12 Nov 2026, 13:05Darell J. Philip, London Area 6C Communications CoordinatorOxford, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom
SEC Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Coordinator’s Contribution included in recently published book by University of Oxford Research Fellow
Lived Experiences of Religious Freedom: Organisational Challenges in the United Kingdom (2026) by Dr. Mátyás Bόdi, a Research Fellow in Freedom of Religion or Belief at Regents Park College, University of Oxford, was launched on Thursday 5th November 2026 at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, in Shaftesbury Avenue, West End of Central London.
Among those invited to the book launch were Baroness Elizabeth Berridge, Member of the House of Lords; Dr. Helen Cameron, Director of Research at Regents Park College, University of Oxford; Dr Suzanne Newcombe, Honorary Director of Inform and Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at The Open University; and Dr. Brighton G. Kavaloh, South England Conference Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Coordinator.
The book, which is part of the book series: Boundaries of Religious Freedom: Regulating Religion in Diverse Societies, presents the results of a wide-ranging study on how religious and non-religious belief organisations in the United Kingdom address the challenges they face in relation to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). Among the 19 religious belief organisations which participated in the research was The Seventh-day Adventist Church. Interviewed by the book’s author (Dr. Bόdi) SEC Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Coordinator, Dr. Kavaloh, shared the challenges the organization faces in relation to FoRB. These included: Sabbath Observance Confronted by Workplace Demands, and Assisted Dying in Tension with Adventist Conviction, which was a shared tension among other participatory religious belief organisations too. Dr. Kavaloh also offered suggestions for policymakers which included: the need to Strengthen Policymakers’ Understanding of Human Rights and Religion, and to Move from Crisis-Driven Contact to Sustained Engagement.
At the close of the book launch, Dr. Bόdi was presented with a plaque by Dr. Kavaloh on behalf of the SEC Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department in recognition of the publication and launch of the book.
The book will be of particular interest to scholars of religion, law, and human rights as well as to public authorities and legislators, advocates, and representatives of belief organisations interested in evidence-based perspectives on how FoRB is lived and negotiated in contemporary Britain.
Lived Experiences of Religious Freedom: Organisational Challenges in the United Kingdom (2026) by Dr. Mátyás Bόdi is published by Springer and is available for purchase here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-032-14514-7
Lived Experiences of Religious Freedom: Organisational Challenges in the United Kingdom (2026) by Dr. Mátyás Bόdi, a Research Fellow in Freedom of Religion or Belief at Regents Park College, University of Oxford, was launched on Thursday 5th November 2026 at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, in Shaftesbury Avenue, West End of Central London.
Among those invited to the book launch were Baroness Elizabeth Berridge, Member of the House of Lords; Dr. Helen Cameron, Director of Research at Regents Park College, University of Oxford; Dr Suzanne Newcombe, Honorary Director of Inform and Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at The Open University; and Dr. Brighton G. Kavaloh, South England Conference Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Coordinator.
The book, which is part of the book series: Boundaries of Religious Freedom: Regulating Religion in Diverse Societies, presents the results of a wide-ranging study on how religious and non-religious belief organisations in the United Kingdom address the challenges they face in relation to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). Among the 19 religious belief organisations which participated in the research was The Seventh-day Adventist Church. Interviewed by the book’s author (Dr. Bόdi) SEC Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Coordinator, Dr. Kavaloh, shared the challenges the organization faces in relation to FoRB. These included: Sabbath Observance Confronted by Workplace Demands, and Assisted Dying in Tension with Adventist Conviction, which was a shared tension among other participatory religious belief organisations too. Dr. Kavaloh also offered suggestions for policymakers which included: the need to Strengthen Policymakers’ Understanding of Human Rights and Religion, and to Move from Crisis-Driven Contact to Sustained Engagement.
At the close of the book launch, Dr. Bόdi was presented with a plaque by Dr. Kavaloh on behalf of the SEC Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department in recognition of the publication and launch of the book.
The book will be of particular interest to scholars of religion, law, and human rights as well as to public authorities and legislators, advocates, and representatives of belief organisations interested in evidence-based perspectives on how FoRB is lived and negotiated in contemporary Britain.
Lived Experiences of Religious Freedom: Organisational Challenges in the United Kingdom (2026) by Dr. Mátyás Bόdi is published by Springer and is available for purchase here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-032-14514-7
