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Matters of Life and Death

Matters of Life and Death

By: Premier Unbelievable?
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Summary

 In each episode of Matters of Life and Death, brought to you by Premier Unbelievable?, John Wyatt and his son Tim discuss issues in healthcare, ethics, technology, science, faith and more. John is a doctor, professor of ethics, and writer and speaker on many of these topics, while Tim is a religion and social affairs journalist. We talk about how Christians can better engage with a particular question of life, death or something else in between.Premier Unbelievable? Science Spirituality
Episodes
  • Learning from Luther how to remain faithful during pandemics

    Learning from Luther how to remain faithful during pandemics
    May 13 2026
    Although we mostly try not to think about those dark days any more, the covid pandemic threw up a dizzying array of complex ethical and moral dilemmas for Christians. Should we carry on meeting in person for Sunday worship despite the risk of infection (and government rules which forbade it)? How do you love your neighbour well when either you or they might unknowingly carry a deadly virus? Should we get the vaccine? Should we wear masks? Theologian Brian Brock has been looking back at another pandemic half a millennium ago, when a plague ripped through Germany just as the Reformation was getting underway in the early 16th century. Martin Luther wrote a series of essays exploring how Christians should respond to the challenges of pandemics at the time, and in this episode we talk with Brian about what the reformer concluded and to what extent the modern church could learn from him and the covid experience to better handle the inevitable next pandemic. • You can send in your questions for us to discuss on the podcast, or ideas for future episodes, to molad@premier.org.uk • Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173 • If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com • Find some of Tim's journalism and sign up for free to his weekly church news newsletter The Critical Friend: https://tswyatt.com • For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • The Biobank data leak: Privacy, knowledge and the humility of faith over sight

    The Biobank data leak: Privacy, knowledge and the humility of faith over sight
    May 6 2026
    Our discussion today begins with the concerning news that a world-leading database of medical records, the UK’s Biobank, has suffered an embarrassing leak after hundreds of thousands of confidential records were put up for sale on a Chinese website. Biobank is a pioneering collection of data from half a million Brits, who altruistically donated their records, blood, DNA and more for medical research. But how can we balance the competing demands of strict medical confidentiality with the growing need for big data for both cutting-edge research and thrusting commercial development? Is privacy a particularly Christian idea anyway? Should we be celebrating these altruistic souls for their service despite the personal risks of leaks? And what does the Biblical narrative and the limitations God places on his image-bearers have to say about our modern grasping for all-encompassing knowledge? • You can send in your questions for us to discuss on the podcast, or ideas for future episodes, to molad@premier.org.uk • Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173 • If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com • Find some of Tim's journalism and sign up for free to his weekly church news newsletter The Critical Friend: https://tswyatt.com • For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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    53 mins
  • Does Jesus want to stop the boats? The immigration and asylum culture wars, with Krish Kandiah

    Does Jesus want to stop the boats? The immigration and asylum culture wars, with Krish Kandiah
    Apr 29 2026
    Much of the political conversation in the UK and the United States in recent years has been dominated by immigration and asylum. Politicians on both sides of the Atlantic have been competing to offer up ever tougher approaches to cut immigration, deport unauthorised migrants and deter illegal border crossings. There are Christians on all sides of the debate, so how do we discern a truly Christ-centred and ethical policy position? What can we draw from the teachings of Jesus to help us figure out where the church should stand on borders, identity and refugees? This week we’re joined by theologian, writer, charity founder and entrepreneur Krish Kandiah to think through these deeply contested questions. • You can send in your questions for us to discuss on the podcast, or ideas for future episodes, to molad@premier.org.uk • Subscribe to the Matters of Life and Death podcast: https://pod.link/1509923173 • If you want to go deeper into some of the topics we discuss, visit John's website: http://www.johnwyatt.com • Find some of Tim's journalism and sign up for free to his weekly church news newsletter The Critical Friend: https://tswyatt.com • For more resources to help you explore faith and the big questions, visit: http://www.premierunbelievable.com
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    59 mins
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