Join the discussion about Britain’s religious diversity within the global contexts of religious nationalism and escalating conflict.

In this lecture Professor James Walters considers the role of faith in British society within the context of global trends towards religious nationalism and escalating conflict. He considers the dramatic expansion of religious diversity and plurality in the UK and the issues they raise in policy and cultural debates, not least as British communities navigate the effects of the conflict in the Middle East.

Professor Walters will highlight some of the challenges but also opportunities that lie ahead for the future of relations between Faith and State and wider society as we rebuild the social and economic fabric of our nation.

The political and theological implications of this vision will be discussed by a panel of William Temple Foundation Research Fellows and Trustees including Prof Simon Lee, Prof Chris Baker, Dr Saiyyidah Zaidi and Revd Dr Ericsson Mapfumo.

Revd Canon Prof James Walters is a Professor in Practice in the Department of International Relations and an affiliated faculty member at the Department for International Development. He is the founding director of the LSE Faith Centre and its Religion and Global Society Research Unit, which promotes religious literacy and interfaith leadership through research, student programmes and global engagement. Jim has published a number of books including Baudrillard and Theology (2012), Religion and the Public Sphere: New Conversations (2018), A Christian Theology of Chaplaincy (2018), Religious Imaginations and Global Transitions (2018) and Loving Your Neighbour in an Age of Religious Conflict (2019). He was educated at Cambridge University and ordained priest in the Church of England in 2008 within which he is now a canon of Chichester Cathedral.