Plain Talking

Welcome to the latest Plain Talking podcast, with me, Gethin Russell-Jones. In this latest podcast, I raise the question: How does God interact with the world? To answer it, we hear from Professor David Wilkinson who is a British Methodist minister, theologian, astrophysicist and academic. Professor Wilkinson is Director of ‘Equipping Christian Leadership in an Age of Science’ at St John’s College, which is part of Durham University. He is a regular contributor to Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4, and published his latest book in May 2025, entitled How Does God Act in the World? In this discussion, David considers whether God is simply a creator who then goes on holiday and leaves the universe to develop, or is God the one who is embodied in Jesus, the God of signs and wonders, death and resurrection? And what does this mean for signs and wonders today, in the life of individuals and local churches? I found this to be a really stimulating interview. I hope you do too. Following Professor Wilkinson, our regular – and much-loved – podcast contributor and writer for The Plain Truth magazine, Brother David Jardine, reminds us of one of Northern Ireland’s most famous sporting sons – former professional boxer and World Featherweight Champion in 1985 – Barry McGuigan, as part of his discussion on ‘God’s answer to anxiety, anger and fear.’ BOTH PODCAST SUBJECTS ARE FEATURED ARTICLES INSIDE OUR LATEST 32-PAGE BUMPER ISSUE OF THE PLAIN TRUTH MAGAZINE. DON’T MISS IT!

Welcome to the latest Plain Talking podcast, with me, Gethin Russell-Jones. In this latest podcast we learn about the dire humanitarian crisis facing the people of Myanmar following the recent earthquake which killed more than 3,800 people. We hear an extended interview from Ruth (her name and voice have been changed for security reasons) who works with Open Doors in Myanmar, informing us about believers being killed and churches indiscriminately attacked. More Christians than ever are facing persecution under the oppressive regime in states such as Chin, Kayah and Kachin, and in areas with significant Christian minorities, such as Sagaing Division, Yangon. Some are forced to flee to the jungle where they are often deprived of access to food and health care. Government forces have continued to disproportionately attack Christian villages and churches. They have also killed Christian aid workers and pastors, often in aerial attacks. Following the discussion with Ruth, we hear from our regular Plain Talking contributor Brother David Jardine who presents a seasonal epilogue for us and shares stories of Christian faith in action from those who put Jesus at the centre of their lives.

Welcome to the latest Plain Talking podcast, with me, Gethin Russell-Jones. In this latest podcast we hear from Lead Pastor Dave Clague who, with his wife Gail, founded the Bethania Church and Prayer House in Cardiff just over ten years ago. Their vision is to both gather for prayer and support gatherings of prayer in the City of Cardiff and beyond. Gethin caught up with Dave who gives an insight into their work, including building relationships with the local community especially through school chaplaincy. We then turn our attention to The Right Rev Mariann Budde, Bishop of Washington, USA. Rev Budde made the headlines after she angered President Donald Trump with her sermon at the National Cathedral prayer service during Trump’s inauguration in January. She referenced Trump’s belief that he was ‘saved by God from assassination’ by urging him to show mercy towards LGBTQ+ and migrant communities. The president condemned her talk as ‘nasty’. The sermon is read by Clare Cooper. And finally, this podcast features not just one, but two epilogues from our regular contributor Brother David Jardine. First, Brother David encourages us to pray for Donald Trump so that he can be a ‘good President’. He then goes on to talk about the importance of ‘good service’ – and how Jesus came to serve all humankind.

Welcome to the latest Plain Talking podcast, with me, Gethin Russell-Jones. In this latest podcast we hear about the disturbing situation in Mali, a country in West Africa. Pastor Charles Yabaga Diarra tells how Christians there have been given an ultimatum by terrorists – either help in their fight against the country’s military power and pay them a Zakat tax (an Islamic tithe) or leave their homes and communities. I then talk about a medieval pilgrimage route opened in South Wales, stretching from Llandaff Cathedral on the outskirts of Cardiff to the Shrine of our Lady in Penrhys located in the Rhondda Valley. Rev’d David Lloyd (Dyfrig Lloyd), a Priest and Welsh Language Officer from The Church in Wales gives us more information about its history. *You can read more about this topic by subscribing to our free Plain Truth magazine where I discuss my spiritual journey in Wales, or go directly to my article by clicking this link: To be a Pilgrim. Finally, regular contributor Brother David Jardine gives us the background of James Hudson Taylor, a remarkable British Baptist Christian missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission (now OMF International). It is said that no other missionary in the nineteen centuries since the Apostle Paul created a more systematized plan of evangelizing a broad geographical area than Hudson Taylor. Brother David tells us why.

Welcome to the latest Plain Talking podcast, with me, Gethin Russell-Jones. We begin the podcast by hearing about a performing arts group called Ny Ako from Scripture Union Madagascar who have been touring Europe and Wales during the summer months. Miara Rabearisoa, Mission Enabler from the Presbyterian Church of Wales, tells of Ny Ako’s deep Christian connection with Wales that all started way back in 1818 by two Welsh missionaries. Then, we learn about how Christians living in Port Talbot are preparing for the likely closure of the UK’s largest steel works – and the profound social impact it will have. Gethin talks with Margaret Jones, a resident of the town, Andrew Saunders, the mission worker on the Sandfields Estate and his wife Tina Saunders, Manager of the local Baby Bank and Clothes Bank about the impact of up to 3,000 job losses at Tata Steel. Finally, Brother David Jardine tells the story behind one of the most widely sung hymns in the world – ‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus.’ He talks about its composer Joseph Scriven from Northern Ireland, who thought a poem he wrote for his dying mother would bring some spiritual comfort in her last days. Scriven’s life was full of hardships and trials, but, as Brother David points out, his hymn written 150 years ago is still relevant for Christians in every age and generation.

Welcome to the latest Plain Talking podcast, with me, Gethin Russell-Jones. In this special Podcast edition, we’re focusing on the troubling situation in Gaza, where more than 30,000 people have been killed as Israeli troops conduct their war against Hamas. I speak with Colin Chapman, author of the ground-breaking book Whose Promised Land? which explores the troubled history of Israel and Palestine – and of the Jewish settlement in the region. Colin acknowledges the religious roots of the feelings on both sides and considers what could end the current situation in Gaza. After this extended interview, our regular contributor and co-founder of Divine Healing Ministries (www.divinehealingministries.org), Brother David Jardine, explains what divine healing is. ‘Sometimes God does a miracle instantaneously’, states Brother David, ‘but today people are often healed gradually over a period of time. Through prayer, we can expect to find peace, strength and healing, and at least an improvement in our condition.’ By way of example, he takes us to an extraordinary encounter in a Methodist Church, located on Belfast’s Shankill Road.

Welcome to the latest Plain Talking podcast, with me, Gethin Russell-Jones. In this latest podcast, we focus on persecution that’s taking place in countries where Christians count the highest cost for following Jesus. Gethin starts by talking with Jim Stewart, Open Doors Lead Officer for Wales, who discusses their latest World Watch List – an annual report listing the fifty countries in which Christians face the most extreme persecution. Jim highlights the changing trends of persecution with autocratic regimes gaining influence. He goes on to discuss Manipur State in Northeast India, where tensions between the Kuki tribe (who are majority Christian) and the mainly Hindu Meitei people have led to the burning of more than 230 churches and the deaths of more than 60 Christians. We hear further details about the situation in Manipur from a Christian leader based there, followed by Sharon, a woman who fled Manipur and is now living in the UK. The Open Doors report also covers the troubles in Iran, where authorities view conversion to Christianity as an attempt by the West to undermine Islam and the Islamic government of Iran. We hear from Dabrina Bet-Tamraz, a Christian who escaped from Iran and talks about the current situation in Iran for Christians and other minority religions there. We end the podcast, as always, with a positive and inspiring message from Brother David Jardine. This time, he tells us about a remarkable Belfast lady who had three different kinds of cancer, but her peserverence in prayer has led to her being cancer-free for 24 years.

Welcome to the latest Plain Talking podcast, with me, Gethin Russell-Jones. In this latest podcast, we explore the ‘life of faith’ in different ways. During this Christmas season, church ministers are at their busiest time. How do they cope with their workload? We hear from two local ministers from different denominations who serve in Bethesda, located in the foothills of Eryri (Snowdonia), about the challenges they face at this time. We hear first from Reverend Sara Roberts, pioneering a new role as a Community Chaplain, then Reverend Nerys Griffiths tells us of the challenges she has faced as a new minister, ordained in January 2023. We then move on to interview Jonathan Ruffer, the philanthropist behind the recently-opened Faith Museum in Bishop Auckland, County Durham. Housed in Auckland Castle, the museum has been ten years in the making and offers an immersive experience spanning 6,000 years of faith. Finally, Brother David Jardine leads us all into the mystery of prayer. He tells us about ordinary people – and how their extraordinary prayers were answered, then urges us to pray about the Israel-Gaza war, rather than merely watching the tv footage. He ends with poignant words from the Christmas Carol O Little Town of Bethlehem.

Welcome to the latest Plain Talking podcast, with me, Gethin Russell-Jones. Storm Daniel’s devastation – Christian Aid and the aftermath. Gethin chats with Jennie Weaver, Christian Aid’s Church Engagement and Fundraising Officer. Jennie talks about Christian Aid’s response (working with Dan Church Aid, their Act Alliance partner) to the extreme rainfall and floods that have devastated parts of Libya. The death toll in Libya’s coastal city of Derna is expected to reach over 10,000. An historic ordination in Wales. Gethin’s second guest Rebecca Lalbiaksangi will be making history in Newtown, Powys, when the Presbyterian Church of Wales ordains her as its first female minister from the Presbyterian Church of India, Mizoram Synod. The mother-of-two worked as a missionary in Madagascar before moving to Wales in 2011, and will now take up her role in the East Montgomeryshire Pastorate. The power of prayer. Brother David Jardine ends the podcast by reflecting on almost 50 years as a member of the Society of St Francis, a religious community in the Anglican Church, living under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Brother David considers how powerful prayer can be – and how it can make a big difference in the most seemingly intractable situations.

Here’s the latest Plain Talking podcast, with host Gethin Russell-Jones. Can God turn a person’s life around from terrorist to Christian? Gethin hears how David Hamilton, a member of Northern Ireland’s Ulster Volunteer Force and terrorist bomber, was given a long prison sentence for his crimes. But it was during his time in Maze prison he experienced a total Christian conversion. On his release, David became a full-time Christian worker with Prison Fellowship, and the charity Teen Challenge, and then pastor of an independent church in Manchester. Gethin’s second guest is Andrew Boyd from Release International. Andrew talks about the growing number of attacks against Christians in Uganda as Islamist terrorism gains ground in the region. He cites the recent massacre of 42 people, mainly children, who were murdered at the predominantly Christian school in Mpondwe. It has been described as the deadliest attack in Uganda since 2010. As Andrew points out, Sub-Saharan Africa is now considered the ‘epicentre of world terrorism’. Finally, we hear from our regular podcast contributor, Brother David Jardine. This time, he muses on the subject of divine healing, and emphasises that in an age of negativity and criticism we should praise God for what he has given to us, rather than what still needs to be done. Taking this approach, says Brother David, it can help lift our spirits and take our minds off our own difficulties and quicken up the healing process.

Join presenter Gethin Russell-Jones for another inspiring, informative and insightful podcast. We hear about the courage and resilience of a ‘wild’ swimmer, Dr Mary Self. At age 17, Mary was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone cancer, resulting in mid-thigh amputation and months of gruelling chemotherapy. Having always loved open water ‘wild’ swimming, in June 2022 she swam the North Channel from Ireland to Scotland in a relay team with four other amputees in order to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Listen to Mary’s remarkable story of bravery, strength and determination to overcome her sickness through the power of prayer. We learn that persecution of Christians in India is increasing. Since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014, India’s Christians (as well as Muslims and other religious minorities) have suffered persecution due to Hindutva – the ideology that ‘only Hindus are true Indians’. Violence against Christians has dramatically increased in recent weeks with many being killed, thousands displaced and entire villages razed to the ground. Caroline Duffield, a media advisor at Open Doors UK & Ireland, gives us a deeper insight into the persecution taking place of people who convert from the Hindu religion to another. Finally, Brother David Jardine asks why ‘sorry’ seems to be the hardest word to say. In today’s world, we seem so reluctant to genuinely offer an unconditional apology to anyone, even if we know we are clearly to blame. Yet, as Brother David points out, it’s a fundamental Biblical principle to say sorry to God or someone we may have offended. He urges us to recapture the courage and humility to say sorry when we have upset or hurt another person, and how doing so can help restore relationships, bring about healing and restoring our peace. 

In this special Easter episode of Plain Talking, we hear from Revd Canon Sheridan James, who has left SE London where she was Vicar of St Catherine in Hatcham to become the Canon Pastor for Parish and Pilgrims in the much smaller city of St Davids in SW Wales – home to the ancient St Davids Cathedral. And to provide us with his usual inspiring food for thought, Brother David Jardine has a word or two to say about New York City, boxer Barry McGuigan, and the patron saint of Ireland. It’s a shorter Plain Talking podcast this time (just 16 minutes), but we hope you’ll find it just as interesting! 

In this episode of Plain Talking, Gethin begins by discussing the troubles in sub-Saharan Africa – an area facing ‘catastrophic collapse’ as Islamic violence sweeps across the region. John Samuel, Open Doors spokesperson for sub-Saharan Africa, highlights the situation facing Christians in this area. Then, Cardiff-based Dylan Moore chats with Gethin about the often bewildering world of social media, and its significance. Dylan currently leads media policy work for the Institute of Welsh Affairs. He is also a novelist, his latest book being Many Rivers to Cross, which received positive reviews and won a Society of Authors Travelling Scholarship in 2022. Finally, our regular speaker Brother David Jardine provides another positive message as he prepares us for Lent, encouraging us to pray more and reflect on the blessings that have come our way. 

In this episode of Plain Talking (our final podcast for 2022), Gethin chats to Jessica Foster, Head of Church Engagement at The Trussell Trust, who support a nationwide network of food banks and offer help to people locked in poverty for whatever reason. At this time of great need, Jessica outlines how local churches can get more involved with food banks – and also get rid of the ‘undeserving poor’ narrative often prevalent in church congregations. Gethin then talks with Rev Nan Powell-Davies, General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church of Wales, about their involvement with the UK Government’s Home For Ukraine scheme in general, and the church’s Trefeca centre involvement in particular. Rev Nan talks about how a large group of Ukranians were given hospitality in this celebrated place of worship and prayer in the Welsh hills. (You can read Gethin’s accompanying article in the latest issue of The Plain Truth magazine.) And finally, we hear from Brother David Jardine. In this podcast, Brother David reflects on his life and ministry. In his message, he emphasises the need for us to give Jesus his rightful place at this time of the year. He ends with a Christmas message of hope from which we can all draw comfort and peace. 

In this episode of Plain Talking, Gethin speaks to Henrietta Blyth, CEO at Open Doors UK & Ireland, about the recent passing of Brother Andrew, Founder of Open Doors and author of God’s Smuggler – his own account of how he hid Bibles in his car in order to bring them to persecuted Christians. He managed to smuggle the Bibles past border guards in countries like Poland, East Germany, Bulgaria, and Soviet-bloc countries where Christian beliefs and practices were illegal. Following on, Gethin chats with Michael Wakelin, Executive Chair of the Religion Media Centre and former Head of Religion and Ethics at the BBC about the future of Christianity in the UK ahead of the latest census findings. Michael gives a fascinating insight into the shifting landscape of ‘established’ religions, particularly with regard to the Christian faith. Michael offers some of his own views on what needs to change in churches and religious establishments in order to serve those who are seeking the ‘real Jesus’. Finally, we hear from Brother David Jardine, and in this podcast Brother David reflects on his long and varied ministry spanning 55 years in many different locations, including ten years as a Chaplain at Crumlin Road Gaol. As always, Brother David leaves us with some food for thought. This time, it’s ‘Things always seem to go better – sometimes dramatically better – when I am praying about them.’ 

In our latest episode of Plain Talking, Gethin talks with the Right Reverend Bishop James Jones KBE about his recently-published book Justice for Christ’s sake. Bishop James writes of his involvement as Chair of the Independent Panel for the Hillsborough disaster which claimed the lives of 97 people. Listening to the families of the bereaved, and seeking the truth were high on his agenda. Following on, Sue Burrow, a writer of several books for children and young adults, talks about her new novel. Soon-to-be-published, it’s called Sold: What will it take to find freedom? and is a story about human trafficking. It takes us into the murky waters of modern slavery which is now a major problem around the globe. Finally, we hear from Brother David Jardine, who offers some thoughts about God, motor cars – and the Biblical principle of giving thanks. 

In this episode of Plain Talking, Gethin chats with pioneering Yorkshire farmer Denys Fell, founder of Densholme Care Farm, a Hull-based commercial organic farm offering social, education, therapeutic and development opportunities. You can learn more by visiting the Densholme Farm website at Densholme Farm. Gethin then follows up his previous podcast with the Bible Society’s Jack Imbert-Terry and finds out the fascinating research that prompted the publication of their Good News Bible – Family Edition. It could be a real a ‘game-changer’ in the way families can put the Bible back at the centre of family life. Finally, we hear a moving story from Rev Brother David Jardine, who talks about a lady he calls a ‘spiritual giant’ because of her faith-filled life.

In this latest episode of Plain Talking, we focus on the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Gethin talks with Catherine Butcher, author of Our Faithful Queen: 70 Years of Faith and Service, and helps us gain an insight on the importance and significance the Queen’s Christian faith has had on her life as our Monarch. (You can read more about this in the current issue of The Plain Truth magazine.) We then turn our attention to the recently published Good News Bible – Family Edition. Published by the Bible Society in partnership with Youth For Christ and a host of other family focused organisations, we hear from Jack Imbert-Terry who explains why this resource-packed edition, complete with space inside for writing, doodling and drawing and accompanied by 26 online videos, has been created with the aim of putting the Bible back at the centre of family life. Finally, we hear from Rev Peter Slee, retired Head of Chaplaincy South at Methodist Homes (MHA). Peter looks back at the events after Christ’s crucifixion, highlighting how Mary mistakes Jesus for the gardener, and relates the encounter of the two men walking together on the road to Emmaus, and asks: ‘Do you recognise Jesus’?

In this episode Gethin chats with Marie van der Zyl, President of The Board of Deputies of British Jews, on the work of her organisation, and also gets her perspective on the crisis taking place in Ukraine at this time. Then we highlight the harrowing story of Christian Pastor Raymond Koh who was abducted in Malaysia more than five years ago while driving to a friend’s house. We hear from his wife Susanna, who received an International Women of Courage (IWOC) Award in 2020 for her work on behalf of members of other religious minorities who had disappeared in Malaysia. Finally, Gethin reflects on Lent and its significance for us, referring to the Bible account of Jesus in the wilderness and – as we witness the plight of Ukraine – the reality of pain, suffering and despair.

In this latest Plain Talking podcast, we listen to Henrietta Blyth, CEO of Open Doors UK & Ireland, who tells us about the Open Doors World Watch List 2022 – their annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution for following Jesus, and how the situation is getting worse. As tens of millions of people around the world tune in to watch the Beijing Winter Olympics, we hear from Andrew Boyd, a spokesman for Release International which serves persecuted Christians around the world. Andrew talks about how China stands accused of ‘sportswashing’ its human rights abuses to try to gain legitimacy. Finally, retired Baptist Minister Graham Watts concludes our podcast by considering how we all experience bad times – and uses a football analogy to help us gain perspective.