Culham Institute: Programme Listings

This week's

Saturday 28th January
1.30pm		Heart and Soul Survivors Stories. They survived what is still widely regarded as the worst crime in history, and they know that their own time to die is drawing near. Holocaust survivors, now in their eighties and nineties, meet every day in North London at the world's first Holocaust Survivors Centre of its kind. Jane Little spends a day with them and hears stories of enormous resilience, unfailing optimism, and unexpected humour.
6.35pm		4thought.tv Ann Fergusson discusses why she believes a spiritual healer was able to free her of back pain and bring comfort to her husband when he was suffering from cancer. She also explains her thoughts on the source of this ability, suggesting it is a universal force for good that is only accessible by certain talented individuals.
Sunday 29th January
6.05am		Something Understood Postcards. Sarah Cuddon considers the joys of sending and receiving postcards, and explores how the medium can be used for more than simply conveying information. She also meets Laura Eades and Retta Bowen, two friends who have written postcards to each other every day for a month. Featuring readings from works by Robert Bolano and Charles Simic, and music by Edward Elgar.
7.10am		Sunday The religious and ethical news of the week. Moral arguments and perspectives on stories familiar and unfamiliar.
10.00am		The Big Questions Nicky Campbell presents a discussion that explores topical issues from a moral and religious perspective, live from Leith Academy in Edinburgh. With contributions by a panel and studio audience.
5.55pm		4thought.tv Canon Tony Butterworth discusses the healing ministry of the Church of England, in which he has worked for more than 30 years, and talks about the importance of not placing emotional pressure on people seeking help.
7.45pm		Sunday Feature Bach and the Art of Beekeeping. On first hearing Arvo Pärt and J S Bach appear to write very different types of music, but both have the same notion of order in the universe, of a harmony greater than the musical expressions they give to it. In this patchwork narrative, singer Kathryn Knight uncovers the common denominators and extramusical connections between these two figures, from the art of fugue via quantum mechanics and the honeycomb to the technique of tintinnabulation. With the Rev Alan Walker, Dr John Crook, Guy Denning, and Konrad Volker.
Monday 30th January
8.55am		Living with the Amish Repeat of the series in which six British teenagers leave all their modern commodities behind and join an Amish community in Ohio for six weeks of hard work and simple living.
4.30pm		Beyond Belief Every year more than 100 million people around the world go on pilgrimage, the biggest mass migration of people on the planet. Two and a half million Muslims visited Mecca for last year's Hajj and over 600,000 visited Graceland to worship at the shrine of Elvis Presley. Tourist companies specialising in pilgrimage tours are expanding - it's big business. Ernie Rae and his guests discuss whether there is something in the human psyche which seeks fulfilment from a physical journey, but one that has a spiritual motive, and also consider the growing phenomenon of cyber pilgrimage. Can a 'virtual' journey in any way be seen as comparable? Joining Ernie Rea to discuss pilgrimage are Dr Marion Bowman, Head of the Department of Religious Studies at the Open University; Martin Palmer, Secretary General of the Alliance of Religions & Conservation, and Connie Hill-Smith who is writing her doctoral thesis on cyber pilgrimage at the University of Wales, Trinity & St David's.
6.55pm		4thought.tv Sophie Maxwell reflects on a stranger's moment of kindness that turned her life around, and argues that even the smallest charitable acts can make a difference. The government has announced that Britain will increase annual foreign aid to £12billion by 2014, but almost half of the nation's taxpayers say they would scrap the International Aid Budget completely.
Tuesday 31st January
3.15am		*Something To Think About (School Radio)* Assembly series for children aged 5 - 7, including a story, song, a reflection / prayer and opportunities for discussion. People We Look Up To. Today Paul Ewing is thinking about role models and considering who the people are that we should respect and look up to.
8.55am		Living with the Amish Repeat of the series in which six British teenagers leave all their modern commodities behind and join an Amish community in Ohio for six weeks of hard work and simple living.
6.55pm		4thought.tv Mohamed Ali Ugas, a medical student who arrived in Britain aged five as a refugee from Somalia, argues those who receive charity have a moral responsibility to give something back.
Wednesday 1st February
8.55am		Living with the Amish Repeat of the series in which six British teenagers leave all their modern commodities behind and join an Amish community in Ohio for six weeks of hard work and simple living.
6.55pm		4thought.tv Psychologist and former aid worker Alessandra Pigni argues it is naive to think people are being selfless when they try to improve the world, and that for charity work to be successful those who carry it out must first change themselves.
8.00pm		The Crusades 3/3. Dr Thomas Asbridge explores how the military confrontation between Christians and Muslims concluded in the 13th century, and visits France to find out more about Crusade leader King Louis IX, who saw his hopes of achieving victory ebb away on the shores of the River Nile in Egypt. The programme also examines the crucial role played in the final outcome by a blue-eyed Muslim warrior called Baybars. Last in the series.
11.20pm		Storyville: Sex, Death & the Gods Documentary exploring the world of the devadasi community in Karnataka, Southern India, in which girls are forced to adhere to an ancient tradition of being 'married' to a deity in childhood and sold for sex when they reach puberty. Beeban Kidron's film investigates the history of the people, and provides an insight into their past as concubines to the princes and priests of India's ruling class and heritage as dancers and entertainers.
Thursday 2nd February
8.50am		Living with the Amish Repeat of the series in which six British teenagers leave all their modern commodities behind and join an Amish community in Ohio for six weeks of hard work and simple living.
6.55pm		4thought.tv Muslim aid worker Salah Aboulgasem explains why he believes people in Britain have a responsibility to provide funds to break the cycle of poverty.
Friday 3rd February
8.55am		Living with the Amish Repeat of the series in which six British teenagers leave all their modern commodities behind and join an Amish community in Ohio for six weeks of hard work and simple living.
3.00am		*Together (School Radio)* Assembly series for children aged 7 - 11, including a story, song, a reflection / prayer and opportunities for discussion. Special Days. It's 200 years since the birth of Charles Dickens and Gemma Hunt is finding out why the work of Dickens and other great writers is so important.
6.55pm		4thought.tv Joy Carter discusses how she was rescued from civil war in Nigeria by British missionaries, and is alive today because of the charity of her adoptive parents.

If you can't catch the 'live' broadcast, most Radio 4 programmes can be heard by visiting the station's web site at www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/ and clicking the 'Listen Again' button. Sunday can be heard by clicking on the programme's own homepage, at www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/sunday/

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