieve their true potential as adults. Background music; 'The New Order' by Aaron Kenny

Published:
Gavin Oldham

The Bigger Picture: Charles III Christmas message

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Charles III Christmas message
Unabridged and without comment from Share Radio, here's the King's Christmas message as broadcast on 25th December '23.
Guest:

King Charles III


Published:
Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Respect for Others, not Solidarity, is what matters

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Respect for Others, not Solidarity, is what matters
Christmas is with us again, celebrating the birth of Jesus over two thousand years ago. This year, however, it is overshadowed by the horrific events in the Middle East: so our Thought for Christmas includes a reference to Bishop Steven of Oxford looking across the millenia in his recent address (see link below), and our comments reflect the contrast between the yearning for solidarity (whether national or otherwise) and the failure to show respect for others, however different they may be. Background music: 'Erev Shel Shoshanim' by E's Jammy Jams Bishop of Oxford address: https://youtu.be/t0_IhB4LMNE?si=C9bHOvwUR5Y4lfZA

Published:
Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: What 'Love your enemy' means

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: What 'Love your enemy' means
This week's Thought proposes four key routes towards 'Loving your enemy', including a gradual transition from national to international law. This would mean justice not being constrained by national borders, so we could look forward to a system of international civil law enforcement replacing reliance on military force to resolve criminal outbreaks — it would also help us to resolve the challenges of climate change. Another element is restorative justice: Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu showed the world that such a system can provide a pathway to peace in the most challenging of circumstances. These initiatives, based on an understanding of unconditional love and an equitable sharing of resources, can provide a way forward from our current woes. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins. Image source: United Nations

Published:
Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: The Need for Fresh Expressions

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: The Need for Fresh Expressions
While Pope Francis looks east to Mongolia, bringing praise for their religious freedom and forward-looking encouragement, The Times reports general confusion among Church of England clergy — meanwhile our fast-changing and often lost and lonely society has a real need for the unconditional love offered by the Christian faith. This calls for Fresh Expressions from the Church of England — an initiative introduced by Rt. Revd. Steven Croft, now Bishop of Oxford:, but currently only 18% of the Church's clergy support its expansion. If only the Anglican Church would learn more from theologian Richard Hooker’s 3-legged stool of Scripture, Tradition and Reason: but in practice its ‘Tradition’ leg is about ten times higher than that of ‘Reason’. Background Music: 'Requiem In Cello' by Hanu Dixit

Published:
Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: The Consequences of Unbridled Self-Interest

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: The Consequences of Unbridled Self-Interest
Pixar's 2008 computer-animated movie 'Wall•E' paints a depressing picture of the Earth laid waste by a combination of consumerism, corporatocracy, proliferation of waste and human environmental impact. Just fifteen years later we see this spectre emerging in front of our eyes. But is science the answer, as put forward by Lord Rees in his book 'If Science is to Save Us'? We suggest that the problem is deep-rooted in our unbridled self-interest, and that only a genuine re-building of care for others, including our neighbours of tomorrow, can save us from these horrendous consequences. Background music: 'Dance of the Mammoths' by The Whole Other

Published:
Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Male Headship and Putin

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Male Headship and Putin
Putin's two-hour monologue in Moscow last week sought to justify his assault on Ukraine with a raft of dogma, including a presumption of divine male headship — hardly the basis for economic and social justice for all. Elitist theories, whether based on gender, race or nationality, have no place in an egalitarian, peaceful world: it is men, not women, who start wars and fill the prisons. Likewise, Churches should not allow themselves to be drawn into defending masculinity in the nature of God. Background music: 'A Fool's Theme' by Brian Bolger Also: view https://www.shareradio.co.uk/media/8106/love-and-the-individual.pdf

Published: