Rowan Williams and Paula Gooder in conversation about the meaning of the story at the centre of our faith: what Jesus' resurrection means to how we live, how we pray, how we change the world, and how we die.

Rowan Williams is a poet, theologian, Honorary Professor of Contemporary Christian Thought at Cambridge University, the Chair of Christian Aid, and was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury. His latest book is Candles in the Dark: Faith, Hope and Love in a Time of Pandemic (SPCK 2020).

Paula Gooder is the Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral and a leading Biblical scholar.  Her latest book is The Parables (Canterbury Press, 2020), in her Biblical Explorations series.

Resurrection - Rowan Williams (2021)

The Artists’ Corner in the Crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral is not just a final resting place for some of the world’s greatest artists, it is also somewhere where one can be reminded and inspired by the exceptional art made by those buried and remembered there; whose work continues to transcend time, and is not just relevant for today, but always.

Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

Stories from St Paul's: The Artists' Corner

An academic seminar entitled 'Contemplation in the city: some modern approaches to prayer in the urban landscape' in which Rowan Williams talks about about Madeleine Delbrêl.  Part of the Koinonia lectures for 2022-23, co-organised by the Diocese of London, St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, which offer an opportunity to engage with the latest research from a wide range of theological and ecclesiological thinkers.

Koinonia Lectures - Rowan Williams - Sept 2022

Professor John Barton, one of the great Biblical scholars of our time, introduces his bestselling book The History of the Bible, the culmination of a lifetime’s work. 

He explores the Bible’s long evolution, how much good translations matter, and what contemporary scholarship reveals about the Bible, including how as contemporary Christians we understand its place at the heart of our faith. 

The Revd Professor John Barton is the Oriel & Laing Emeritus Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture at the University of Oxford, a Senior Research Fellow of Campion Hall, Oxford and an Anglican priest.

A History Of The Bible: The Book And Its Faiths - March 2023

From the earliest years of Christianity to the present day, the practice of silent prayer is where many have sought, and found, the presence of God.  But it is not always as simple as it sounds.

Richard Carter was for many years a member of the Melanesian Brotherhood in the Solomon Islands where silence was a daily part of the spiritual life of the community. In London he is the founder and leader of the Nazareth Community where contemplative prayer is the basis for their contemporary rule of life. He will offer a ‘beginner’s guide’ to silence, reflecting on its nature, practice, joys and pitfalls, and how we can find it in our noisy city and busy lives. 

The Revd Richard Carter is Associate Vicar for Mission at St Martin-in-the-Fields in central London, and the author of The City is my Monastery: A contemporary rule of life.

A Sound Of Sheer Silence: Silent Prayer (March 2023)

2023 sees the first coronation of a British monarch in 71 years – His Majesty King Charles III and the Queen Consort. 2023 is also the 300th anniversary of Christopher Wren’s death, and in this podcast episode we explore his long standing and sometimes surprising royal – and coronation – connections.

Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

Stories from St Paul's: Christopher Wren's Royal Connections

For all of his undisputed genius, even Sir Christopher Wren was fortunate enough to be blessed with some architectural good fortune; the greatest would become one of the best-known spaces inside St Paul’s Cathedral: the Whispering Gallery. Explore the science and story behind the Gallery, 257 steps up inside the Dome of the Cathedral.

Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

Stories from St Paul's: The Whispering Gallery

[The text of the pieces of music in this audio file can be accessed at https://www.stpauls.co.uk/sites/default/files/2023-09/Texts%20and%20Tranlations.pdf]

Rowan Williams explores Mary’s life in the Gospels, from the Annunciation to the Cross and Pentecost: a story where heaven and earth come close together. He says that her story frames the life of Jesus, inviting us to ponder, as she does, the scale and scope of what happens in the transforming, revolutionary life of her son. 

Andrew Carwood conducts St Paul’s Consort singing 'A Hymn to the Virgin', Benjamin Britten; 'Stabat Mater Dolorosa', Giovanni Pierluigi di Palestrina; 'Alma Redemptoris Mater', Tomás Luis de Victoria.

My Spirit Rejoices: Mary, the Mother of Jesus (2023)

In September 1666, five days would change the history and future of London - and St Paul's Cathedral - forever: The Great Fire of London. The medieval Cathedral of Old St Paul's was at first considered safe, however it would not remain so. This episode explores what happened during this catastrophic fire - and just what came next.

Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

Stories from St Paul's: The Great Fire of London

Artificial intelligence is in the news. Eve Poole and Paula Gooder talk about what AI really is and whether we should be frightened by it, hopeful, excited or all three. 

They explore the role that philosophers and theologians need to have in developing AI, and why it draws us into the big questions about existence: What does it means to be human? What is a soul? What really matters about human life? 

Dr Eve Poole  is an expert in leadership, and was Third Church Estates Commissioner from 2018-2021. Awarded an OBE in 2023 for services to education and gender equality, her latest book is 'Robots Souls: Programming in Humanity'.

Dr Paula Gooder is Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral, a distinguished New Testament scholar and the author of numerous popular and academic books.

Robot Souls: AI and what it means to be human (2023)

‘One sometimes finds what one is not looking for…’

Undoubtedly one of the greatest in a pantheon of great Scots is Sir Alexander Fleming, whose discovery of penicillin in 1928 revolutionised medicine, and has saved millions of lives. Today, a memorial plaque in the Crypt of St Paul’s marks the place where his ashes were laid to rest.

Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

Stories from St Paul's: Sir Alexander Fleming

Bob Gilbert talks about the wonders of inner-city nature, the pleasure and inspiration to be drawn from observing and connecting with the everyday, and explores whether it's possible to feel as close to God in the ordinary streets of a city as in the natural world.

Bob Gilbert is an urban naturalist, broadcaster, author and a long-standing campaigner for inner-city conservation. His book 'Ghost Trees: Nature and People in a London Parish' was longlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing. His latest book is 'The Missing Musk: A Casebook of Mysteries from the Natural World'.

The Everyday Wild: A Spirituality of Urban Nature (2023)

Bishop Arun Arora and Canon Paula Gooder share their passion for Advent, explore why Advent is the season for a ‘spiritual MOT’, and also reflect on some of the inspiring stories of faith, from Stormzy to Santa, in his new Advent book 'Stick With Love'. They talk about the difficult questions to be faced about unanswered prayer, finding hope instead of despair in a deeply troubled world, and why stories are essential in the life of faith.

The Rt Revd Arun Arora is the Bishop of Kirkstall in the Diocese of Leeds, having previously served as Vicar of St Nics, Durham, and before that as Director of Communications of the Archbishops' Council of the Church of England. His new book 'Stick with Love; Rejoicing in Every Tongue, Every Tribe, Every Nation' is The Archbishop of York's Advent for Book 2023.

Dr Paula Gooder is Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral, a distinguished New Testament scholar and the author of numerous popular and academic books including her Advent books 'The Meaning is in the Waiting' and 'Journey to the Manger'.

Sticking With Love: Advent with saints of every tribe and nation (2023)

The Bible is full of angels, from the cherubim in Ezekiel’s visions, to the strangers appearing to Abraham, to the messengers that bring the good news of Jesus’s birth to Mary and the shepherds in the Christmas stories. 
Paula Gooder explores what angels are and what they do in the Old and New Testaments.

Dr Paula Gooder is Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral and a distinguished Biblical Scholar, writer and speaker. The author of many books, in 'Heaven' she explored what the Bible says about angels.

Entertaining Angels Unawares: Angels in the Bible (2023)

Christmas at St Paul’s in 1940 was as normal as it could be, considering it was wartime. This, however, would all change on the night of the 29th December during a bombing raid of the city. This was the time when one of the most famous photographs of the Second World War was taken – one of St Paul’s appearing through the smoke of the surrounding fires.

Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

Stories from St Paul's: Christmas 1940

John Donne is one of England’s greatest poets and preachers, famed for lines such as, ‘No man is an island…’ and ‘Never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.’ He is also a former Dean of St Paul’s, and certainly one who lived many lives in one lifetime. 

Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

Stories from St Paul's: John Donne

Anderson Jeremiah and Paula Gooder talk about Jesus in the Bible, in history, and in our lives. They explore his suffering, death and resurrection, how much stories and images of him matter, and how we can live as disciples of Jesus today.

Jesus On The Margins (2024)

James Baldwin is best known as a novelist and essayist, but he grew up in the church, steeped in scripture, and was a celebrated preacher when he was young. Though he later criticized the church, it gave him his vision of the world. Jarel Robinson-Brown introduces his life and work, and explores how he can help us as Christians to broaden our horizons, to be more honest, more imaginative and challenge us to ask ourselves what kind of world we hope for.

A handout referred to in this talk can be found at https://www.stpauls.co.uk/sites/default/files/2024-02/James%20Baldwin%20timeline%20handout.pdf

James Baldwin's Life And Thought (2024)

On the 7th May 1913, the Suffragettes brought the fight for women’s votes to St Paul’s, when a plot to blow up the Bishop’s throne was narrowly foiled – after a Virger found the ticking bomb at the Cathedral’s east end. This podcast episode explores this fascinating story, and how it was reported at the time. 

Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

Stories from St Paul's: The Suffragettes and the failed St Paul’s bomb plot

Selina Stone and Paula Gooder explore the practice of tarrying - waiting on God – which is at the heart of Selina Stone’s Lent book Tarry Awhile: Wisdom from Black Spirituality for People of Faith, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent book for 2024.

They talk about favourite Bible stories about tarrying including Gethsemane, Jacob and the Angel, and Hagar in the desert, as well as the importance of bodies in our spiritual lives, being honest about disappointment, and about how to keep a good Lent.

Tarry Awhile (2024)

Why do some places feel full of spiritual meaning and some feel desolate? There is a rich understanding of place in the Bible, which is full of stories of the surprising places where God is encountered, often interwoven with hospitality and welcoming the stranger. 

Andrew Rumsey will explore what place means in our spiritual lives, in the search for meaning and identity, in the Bible, as well as in our own local neighbourhoods, parishes, city and nation. 
 
The Right Revd Dr Andrew Rumsey is the Bishop of Ramsbury and was formerly the vicar of Gipsy Hill in the Diocese of Southwark. He is also a musician and poet, who in 2023 released an album, Evensongs. His latest books are 'Parish: An Anglican Theology of Place' and 'English Grounds: A Pastoral Journal'.

Belonging: A Theology Of Place (2024)

When St Paul’s was constructed under the stewardship of Sir Christopher Wren, it was by a male dominated workforce – almost exclusively male – except for one woman: Jane Brewer, who cast and polished the golden pineapple found on the Cathedral’s south west tower. Find out more about Jane, and the curious pineapple architectural details to be found all over London!

Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

Stories from St Paul's: Jane Brewer

Canon of St Paul’s Cathedral for 33 years, John Collins was a remarkable priest and social reformer who was one of the world's leading proponents in the causes of justice, freedom and peace. Discover more about Collins’ life, work and activism in this podcast episode.

Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

Stories from St Paul's: Canon John Collins

Kate Bottley talks about her own life and faith; about hope, being human, having doubts, getting through life’s hard bits, celebrating the great bits, and finding meaning and connection in it all.

Have A Little Faith - April 2024

How do we build a movement of the people of God? If we turn to the earliest days of Christianity, we can find wisdom for how we can mobilise as Christians working for social justice today.

Drawing as well from the great Liberation Theologians including Gutierrez, Cone and Black feminist theologians, Anupama Ranawana examines the connections between climate, poverty, race and colonisation, and on the redemptive and restorative work of the Cross as good news for the planet as well as for all people. 

Dr Anupama Ranawana is a theologian and political economist with research posts at St Andrew’s University and Christian Aid. Her latest book is A Liberation for the Earth: Climate, Race and Cross.

A Liberation Movement For The Earth - May 2024

An ancient Christian tradition which originates on fringes of the Christian world, ‘it is refreshing to discover the role that art, storytelling and poetry played in the religious faith of the Celts, and it is perhaps this which enables us to feel such resonance with the Celtic past and spirituality.’ Dr Esther de Waal has a worldwide reputation as a writer, speaker and retreat leader, particularly on Celtic and monastic spirituality.

An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality - Esther de Waal (2014)

Mark is the earliest of the Gospels, the one written closest to Jesus’ lifetime. It is short, urgent, passionate and dramatic and reads a little like a front-line despatch from Christ’s life and death. Often we hear the Gospels in short sections, but it can be a revelation to read – or hear – the whole of the story at once. 
David Suchet; one of the best-known and best-loved actors of his generation, reads the Gospel of Mark. Recorded 28 March 2017.

The Gospel According to Mark read by David Suchet (2017)

Choir of the Nation hymns for St George's Day, 23 April 2020

Individuals across the UK and around the world recorded their individual parts of three hymns: Jerusalem, Christ the Lord is Risen Today and Ye Choirs of New Jerusalem. The organ accompaniments are performed by Daniel Cook of Durham Cathedral. 

St Paul's Cathedral has brought them together to celebrate St George's Day in 2020. 

For more information visit 
https://www.stpauls.co.uk/worship-music/worship/choir-of-the-nation-join-our-hymn-flash-mob

Jerusalem

Whilst many believe St Paul's emerged from the Blitz unscathed, this was not quite the case. Discover the story of the skilled and dedicated volunteers behind its survival and how their legacy continues today. 

Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

Stories from St Paul's: The St Paul's Watch

Unsurprisingly, for a place with such a long history, St Paul's Cathedral is no stranger to mysterious and unexplained sights and sounds. In this podcast episode, discover some of the Cathedral's spectral stories and sightings.

Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

Stories from St Paul's: Ghosts of St Paul's

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