The Re-Enchanting podcast from Seen & Unseen speaks to guests seeking to re-enchant our secular world with the Christian vision of reality. 

Co-hosts Belle Tindall and Justin Brierley will be joined by Bishop Graham Tomlin in a live audience edition of the podcast. Together they’ll explore why a ’surprising rebirth’ of belief in God seems to be underway in the West and how the church can engage those coming through its doors once again. If you found this conversation interesting, Seen & Unseen, the creators of Re-Enchanting, offers thousands of articles exploring how the Christian faith helps us understand the modern world.

Discover more here: www.seenandunseen.com  

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Recorded live at Bradford Literature Festival, Belle Tindall brings together three of the most influential voices of the moment: Chine McDonald, Lamorna Ash and Francis Spufford. Together, they speak about what belief is, what it isn't, and how people are navigating our 'age of crisis'.

Not only is this our first ever live recording, it's truly a conversation not to be missed. 

If you found this conversation interesting, Seen & Unseen, the creators of Re-Enchanting, offers thousands of articles exploring how the Christian faith helps us understand the modern world. Discover more here: www.seenandunseen.com   

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bear Grylls is an adventurer and survival expert who has become known to millions through his TV shows, documentaries and writing. His most recent book is ’The Greatest Story Every Told’, an account of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus told through the eyes of 5 eyewitnesses. 

Justin and Belle talk to Bear about his own life and faith journey and the inspiration behind his new project as they re-enchant… the story of Jesus.

For 'The Greatest Story Ever Told': https://greateststoryevertoldbook.com/ 

For Seen & Unseen: https://www.seenandunseen.com/ 

If you found this conversation interesting, Seen & Unseen, the creators of Re-Enchanting, offers thousands of articles exploring how the Christian faith helps us understand the modern world. Discover more here: www.seenandunseen.com   

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ross Douthat is a columnist for the New York Times and the author of 'Believe: Why everyone should be religious'. He joins Belle and Justin to talk about why religion is good for us, and to give some pointers for how the average agnostic may be able to find their way to faith.

For Ross Douthat: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Believe-Why-Everyone-Should-Religious/dp/0310367581

For Seen And Unseen: https://www.seenandunseen.com/ 

If you found this conversation interesting, Seen & Unseen, the creators of Re-Enchanting, offers thousands of articles exploring how the Christian faith helps us understand the modern world. Discover more here: www.seenandunseen.com   

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donna Freitas is a scholar, teacher, writer, and author of fiction and non-fiction for both adults and teenagers. Her most recent book ‘Wishful Thinking: How I lost my faith and why I want to find it’ is a spiritual memoir of her Catholic upbringing and adult search for God.

Justin and Belle talk to Donna about losing and seeking faith

Donna Freitas: https://www.donnafreitas.com/wishful-thinking/

Seen & Unseen: https://www.seenandunseen.com/

If you found this conversation interesting, Seen & Unseen, the creators of Re-Enchanting, offers thousands of articles exploring how the Christian faith helps us understand the modern world. Discover more here: www.seenandunseen.com   

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nadim Ednan-Laperouse OBE is founder and trustee (along with his wife, Tanya) of The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation – which was established in the name of Nadim and Tanya’s daughter, Natasha, who died as a result of an allergic reaction to a baguette which did not have the correct information on its packaging.

The story of Natasha’s death captured the attention of the nation and is still inspiring invaluable research and change, Nadim talks to Justin and Belle about Natasha, grief, hope, and the extraordinary spiritual experience that accompanied his daughter's final hours.

Nadim Ednan-Laperouse: https://www.narf.org.uk/senior-team

Seen & Unseen: https://www.seenandunseen.com/

If you found this conversation interesting, Seen & Unseen, the creators of Re-Enchanting, offers thousands of articles exploring how the Christian faith helps us understand the modern world. Discover more here: www.seenandunseen.com   

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Graham Tomlin is the Director of the Centre For Cultural Witness, and Editor in Chief of Seen and Unseen. As the former bishop of Kensington he has been involved in theological education and cultural engagement for several years. His latest book is ‘Blaise Pascal: The man who made the modern world’.

Justin, Belle and Graham explore the life and legacy of Pascal, a polymath who, in a relatively short lifetime, made huge contributions not only to science, mathematics, technology and culture but also offered arguments for Christianity that are still widely discussed today. 

Blaise Pascal book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blaise-Pascal-Made-Modern-World/dp/1399807641 

Seen & Unseen: https://www.seenandunseen.com/contributors/graham-tomlin 

If you found this conversation interesting, Seen & Unseen, the creators of Re-Enchanting, offers thousands of articles exploring how the Christian faith helps us understand the modern world. Discover more here: www.seenandunseen.com. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you found this conversation interesting, Seen & Unseen, the creators of Re-Enchanting, offers thousands of articles exploring how the Christian faith helps us understand the modern world. Discover more here: www.seenandunseen.com. Lamorna Ash is an award-winning writer and journalist, she’s the author of Dark, Salt, Clear: Life in a Cornish Fishing Town and the brand new Don’t Forget We’re Here Forever: A New Generation’s Search for Religion, both of which have caught a huge amount of attention. 

Lamorna tells Belle and Justin about her tour of the UK - why her curiosity caused her to drive the length and bredth of the country, seeking out young adults who have converted to Christianity - and whether, by the end of it, she could count herself as one of them. 

For Lamorna's book: https://www.waterstones.com/book/dont-forget-were-here-forever/lamorna-ash/9781526663146

For Re-Enchanting: https://www.seenandunseen.com/podcast

There’s more to life than the world we can see. Re-Enchanting is a podcast from Seen & Unseen recorded at Lambeth Palace Library, the home of the Centre for Cultural Witness. Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall engage faith and spirituality with leading figures in science, history, politics, art and education. Can our culture be re-enchanted by the vision of Christianity?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you found this conversation interesting, Seen & Unseen, the creators of Re-Enchanting, offers thousands of articles exploring how the Christian faith helps us understand the modern world. Discover more here: www.seenandunseen.com  Alex Evans is the founder and Executive Director of Larger Us - a community of change-makers seeking to bridge divides and bring people together. Alex has previously worked as a think tank researcher, as a special adviser to two cabinet ministers, in the UN Secretary-General’s office and as a consultant for organisations from Oxfam to the US National Intelligence Council.

It’s given Alex a perspective on just how bad things can be in the world. Many have described our era as a ‘polycrisis’ or ‘permacrisis', as climate change, war, technology, immigration and the rise of extremism threaten to destabilise the world.

So how do we deal with 24 hour doom-scrolling? And how can Christian faith speak to a world where everything seems to be falling apart?

Last year Alex began a Substack titled ’The Good Apocalypse Guide’ about how we can survive and thrive to unlock a 'breakthrough' rather than 'breakdown' future.

Alex joins Belle and Justin as they attempt to re-enchant… the end of the world.

For Alex Evans: https://goodapocalypse.substack.com/ 

For Re-Enchanting: https://www.seenandunseen.com/podcast 

There’s more to life than the world we can see. Re-Enchanting is a podcast from Seen & Unseen recorded at Lambeth Palace Library, the home of the Centre for Cultural Witness. Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall engage faith and spirituality with leading figures in science, history, politics, art and education. Can our culture be re-enchanted by the vision of Christianity?If you found this conversation interesting, Seen & Unseen, the creators of Re-Enchanting, offers thousands of articles exploring how the Christian faith helps us understand the modern world. Discover more here: www.seenandunseen.com   

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you found this conversation interesting, Seen & Unseen, the creators of Re-Enchanting, offers thousands of articles exploring how the Christian faith helps us understand the modern world. Discover more here: www.seenandunseen.com.

Chine McDonald is the Director of Theos, the religion and society think tank. She is also a regular contributor to TV and radio programmes and author of ‘God Is Not a White Man: and Other Revelations’ and the brand new ‘Unmaking Mary: Shattering the Myth of Perfect Motherhood’. 

She is also our first ever returning guest on Re-Enchanting!

In this episode, Chine talks to Justin and Belle about the myths she has endeavoured to shatter around motherhood, whether or not the task of mothering can be subcontracted out to machines and how God is as much a mother as he is a father. 

For more from Chine: https://www.chinemcdonald.com/

For Theos Think Tank: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/

For Re-Enchanting: https://www.seenandunseen.com/podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Esther Maria Magnis is a German writer whose book ‘With or Without Me’ is a memoir of her journey with faith and the perception of reality.

With unflinching honesty Esther takes us through her childhood and adolescence as she, along with her brother and sister, deals with the grief of her father’s cancer diagnosis, her prayers, and her journey through the loss of faith, into materialism, self-deconstruction and finally the turn back to the idea of God.

Justin and Belle talk to Esther about her raw account of coming to terms with faith through the beauty of life, the ugliness of death, and even the apparent silence of God.

For Esther Maria Magnis: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Without-Conversion-Esther-Maria-Magnis/dp/163608026X

For Re-Enchanting: https://www.seenandunseen.com/podcast

There’s more to life than the world we can see. Re-Enchanting is a podcast from Seen & Unseen recorded at Lambeth Palace Library, the home of the Centre for Cultural Witness. Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall engage faith and spirituality with leading figures in science, history, politics, art and education. Can our culture be re-enchanted by the vision of Christianity?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you found this conversation interesting, Seen & Unseen, the creators of Re-Enchanting, offers thousands of articles exploring how the Christian faith helps us understand the modern world. Discover more here: www.seenandunseen.com                                                                                                          

Tyler Staton is the Lead Pastor of Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon and the head of Prayer 24/7, USA. He's also the author of three best-selling books: Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools, Searching for Enough, and The Familiar Stranger.

In this episode of Re-Enchanting, Belle talks with Tyler about Christianity as a source of experiential spirituality, our lives being 'the main event' and the mystery of the Holy Spirit.  

For more from Tyler: https://www.tylerstaton.com/

For Re-Enchanting: https://www.seenandunseen.com/podcast

There’s more to life than the world we can see. Re-Enchanting is a podcast from Seen & Unseen recorded at Lambeth Palace Library, the home of the Centre for Cultural Witness. Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall engage faith and spirituality with leading figures in science, history, politics, art and education. Can our culture be re-enchanted by the vision of Christianity?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr John Mark Reynolds is the president of the Constantine Schools and College in Texas and the author of numerous books including 'When Athens Met Jerusalem: an Introduction to Classical and Christian Thought'. 

He is a frequent blogger and lecturer on a wide range of topics including ancient philosophy, classical and home education, politics, faith, and virtue.

John Mark was involved in recent research that made global headlines, showing a huge upswing in the numbers of young men entering the Eastern Orthodox Church - precisely the demographic most absent in many churches.

Belle Tindall and Justin Brierley ask John Mark: What is it about this ancient church stream that has re-enchanted these young converts?

John Mark Reynolds: https://www.saintconstantinecollege.org/about/welcome-from-the-president

For Re-Enchanting: https://www.seenandunseen.com/podcast

There’s more to life than the world we can see. Re-Enchanting is a podcast from Seen & Unseen recorded at Lambeth Palace Library, the home of the Centre for Cultural Witness. Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall engage faith and spirituality with leading figures in science, history, politics, art and education. Can our culture be re-enchanted by the vision of Christianity?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Kate Flaherty is Senior Lecturer in English and Drama at the Australian National University. She researches how Shakespeare’s works play on the stage of public culture. Her insights have been published in Contemporary Theatre Review, New Theatre Quarterly, Australian Studies and Shakespeare Survey. She is also the author of the book ‘Ours as we play it: Australia Plays Shakespeare’ and of the latest volume of the ‘ Cambridge Elements’ series - 'Ellen Terry, Shakespeare and Suffrage in Australia and New Zealand'.

So today Justin and Belle are going to be speaking with Kate about how enchantment shows up in the iconic works of Shakespeare. 

Kate Flaherty: https://researchportalplus.anu.edu.au/en/persons/kate-flaherty

For Re-Enchanting: https://www.seenandunseen.com/podcast

There’s more to life than the world we can see. Re-Enchanting is a podcast from Seen & Unseen recorded at Lambeth Palace Library, the home of the Centre for Cultural Witness. Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall engage faith and spirituality with leading figures in science, history, politics, art and education. Can our culture be re-enchanted by the vision of Christianity?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Revd Professor Andrew Davison is Regius Professor of Divinity at The University of Oxford.

Andrew has both a scientific and theological background and has frequently worked on the intersection of science and faith, as well as writing on ‘participation’ and the ’sacramental theology' of blessing in books such as ‘Participation In God’ and ‘Blessing’.

Andrew says we need to rethink separating things into the categories of ‘natural' and ‘supernatural’ - enchantment is part and parcel of the way the world is and the way we engage it.

So today Justin and Belle are going to attempt to to re-enchant… reality. 

Andrew Davison: https://www.theology.ox.ac.uk/people/revd-prof-andrew-davison

For Re-Enchanting: https://www.seenandunseen.com/podcast

There’s more to life than the world we can see. Re-Enchanting is a podcast from Seen & Unseen recorded at Lambeth Palace Library, the home of the Centre for Cultural Witness. Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall engage faith and spirituality with leading figures in science, history, politics, art and education. Can our culture be re-enchanted by the vision of Christianity?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jo Swinney is director of communications for the Christian environmental conservation charity A Rocha International. 

Jo's parents Miranda and Peter Harris were the founders of A Rocha. Miranda's tragic death in 2019 was a shock to all those who knew her. Jo’s book ‘A Place At The Table: Faith, hope and hospitality’ pairs her own words with writings she discovered of her mother’s to celebrate her life and to explore how sharing food is at the heart of a shared life.

Justin and Belle hear about the events the led up to Jo writing the book and how we can re-enchant the gift of hospitality in an increasingly lonely world.

Jo Swinney: https://arocha.org/product/a-place-at-the-table-faith-hope-and-hospitality/

For Re-Enchanting: https://www.seenandunseen.com/podcast

There’s more to life than the world we can see. Re-Enchanting is a podcast from Seen & Unseen recorded at Lambeth Palace Library, the home of the Centre for Cultural Witness. Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall engage faith and spirituality with leading figures in science, history, politics, art and education. Can our culture be re-enchanted by the vision of Christianity?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg is rabbi of New North London Synagogue and Senior Rabbi of Masorti Judaism, here in the UK. He’s also the author of numerous books, including ‘Walking with the Light: from Frankfurt to Finchley’, ‘Things My Dog has Taught Me: about being a better human’ and his latest – ‘Listening for God in Torah and Creation’

Justin and Belle speak with Jonathan about the workings of Jewish scripture, the nature of awe, wonder, and sensitivity and our reposnibility for the care of the natural world. 

For more from Rabbi Jonathan: https://jonathanwittenberg.org/

For Re-Enchanting: https://www.seenandunseen.com/podcast

There’s more to life than the world we can see. Re-Enchanting is a podcast from Seen & Unseen recorded at Lambeth Palace Library, the home of the Centre for Cultural Witness. Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall engage faith and spirituality with leading figures in science, history, politics, art and education. Can our culture be re-enchanted by the vision of Christianity?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Lady Sue Black is one of the world’s leading forensic scientists. Police forces, the Foreign Office and the UN have called upon her evidence in countless high-profile investigations. She is currently President of St. John’s College, Oxford, and in 2021 entered the House of Lords as a cross-bench peer. 

She has penned numerous books, including the Saltire Prize winning ‘All That Remains: A Life in Death’ and her latest book, ‘Written in Bone: hidden stories in what we leave behind’. In 2024, Professor Lady Black was also appointed to the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle – the highest honour in Scotland. 

In this episode of Re-Enchanting, Justin and Belle speak to Sue about her first time working on a dead body, the stories that our bodies tell after death, her work in the wake of the Kosovo war and the 2004 tsunami, and - ultimately - how our reluctance to look death in the eye is profoundly hurting us. 

There’s more to life than the world we can see. Re-Enchanting is a podcast from Seen & Unseen recorded at Lambeth Palace Library, the home of the Centre for Cultural Witness. Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall engage faith and spirituality with leading figures in science, history, politics, art and education. Can our culture be re-enchanted by the vision of Christianity?

For Re-Enchanting: https://www.seenandunseen.com/podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rupert Shortt is an author and research associate at the Von Hugel Institute, University Of Cambridge and a former Religion Editor for the Times Literary Supplement. 

His latest book ’The Eclipse of Christianity… and why it matters’ has been praised by Tom Holland as ‘ A brilliant survey of Christianity’s decline in Britain- how it happened and why it matters, by one of our most learned and stimulating apologists’. 

Belle and Justin talk with Rupert about why mainstream churches are in decline across the West and why Europe’s historic faith remains critical to the survival of humane culture.

Rupert Shortt: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/rupert-shortt/the-eclipse-of-christianity/9781399802765/

For Re-Enchanting: https://www.seenandunseen.com/podcast

There’s more to life than the world we can see. Re-Enchanting is a podcast from Seen & Unseen recorded at Lambeth Palace Library, the home of the Centre for Cultural Witness. Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall engage faith and spirituality with leading figures in science, history, politics, art and education. Can our culture be re-enchanted by the vision of Christianity?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rev Les Isaac OBE is founder of Ascension Trust. 

Les came to national attention in 2022 when his message about integrity and the common good at the Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast set in motion a chain of events that led to the resignation of Boris Johnson in the following days. 

Les is best known as the pioneer of the Street Pastors movement. Every weekend Street Pastors provide care and support to late night clubbers in nearly 250 cities and towns across the UK, a story Les tells in his book ‘Faith On The Streets’.

Les joins Justin and Belle to talk about re-enchanting the pubs, clubs and streets of our cities.

Les Isaac: https://www.streetpastors.org/

For Re-Enchanting: https://www.seenandunseen.com/podcast

There’s more to life than the world we can see. Re-Enchanting is a podcast from Seen & Unseen recorded at Lambeth Palace Library, the home of the Centre for Cultural Witness. Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall engage faith and spirituality with leading figures in science, history, politics, art and education. Can our culture be re-enchanted by the vision of Christianity?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.