Classic: Paul Kingsnorth's Journey to Orthodox Christianity - The Big Conversation with Rowan Williams and Paul Kingsnorth
From the archives of The Big Conversation (Season 4, Episode 2), the acclaimed spin-off series from the Unbelievable? podcast, we're revisiting a powerful episode featuring celebrated author Paul Kingsnorth, who shares the remarkable story of his adult conversion to Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
We've just recorded a brand new Unbelievable? show with Paul, so this classic episode is the perfect way to familiarise yourself with his spiritual journey and key ideas. And don’t miss his upcoming book, Against the Machine, releasing this September – pre-order it here
In this conversation, Paul is joined by Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, as they explore the deep spiritual hunger beneath our secular age and whether ancient expressions of Christianity might hold the answers today's culture is seeking.
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God, AI and the search for meaning: John Lennox vs John Vervaeke hosted by Roger Bolton
What does it mean to be truly human in an age of artificial intelligence, declining religious belief, and rising spiritual hunger?
Oxford mathematician and Christian apologist Professor John Lennox and cognitive scientist Dr John Vervaeke of the University of Toronto explore whether AI threatens or reveals our uniqueness, if meaning can exist without God, and whether spiritual transformation is possible in a post-religious age.
Along the way, they challenge one another on the Logos, consciousness, and the enduring power of the Book of Revelation. Lennox draws from his new book, God, AI and the End of History, to argue for a Christian vision of wisdom and hope.
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Classic:Â Where Is God in Natural Disasters? Reflections from Haiti to Texas
In the wake of the catastrophic and deadly 2025 floods in Texas, that caused widespread devastation, fresh questions are being asked about divine justice and human suffering. This classic episode of the Unbelievable? podcast from 2010 grapples with the topic of natural disaster in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, which claimed over 150,000 lives. The discussion brings together Roger Forster of the Ichthus Christian Fellowship, atheist Gordon Livesey, and philosophy student Nick Peters to explore the theological, philosophical, and emotional dimensions of suffering and natural disasters. While Forster and Peters suggest that suffering may have a place within God's greater plan, Livesey challenges the coherence of belief in a loving, omnipotent God in light of such tragedy. The conversation remains strikingly relevant today, as communities continue to wrestle with the meaning of good and evil in a broken world.
00:00Â Introduction and Overview
00:09Â The Haiti Earthquake: Facts and Figures
00:41Â Panel Introduction and Initial Reactions
00:53Â The Problem of Evil and Suffering
02:52Â Personal Stories and Perspectives
04:38Â Atheist Perspective on Suffering
09:10Â Philosophical and Theological Debates
10:41Â Listener Reactions and Further Discussion
13:43Â God's Role in Human Suffering
17:25Â Debating God's Omnipotence and Love
24:52Â Summarizing Arguments and Next Steps
31:21Â The Problem of Evil and Natural Disasters
31:55Â Human Responsibility and the Role of God
33:55Â Nancy's Perspective on God's Power
35:35Â Gordon's Skepticism and Human Limitations
37:43Â Roger's Explanation of Human History and Divine Purpose
43:25Â Debating the Nature of Good and Evil
50:14Â Final Thoughts and Reflections
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Is Empathy a Sin? Can caring too much ever become morally wrong? Dr. Joe Rigney and Dr. Alastair Roberts
Joe Rigney calls empathy a sin. Alastair Roberts says not so fast. Who’s right?
Today, we explore a question at the heart of pastoral care, public witness, and Christian leadership: Is empathy a virtue to be cultivated or a vice to be resisted?Â
Professor Joe Rigney and Dr Alastair Roberts joined Andy Kind. Joe is the author of The Sin of Empathy, a provocative work that argues that when empathy becomes "untethered" from truth, it ceases to be a virtue and can even become sinful. Alastair, a fellow theologian, has written a substantial critique, arguing that Joe's language has muddied important distinctions and potentially misrepresents a vital Christian posture. This conversation is not about labels, but substance - and we'll explore everything from scriptural foundations to gender roles, pastoral ethics, and theological nuance. Can caring too much ever become morally wrong?
Dr Joe Rigney serves as Fellow of Theology at New Saint Andrews College and is the author of several books, including Things of Earth and Strangely Bright. Joe Rigney, Dr. Joe Rigney, author of The Sin of Empathy.
Joe on X: Â @joe_rigney
Dr Alastair Roberts is a Teaching Fellow of The Theopolis Institute and professor for Davenant Hall, and one of the hosts of the Mere Fidelity podcast. He is a co-author of Echoes of Exodus: Tracing Themes of Redemption Through Scripture (2018).
Alistair's substack: https://argosy.substack.com/.
Alistair on X: @zugzwanged
oon Radiopaper: https://radiopaper.com/AlastairRoberts
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Classic: Can Humanism Exist Independently of Christian Influence? Theo Hobson & Andrew Copson
Justin Brierley moderates a thought-provoking discussion between Theo Hobson, author of 'God Created Humanism,' and Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of the British Humanist Association. The conversation examines whether humanist values of equality and human dignity are rooted in Christianity's shaping of Western culture or can develop independently from a secular perspective. What are the origins of secular humanism? And what is the sustainability of humanist values without religious foundations? This dialogue from 2017 explores the historical and philosophical underpinnings of modern humanism.
For more of Theo Hobson and his book
https://theohobson.wordpress.com/
Andrew Copson’s book is The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of
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