We are very pleased indeed to announce the release of GFI’s first podcast series, hosted by Dr. Bethan Willis, Associate Chaplain, Oxford Pastorate, and a member of the GFI team.
Podcast series are currently available on
Justice and Rights
Episode #1 Nicholas Wolterstorff (Divinity, Yale)
In this episode Professor Nicholas Wolterstorff speaks on the injustices that made him focus his scholarship on the theme of Justice; the role of biblical texts in shaping our understandings of Justice; the language of Shalom; and the place of Justice within Christian Scholarship today.
Episode #2 Daniel Hastings (Aeronautics & Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
In this episode, Dr Bethan Willis speaks to Professor Daniel Hastings about his reponse to Nicholas Wolterstorff's Theology Brief on Justice. Professor Hastings draws on his scholarship as a scientist and engineer working in the fields of aeronautics and astronautics. In conversation we explore the role of Just War theory in relation to nuclear weapons research; the ways in which satellite architecture might provide equitable and fair access to the internet; and the responsibilities of Christian Scholars to work for Justice as they serve governments and world-leading organisations, and as they serve within the academy.
Episode #3 John Coffey (History, Leicester)
In this episode, Dr Bethan Willis talks to Professor John Coffey about his disciplinary brief on justice. They discuss his research in the history of religion and ideas, including his current major work on William Wilberforce. They also explore how questions of justice relate to historical research; the genealogy of rights, and Christian contributions to the development of rights; and how biblical narratives might help us in our current efforts to wrestle with historic injustices and questions of communal identity.
Episode #4 Cecilia Jacob (International Relations, Australian National U)
In this episode Dr Bethan Willis talks to Professor Cecilia Jacob about her disciplinary brief on justice. They discuss her research in the field of international relations including questions of accountability in international justice; the importance of a relational perspective on rights; and how we might balance pragmatism and idealism in seeking justice for vulnerable communities.
Episode #5 Peter Sloman (Economic History, Cambridge)
In this episode Dr Bethan Willis speaks to political historian, Dr Peter Sloman about his disciplinary brief on justice. They discuss the biblical imperative to seek economic justice on a societal level - as well as an individual level; the shift in the way we have understood economic rights over time; and the link between economic rights and broader human flourishing.
Episode #6 Dinesha Samararatne (Law, Colombo)
In this episode, Dr Bethan Willis speaks to Professor Dinesha Samararatne. They discuss the need to prioritise questions of injustice in constitutional law-making; the lack of equity in resources and publications for academics in the global south; the cost of pursuing justice as an academic in a country facing instability and uncertainty; and the priorities academics need to attend to if they wish to pursue truth with justice.