Interview with Bishop Alan Winton

Bishop Alan Winton with HET Ambassador Alice Bate.

Just before the end of the Summer term, we had the privilege of interviewing the Bishop of Thetford, Alan Winton, as part of our project. Before his ordination, Bishop Alan completed a PhD in Biblical Studies and worked with the European Ecumenical Commission for Church and Society. With his wealth of knowledge and passion about both theology and human rights, we had a fascinating discussion about the ways that faith interlinks with the Holocaust and intolerance more widely.

Bishop Alan talked to us about the ways in which religion can drive people to do both immoral and greatly moral things. During the Holocaust, many Christians actively supported the Nazi regime, and the Church did little to oppose it. For victims of the Holocaust, too, the existence and morality of God was called into question., Whilst some lost their faith, others found that it provided the strength to carry on that they so desperately needed.

We also talked about the way that religion can promote values of respect and tolerance, and what he feels are important instances of dehumanisation in the world today which we need to be fighting. This included the negative, demonising rhetoric surrounding particular groups in our society, in addition to wider discussions of conflict internationally. As a public figure, he interacts with people from all walks of life and hears many stories, both of blessing and hardship. For him, the most important thing we can do is learn from the past in order to create a more positive future, through schemes such as the Lessons from Auschwitz project.

We would like to thank Bishop Alan for sparing the time to share his ideas with us. We look forward to sharing them with you when the video is published.