Mic On, Soul Engaged

Some of our readers will know that I am part of a rota of faith leaders that broadcast during the political programme ‘Today’ on BBC Radio 4.  The ‘slot’ is a timed reflection (2 minutes 45 seconds) on the news of the day and it’s always at the same time during the programme (around 7.45am each day). I’ve been broadcasting this segment for 20 years or so, and for most of that time all the Thought for the Day contributors were driven into the studio, or to a local studio wherever they were in the country, and everyone broadcast live.  During the pandemic, we all learned to record into our phones and send in advance. And some have preferred to keep it this way. For myself, and this is no doubt because I can just walk to New Broadcasting House at Oxford Circus in the early morning, I always go in person to sit in the studio with the presenters and whichever guests are there that day.

When people ask me what’s the most challenging aspect of presenting Thought for the Day, I have only one answer ‘Having a Thought’.   The script is written the day before and signed off by not one but by two BBC producers.  Vocabulary is scrutinised, tone, inclusiveness and accuracy. One of the key questions is always ‘who is ‘we’ in this sentence’ for a general audience. It’s completely different from writing a sermon or a presentation or a lecture. It’s short form religious reflection right in the middle of a programme that prides itself on setting the news agenda for the day and responding in real time to breaking news from all over the world.

Sometimes a story you are mentioning moves on in the morning – in which case a 7am call with the producer will agree a change to the script. But for all the paraphernalia, some pressure (don’t think about 6million listeners, just talk to one person….), the outraged emails or the sincere appreciation, still the most important thing is that; to have a thought.  And it’s not easy or straightforward.

To attempt to be one of the credible voices from any religion in the public square means taking time to think, but not too much time that the moment has passed. It means taking some risks while staying rooted in the theological and spiritual hinterland of Christian living.  It means risking that what you are trying to say will be misunderstood or wilfully misinterpreted.  As an uninterrupted broadcast, it is an unusual moment in a busy and hectic programme. One of the legendary former presenters John Humphries used to object to this: he couldn’t interrupt me and interrogate me about what I’d said. He just had to, as they say ‘back announce’ the speaker and leave the listeners to judge for themselves.

And as such an uninterrupted slot, it’s important not to become bland either – and risk offending no one. Or proselytise in such a way that the privilege to speak at that time on national radio is abused.  I find it very challenging, every time. But I hope I never  take the immense privilege for granted.

And so my Thought for this Week is that in a news agenda that is unrelentingly tough, it’s  a good discipline for all of us who are Christian to challenge ourselves – not only as individuals but as a community with the deeper questions that arise out of the news.

What do you think about the way that the Israeli government is prosecuting the war in Gaza? Did you think that Israel had a right to retaliate after 7^th October? Do you align yourself with the UK government and support the formation of a Palestinian state or do you take a different view from your own government and why?  Do you align yourself with the views of the Bishops in the House of Lords and oppose the current assisted dying bill or not, and why? What do you think is the best way to address the doubling of so-called rough sleeping in the last few years?  What are the main challenges facing London’s police? Should British Summer Time be abolished? How much do you know about the catastrophic war in Sudan? What do you think of the art trade?  What are the key challenges facing our ‘late capitalist’ society? What principles should the UK government’s immigration policy be based on? What is your view of climate breakdown adaptation or mitigation strategies? Do you think Live Aid was a good thing or not?

And in answering these questions or in thinking about them, what role does your faith or your church community play in forming these views? It’s not enough to ask ‘What would Jesus do?’ although sometimes that’s not a bad place to start.

Having a ‘Thought for the Day’ is something that all Christians, all members of an active outward-looking community could practise having – not just as individuals but as our congregation, in our friendship groups or volunteer projects.  One of the objectives in St James’s strategy is to ‘Speak out with Others’.  We often do this through the Citizens broad-based community organising collective, who are currently listening to members’ views about the water industry.  Next time you’re scrolling through the news on your phone or listening to a news item on TV or radio, ask yourself ‘what do I really think about this, and how does my faith impact my view’? It’s a really interesting question – because quite often our faith doesn’t inform our view of politics at all.

It’s sometimes said that living our life according to the news cycle is like trying to tell the time by looking at the second hand on a clock. It’s accurate, but completely exhausting and disorientating.  The pace might feel exciting for a bit – but it’s completely impossible to live like that.   At its best, church tells the time by looking at the hour hand. No less accurate, no less contemporary but moving at a different pace, listening to a different rhythm.

We are called as Christians to ‘read the signs of the times’, which takes practice, time, not a little courage. And a commitment to ‘revolutionary patience’, resolving that the news cycle, reporting the world’s events, does not have to be as it is.