Things Unseen
209 episodes - English - Latest episode: 24 days ago - ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsThings Unseen grapples with a spiritual climate that no longer conforms to orderly patterns – with fewer of us attracted to formal religion, but many still believing that there’s more out there than meets the eye. Thought-provoking speech radio for people of faith – and those who just feel intrigued by the spiritual dimension to life.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
How To Make A Human
November 29, 2016 00:00 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MBThe writers of Channel 4’s Humans get together with Artificial Intelligence experts to plan the construction of our very own android, or ‘synth’. What rights should it have? Is it even a good idea in the first place? Can we baptise it? Or have sex with it? Our panel is made up of the Humans writers, Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley; Kate Devlin of Goldsmiths, University of London, researcher into robots and sexuality; and Beth Singler from the Faraday Institute for science and religion at Ca...
My neighbour, my nation and the presidential election
November 01, 2016 00:00 - 25 minutes - 23.4 MBRegarded by many as one of the world’s most influential living theologians, Stanley Hauerwas has always been opinionated and outspoken, not least on his pacifist convictions. On a trip from his native US to London to give a lecture at St Martin-in-the-Fields church, he shares his views on the perplexing, certainly to UK listeners, state of US politics at the moment. ‘I don’t think Trump has ever had a serious encounter with Jesus’, he says.
Faith By Numbers: The 7 Last Words Of Christ
October 11, 2016 14:14 - 4 minutes - 4.47 MBIf you put together everything that the Bible records Jesus saying as he was being crucified, you find there are seven sayings, or ‘last words’. As well as finding hope in what Jesus said, the Anglican priest Lucy Winkett is also inspired by the fact that Jesus said anything at all. As a trained musician, she draws parallels between Jesus’ cries from the cross and the blues tradition of singing out your troubles, and shares her experience of singing the liturgy in a cathedral against consid...
The Word: Martyn Joseph
October 05, 2016 00:00 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MBHaving begun his career with positive songs that affirmed his Christian faith, the Welsh singer’s music has become more nuanced. The self-proclaimed ‘liberal backslider’ talks to Alison Hilliard about his journey from answers to questions through his favourite Bible readings, read by David Suchet. He explains how a trip to Thailand and some preaching on John the Baptist turned his world ‘from black and white to full colour’, and his feelings about criticism, and even a death threat, from some...
Faith By Numbers: Omega
September 28, 2016 15:22 - 5 minutes - 4.63 MBAstrophysicist and theologian, Revd David Wilkinson looks at a number called Omega. Omega is the name physicists give to one of several constants embedded in the laws of the universe which seem to have been incredibly fine-tuned to allow stars, galaxies, and ultimately us to exist. Are these pointers to a Creator God, or is there another extraordinary explanation?
Faith by Numbers: The 4 Noble Truths
September 20, 2016 00:00 - 4 minutes - 4.34 MBMunisha has been working for many years as a lecturer and communicator for Buddhism. So she was used to explaining the central teachings of the faith, including the ‘4 Noble Truths’, which deal with suffering, and our response to it. When the severe anxiety she suffered from took her to her GP, the therapy she was prescribed turned out to be directly based on the teachings of her own faith. Happily, the counselling, along with her own regular Buddhist practice, gave her the help she needed, a...
Faith by Numbers: The Invention of Zero
July 28, 2016 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.82 MBWith a background in maths and physics, the Hindu teacher Jay Lakhani is fascinated by the concept of nothing. He traces the 7th century roots of the idea as a placeholder in counting systems, and explores Hindu stories about the origins of the universe, when something came from nothing. Jay asks ‘What caused the Big Bang?’ and finds a surprising answer.
Faith by Numbers: 2 - Yin and Yang
July 14, 2016 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.76 MBMartin Palmer has spent decades exploring and translating Chinese historical and philosophical texts. For Things Unseen he explains the Daoist concepts of Yin and Yang and our role in maintaining balance, in the world and in ourselves.
Faith by Numbers: Joining the Dots
June 28, 2016 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.69 MBThe factual rigour of the world of numbers and maths, and the more intuitive nature of faith may not seem like a comfortable combination. But numbers have played a significant role in religious traditions, and in the lives of those with a faith. The author and broadcaster Trevor Barnes has been looking into the subject for a new book, and here he introduces our ‘Faith By Numbers’ podcasts, with a brief tour of digital divinity.
The Word: Kate Bottley
June 14, 2016 00:00 - 27 minutes - 37.7 MBThe Rev Kate Bottley came to national attention by leading a flash mob dance routine at a wedding. Since then her musings on the week’s TV on Channel 4’s Gogglebox, alongside her dog Buster and equally taciturn husband Graham, have propelled her into a world very different from her original work as an RE teacher. Through the prism of her favourite Bible passages, Kate shares with Alison Hilliard how she came to church and to the priesthood, what drives her, and what she worries about.
A-Z of Things Unseen: Z is for Zen
May 04, 2016 00:00 - 5 minutes - 6.92 MBThe storyteller Sita Brand separates the fact from the fiction of Zen meditation, and shares her favourite story about the way not to go about it. She explains that Zen Buddhist meditation is about being aware of the present moment, through the practice of ‘mindfulness’. Contrary to popular belief, she says, it’s not about blanking your mind, but about being aware of your thoughts.
A-Z of Things Unseen: Y is for Yamuna
April 26, 2016 00:00 - 5 minutes - 6.92 MBShaunaka Rishi Das from the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies reflects on the life lessons he learnt from the Yamuna, one of India’s sacred rivers. His memories include a close encounter with a snake, and how he came to accept his wife’s death after scattering her ashes in the Yamuna.
A-Z of Things Unseen: X is for Xenophobia
April 19, 2016 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.5 MBFollowing a chance remark from a Ukranian flatmate on the stereotypical characteristics of her neighbouring countries (sleazy Lithuanians, tidy Hungarians...), the comedy writer Paul Kerensa decided to investigate the global nature of our tendency to pigeon-hole nationalities. With stand-up comedians replacing jokes aimed at minorities with ones at the expense of celebrities and nearby towns, he compares tribal attitudes in parts of the Christian Bible, and thinks about victimless comedy.
A-Z of Things Unseen: W is for Wafer
April 12, 2016 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.77 MBSisters Caroline Clare and Susan Elizabeth of the Community of Saint Clare in Freeland, Oxfordshire, show us how they make communion wafers, from preparing the batter to using ‘the Church of England’s equivalent of a waffle iron’. They also explain how prayer goes into each batch of wafers.
A-Z of Things Unseen: W is for Writing Icons
April 05, 2016 00:00 - 5 minutes - 6.91 MBIan Knowles is an artist and founder-director of the Bethlehem icon centre. Most of his icons are created on wood, but his most famous icon was painted on the separation wall dividing Israel from the West Bank. ‘Our Lady Who Brings Down Walls’ was made to bring hope into a hopeless situation, he says, to bring something good into the midst of suffering and fear.
A-Z of Things Unseen: V is for Vibrations
March 29, 2016 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.21 MBFaraz Yousafzai is the lead singer and guitarist of the folk-rock band, SilkRoad. For our A-Z, he gives free rein to his poetic side to draw out connections between physical vibrations (such as those of the heart and cells in the body) and the way human beings respond to certain musical chords.
Good Friday and Easter Haiku
March 25, 2016 00:00 - 26 minutes - 37 MBAt the beginning of Lent we asked our listeners to look forward to the events to come in the Christian calendar – Good Friday and Easter. We set them a challenge to write haiku in response, three-line Japanese-inspired poems following a strict 5-7-5 syllable format. We’ve now recorded some of them, adding music and sound-effects. The poet Stewart Henderson joined Alison Hilliard in the Things Unseen studio to share his own haiku, and respond to those which were sent in.
A-Z of Things Unseen: U is for Unity
March 08, 2016 00:00 - 4 minutes - 5.77 MBChine McDonald (nee Mbubaegbu) of the Evangelical Alliance examines why unity is important for people of faith – and why it need not lead to uniformity.
A-Z of Things Unseen: T is for Touch
February 24, 2016 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.89 MBJournalist and broadcaster Emma Barnett on how her tactile nature led her to question the Orthodox Jewish laws that govern physical contact between wives and husbands.
A - Z of Things Unseen: S is for Sari
February 12, 2016 00:00 - 5 minutes - 6.92 MBPlaywright, actress and artistic director Rani Moorthy reflects on the sari, a garment closely bound up with Hindu identity. She rejected it as a teenager, but has now made it the subject of a funny and poignant play – and sometimes wears it combined with doc marten boots.
Good Friday and Easter Haiku Launch
February 10, 2016 00:00 - 2 minutes - 4.11 MBWe are setting our listeners a creative challenge - to write haiku, three line poems, about Good Friday and Easter. Here are full details of how to get involved, along with some taster haiku.
A-Z of Things Unseen: R is for Reading
February 09, 2016 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.89 MBFr Christopher Jamison, a Benedictine monk and former abbot, reflects on treating sacred texts as a delicacy best savoured slowly – and allowing them to challenge and transform us.
A-Z of Things Unseen: Q is for Quaker
February 02, 2016 00:00 - 5 minutes - 6.91 MBRuth Scott has been an Anglican priest since 1994, yet a traumatic experience drew her to the silence which is at the heart of Quaker meetings. Here she explains why.
A-Z of Things Unseen: P is for Patience
January 26, 2016 00:00 - 5 minutes - 6.91 MBAyisha Malik, author of the romantic comedy, Sofia Khan is Not Obliged, reflects on patience through the prism of Islam and how it helps answer life’s biggest question.
A-Z of Things Unseen: O is for Overcome
January 19, 2016 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.77 MBChristian gospel hip-hop artist Faith Child on how he draws encouragement from the Bible and writing gospel songs to overcome personal struggles.
Christmas: In Search of Mary
December 21, 2015 00:00 - 39 minutes - 53.6 MBA Protestant who grew up in Ian Paisley’s Northern Ireland, where any devotion to Mary was scorned; a cradle Catholic and former friar; and a Muslim who loves Christmas, but approaches Mary very much from a Qur’anic perspective: these three go on pilgrimage together to England’s most important shrine to the Mother of Christ, Walsingham. In the course of their journey, some astonishing stories emerge.
A-Z of Things Unseen: N is for Names of God
December 17, 2015 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.71 MBWhat’s in a name? Rabbi Naftali Brawer considers the naming and not-naming of God, and explores the meaning of those names. He explains how the names he has used for God have charted his own spiritual journey, and suggests a surprising interpretation of the very first words of the Bible.
A-Z of Things Unseen: M is for Mysticism
December 08, 2015 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.75 MBMinna Salami, a blogger popularly known as Ms Afropolitan, explains how an automatic writing experience led her to explore mysticism, and why artists like Fela Kuti and Frida Kahlo have helped her on her mystical journey.
A-Z of Things Unseen: L is for Lalibela
December 01, 2015 00:00 - 5 minutes - 6.93 MBAlison Hilliard, a regular Things Unseen presenter, tells the story of Ethiopia’s astonishing rock-hewn churches, which were created in a mere 23 years in the 12th century and remain one of the most extraordinary pilgrimage sites for Orthodox Christians.
A-Z of Things Unseen: K is for Khalsa Aid
November 25, 2015 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.08 MBKhalsa Aid is a humanitarian relief agency which has helped destitute people in disaster areas from Haiti to Iraq and Bosnia. Its founder, Ravi Singh, was inspired by the teachings of the Sikh gurus, who taught their followers to strive for the well-being of all humanity, not just Sikhs.
The Faith-Friendly Atheist: Jim Al-Khalili
November 17, 2015 00:00 - 26 minutes - 36.4 MBJim al-Khalili is the son of a Muslim father and a Christian mother. He is also a public atheist - the outgoing President of the British Humanist Association - a science writer and broadcaster and Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Surrey. Here he talks to Abdul-Azim Ahmed about how his mixed-faith background has shaped his outlook on religion and atheism, and why he has no wish to convert everyone to the Humanist world view.
A - Z of Things Unseen: J is for Journalism
November 10, 2015 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.84 MBRuth Gledhill, who used to be the Times’ religious affairs correspondent and now works for the news website, Christian Today, reflects on combining her love of religion and journalism and has some advice for those who want to walk in her footsteps.
A - Z of Things Unseen: I is for Interfaith
November 03, 2015 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.86 MBIn this addition of our A to Z, Mohammed Ali Amla, founder of Christian and Muslim Encounters – an interfaith network that seeks to bring together academics and activists in shaping dialogue and research - discusses his life journey and lessons of interfaith encounters. From first encountering his “white” neighbors as a little boy - the start of interactions and encounters with other faith communities as opportunities to demystifying attitudes and educate one another in shared values. Fo...
A - Z of Things Unseen: H is for History
October 27, 2015 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.54 MBIn this edition of our A to Z, the ‘Mail on Sunday’ columnist Peter Hitchens visits Trafalgar Square to get a perspective on a key time in the UK’s history. But he is not looking at Nelson. Instead he turns his attention to the equestrian statue of King Charles I, which faces down Whitehall towards the scene of his execution in 1649. Charles’ reign was one during which questions of religious doctrine were brought into sharp focus, in particular the place of an individual’s personal relation...
A - Z of Things Unseen: G is for Gold
October 20, 2015 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.62 MBJason Smyth was born in Northern Ireland into a Mormon family. At the age of 8, he was diagnosed with Stargardt’s disease, which robbed him of his central vision, leaving him legally blind. Yet he has never let this stop him: in the Paralympic Games in Beijing and London, he won two gold medals each time. He is also a double IPC Athletics world champion and has competed successfully in mainstream athletics events. In this edition of our A-Z, Jason reflects on how the faith he was brought up...
A - Z of Things Unseen: F is for Farewell
October 14, 2015 00:00 - 5 minutes - 6.91 MBPsychotherapist and priest Chris Scott on why he thinks it’s time to say farewell to God.
A - Z of Things Unseen: E is for Easter
October 07, 2015 13:44 - 4 minutes - 6.51 MBLucy Winkett, rector of St James’s Church Piccadilly in Central London, reflects on how a C S Lewis quote, a story about the mother of Judas, the traitor, and even chocolate Easter bunnies contribute to the understanding of the Easter story.
A - Z of Things Unseen: D is for Doubt
September 29, 2015 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.91 MBA regular Things Unseen presenter, Mark Dowd is no stranger to doubt. In this edition of our A-Z, he recalls what happened when, as a young friar, he was overcome by it one Easter day. He also reflects on why the “lust for certainty” is misguided, and argues that even Christ on the cross had a moment of agonizing doubt when he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Yet, Mark says, Christians know that that was not the end of the story – and this, he argues, means that we a...
A - Z of Things Unseen: C is for Creativity
September 25, 2015 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.89 MBNavid Akhtar is the founder and chief executive of Alchemiya Media – an online TV channel which aims to showcase the best of Islam and Muslim life. Navid is also an award-winning documentary producer with an eye for architecture and many other forms of creative expression. In this edition of our alphabet of all things faith-related, he visits the Royal Festival Hall, where as a student he first became aware of the amazing range of human creative expression through architecture, design, musi...
A - Z of Things Unseen: B is for Blessing
September 18, 2015 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.95 MBIn the second edition of our A-Z of Things Unseen, the Revd. Sally Hitchner, chaplain at Brunel University London, reflects on the concept of blessing from a Christian perspective – and explains why she believes God’s love and grace are manifested through the act of giving and reveiving blessings.
A - Z of Things Unseen: A is for Awe
August 25, 2015 00:00 - 4 minutes - 6.94 MBIn the first of our A-Z of Things Unseen, Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg from the New North London Synagogue reflects on the concept of awe from a Jewish perspective – and argues that this sense of being part of something much greater is not just for people of faith.
The Word: Katherine Welby-Roberts
August 11, 2015 00:00 - 26 minutes - 36.3 MBWhen her father Justin Welby became the spiritual leader of 80 million Anglicans, Katharine Welby-Roberts shot to social media fame as the ABCD, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s daughter. In conversation with Alison Hilliard, she reflects on her long battle with anxiety and depression and how her favourite Bible verses show God as a God who draws close to those suffering from mental illness.
The Nation State: how ethical is it?
July 28, 2015 00:00 - 28 minutes - 39.5 MBThe nation state: the best way we have to control the movement of people, or no better than a lottery for life's opportunities?
Ramadan Express
July 10, 2015 00:00 - 28 minutes - 39.2 MBRemona Aly challenges two of her Christian fellow Things Unseen presenters – Mark Dowd and Alison Hilliard – to join her in the Ramadan fast for one day.
Viktor Frankl: Man’s Search For Meaning
June 09, 2015 00:00 - 29 minutes - 41.1 MBIn April 1945, Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl emerged from the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau – the only member of his immediate family to survive the Holocaust. From this traumatic experience sprang his seminal book, Man’s Search for Meaning, in which he argues that even in the most painful situations, life has potential meaning – and it is up to the individual to find it.
Faith On Campus
May 08, 2015 00:00 - 11 minutes - 16.3 MBComing to university can be a daunting experience. This is where university chaplains play an important role: they provide support and guidance for all students, of any faith and none. In this podcast, which won the third prize in the Things Unseen competition, Philip Lickley meets Christian and Muslim chaplains at the University of Bradford.
A Story of Faith
April 24, 2015 00:00 - 10 minutes - 14.2 MBIs creating a piece of art an act of faith, even for those who have no religious faith in the traditional sense? How does myth inform the artist’s work? And how do faith, art and the unknown hang together? The runner-up in the Things Unseen podcast competition, Zack Polanski, tackles these intriguing questions in this entry.
Science versus Religion: uncertainty and certainty
April 17, 2015 00:00 - 22 minutes - 31.2 MBLeading geneticist Steve Jones discusses the relationship between scientific enquiry and religious faith with Catholic journalist Mark Dowd. Steve Jones admits to his atheism - quoting with approval Napoleon's 'I have no need of that hypothesis' -- but is a fan of the Bible as 'a magnificent work of literature'. He also approves of many of Christ's pronouncements, but is averse to the Old Testament's 'violent god'. When asked if he is - unconsciously - making a case for New Testament Christi...
A Mother's Good Friday: Diane Foley
April 03, 2015 00:00 - 29 minutes - 40.4 MBDiane Foley is the mother of James Foley, the first Western hostage to be brutally killed by Islamic State. In conversation with Mark Dowd, she explains how her strong Catholic faith has helped her deal with the anguish of her son’s capture and death. She also reflects on the parallels between her experience and that of Mary standing under the cross of Christ. The music is Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater, sung by the London-based chamber choir, Coro.
Addiction and Faith: the 12 Step Programme
March 20, 2015 00:00 - 25 minutes - 35.5 MBThe 12 steps which form the backbone of Alcoholics Anonymous only mention alcohol once, but God features four times, along with references to a higher power and spiritual awakening. But what does that mean in a country like Britain, where only around one in three people say they believe in God? Can the 12 steps work without a religious faith? And on the other hand, if a higher power is so central to recovery from alcoholism, why are there so many Christians with addiction problems?