Sunday
A History of Religious Affairs through 50 Years of Conversations and Controversies
Published on 19. October 2023
Book
Hardback
408 pages
978-0-281-08773-0 (ISBN)
Description
'Religion is very much part of life as it's lived now for lots and lots of people and, around the world, most people... Religion is not boring; I think that's what Sunday keeps reminding us.' David Winter, Producer of BBC Radio 4 Sunday
Listeners all over the UK are likely familiar with Edward Stourton for his role on BBC Radio 4's iconic programme: the country's main religious and ethical news programme 'Sunday'. Now, avid Radio 4 listeners and curious newcomers alike have the chance to delve deeper into these broadcasts, as Stourton chronicles over fifty years of current affairs in his latest book, Sunday, in collaboration with BBC Producer Amanda Hancox.
In Sunday, Stourton transmits half a century of Radio 4's iconic programme to paper. Featuring interviews with well-known figures such as Desmond Tutu, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and Enoch Powell, the book traces the evolution of debate on a variety of key issues including sexuality, bioethics, nuclear weapons and many more.
From the Church's answer to the cost-of-living crisis to the debate around female bishops, the abuse within the Catholic Church to the new wave of anti-Semitism - Sunday's interviewers cross-examine speakers with rigour and acuity. With expert insight, Edward Stourton provides critical reflection on how religion has impacted some of the world's most epoch-making moments.
Covering a wide breadth of stories at the intersection of ethics, politics, and religion, Sunday features hundreds of stimulating discussions. It is a testament to how religion remains a powerful force in the lives of most people on our planet, whether people of faith or non-believers.
Listeners all over the UK are likely familiar with Edward Stourton for his role on BBC Radio 4's iconic programme: the country's main religious and ethical news programme 'Sunday'. Now, avid Radio 4 listeners and curious newcomers alike have the chance to delve deeper into these broadcasts, as Stourton chronicles over fifty years of current affairs in his latest book, Sunday, in collaboration with BBC Producer Amanda Hancox.
In Sunday, Stourton transmits half a century of Radio 4's iconic programme to paper. Featuring interviews with well-known figures such as Desmond Tutu, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and Enoch Powell, the book traces the evolution of debate on a variety of key issues including sexuality, bioethics, nuclear weapons and many more.
From the Church's answer to the cost-of-living crisis to the debate around female bishops, the abuse within the Catholic Church to the new wave of anti-Semitism - Sunday's interviewers cross-examine speakers with rigour and acuity. With expert insight, Edward Stourton provides critical reflection on how religion has impacted some of the world's most epoch-making moments.
Covering a wide breadth of stories at the intersection of ethics, politics, and religion, Sunday features hundreds of stimulating discussions. It is a testament to how religion remains a powerful force in the lives of most people on our planet, whether people of faith or non-believers.
Reviews / Votes
"Not much can get a humanist out of bed early on a Sunday morning but Radio 4's Sunday programme does the job. In this book some of the most revealing and compelling of its ever-insightful reports remind us of how lucky we are to have it still on air." -- Andrew Copson, Chief Executive, Humanists UK "Essential reading for anyone attempting to grasp fully the historical and social complexities of the last few decades in which, despite the advance of secularism, faith still plays such a vital role." -- Ruth Gledhill, Assistant Editor, The Tablet and former religion editor for The Times "Full of fascinating interviews and perceptive reportage, it's nothing short of a social history of modern Britain, seen through the lens of religion, ethics and belief." -- Dilwar Hussain, Chair, New Horizons in British Islam "Stimulating and refreshing. The BBC at its most fearless in covering the key issues of faith in Britain." -- Sir Simon Jenkins FSA, FRSL, author and journalist "Powerfully illustrates the changing landscape of religion and demonstrates faith's vital past and continuing relevance to some of the most important issues of the day." -- Chine McDonald, writer, broadcaster and director of Theos, the religion and society think tank "Compelling insight and astute commentary on the politics, the commitment, and the hopes and the fears of people of faith and beyond over a fifty-year period." -- Baroness Neuberger DBE, Rabbi Emerita West London SynagogueMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Edition type
New edition
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
With dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
846 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-281-08773-0 (9780281087730)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Edward Stourton
Sunday
A History of Religious Affairs through 50 Years of Conversations and Controversies
E-Book
10/2023
1st Edition
SPCK Publishing
€22.49
Available for download
Persons
Edward Stourton has been the main presenter of Sunday since 2010. He has worked in broadcasting for more than forty years, and has been a foreign correspondent for the BBC, ITN and Channel Four. He was a newscaster on BBC1 for seven years, and one of the main presenters of Radio 4's Today programme for ten. He regularly presents The World at One, The World this Weekend and Analysis, and has written and presented numerous documentaries for BBC television and radio. He is the author of 12 books and is a regular commentator on religious affairs for a wide range of national and religious newspapers.
Amanda Hancox is an award-winning producer who joined the BBC in the 1980s. She has produced a wide range of factual programmes for Radios 2, 3 and 4, BBC1 and BBC4. In 1999 she became the Executive Producer for the Religious Department at BBC World Service. From 2001 to 2020 she was Series Producer of Factual and Music for the BBC's Religion and Ethics Radio Department and had editorial responsibility for a wide range of documentaries and programmes such as Good Morning Sunday, Beyond Belief and Sunday.
Amanda Hancox is an award-winning producer who joined the BBC in the 1980s. She has produced a wide range of factual programmes for Radios 2, 3 and 4, BBC1 and BBC4. In 1999 she became the Executive Producer for the Religious Department at BBC World Service. From 2001 to 2020 she was Series Producer of Factual and Music for the BBC's Religion and Ethics Radio Department and had editorial responsibility for a wide range of documentaries and programmes such as Good Morning Sunday, Beyond Belief and Sunday.
Content
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction x
Part 1
POPES AND PRIMATES, SAINTS AND SINNERS
1 Speaking truth to power 3
2 Relations with Rome 29
3 Saint-making 49
4 Zimbabwe's long struggle 69
5 Abuse and the Irish Church 85
Part 2
REVOLUTION AND REACTION
6 The ordination of women 119
7 Sexuality 136
8 Bioethics 162
Part 3
THE CHANGING FACES OF RELIGION IN BRITAIN
9 Jonathan Sacks: anti-Semitism, New Atheism and
remembering the Holocaust 183
10 Jewish identity 197
11 Terror and Islam in Britain 209
12 Islam and British Society 231
13 Eastern spirituality 251
Part 4
MAKING WAVES IN THE WORLD
14 Religion and politics in the United States 277
15 The Arab world after bin Laden 305
16 The struggle between Israel and the Palestinians 330
17 Religion in China 345
Part 5
IN SEARCH OF THE GRANDEUR OF GOD
18 Sacred places, art and a portable organ 369
19 Celebrity 385
Postscript 397
Contributors 402
Introduction x
Part 1
POPES AND PRIMATES, SAINTS AND SINNERS
1 Speaking truth to power 3
2 Relations with Rome 29
3 Saint-making 49
4 Zimbabwe's long struggle 69
5 Abuse and the Irish Church 85
Part 2
REVOLUTION AND REACTION
6 The ordination of women 119
7 Sexuality 136
8 Bioethics 162
Part 3
THE CHANGING FACES OF RELIGION IN BRITAIN
9 Jonathan Sacks: anti-Semitism, New Atheism and
remembering the Holocaust 183
10 Jewish identity 197
11 Terror and Islam in Britain 209
12 Islam and British Society 231
13 Eastern spirituality 251
Part 4
MAKING WAVES IN THE WORLD
14 Religion and politics in the United States 277
15 The Arab world after bin Laden 305
16 The struggle between Israel and the Palestinians 330
17 Religion in China 345
Part 5
IN SEARCH OF THE GRANDEUR OF GOD
18 Sacred places, art and a portable organ 369
19 Celebrity 385
Postscript 397
Contributors 402