The Sacred

Theos Think Tank

A podcast about our Sacred values and how we can talk to people who are different from ourselves.

Each episode features a conversation with someone who has a public voice, from academics to journalists, playwrights and politicians. We ask them where they have come from, what they are trying to do and what might help heal our very divided public conversations.

The Sacred is hosted by Elizabeth Oldfield and produced in partnership with Comment Magazine, and with support from The Jerusalem Trust and Open Society Foundation

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245 episodes
Updated Wednesday

Episodes245

Newest first

Sep 1, 2021 · 45 min
Tim Stanley on traditionalism, his journey to Catholicism and the role of a journalist
Tim is a journalist, historian and broadcaster specialising in US history, politics and religion. He is leader writer for the Daily Telegraph, and contributing editor at the Catholic Herald. His new book ‘Whatever Happened to Tradition?’ is out in October 2021: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/whatever-happened-to-tradition-9781472974129. In this episode he speaks about his Baptist, socialist and spiritualist childhood, his conversion from Marxist atheism to Catholicism at Cambridge, his vision for what conservatism offers society, and how he sees his role as a journalist. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @sacred_podcast
Aug 25, 2021 · 42 min
Arifa Akbar on freedom, the ethics of writing a memoir and what we can learn from the arts
Arifa is the chief theatre critic at The Guardian. She is a former contributor to The Observer and previously worked as the arts editor at Tortoise Media. She is also a trustee of the Orwell Foundation, and has been a judge for the UK Theatre Awards and the Women's Prize for Fiction among others. She is also author of ‘Consumed’ about the life and early death of her sister from tuberculosis. Arifa speaks about why choice and freedom are sacred to her, her spiritual encounters with Islam, the delicacy of telling other people’s stories and the power of the arts. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @sacred_podcast
Aug 18, 2021 · 43 min
Miriam Cates on conservatism, embracing complexity and the importance of family
Miriam has been Conservative MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge since 2019. She was born and brought up in Sheffield, studied genetics at Cambridge and taught science before having children. In this episode she speaks about her Christian faith, becoming a Conservative as an adult almost by accident, her unusual path to being elected as an MP and why she thinks we should talk more about family and parenthood. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @sacred_podcast
Aug 11, 2021 · 44 min
Mike McHargue on science, re-discovering God and disability in public life
Mike Mchargue, also known as ‘Science Mike’, is a podcaster of very long-standing. He was formerly co-host of 'The Liturgists' and host of ‘Ask Science Mike’ and he’s now host of 'The Cozy Robot Show'. He’s also the author of ‘Finding God in the Waves’ and more recently ‘You’re a Miracle and a Pain in the Ass’. He speaks about the process of losing his childhood faith and subsequently finding his way to contemplative Christianity via science and an ecstatic experience, his sacred value of equity, how we as humans tend to process trauma when we leave a tribe, and why he thinks it’s really important for him to publicly identify as disabled. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @sacred_podcast
Aug 4, 2021 · 42 min
Sohrab Ahmari on converting to Catholicism, political theology and freedom as surrender
Sohrab is an Iranian–American columnist, journalist, editor and author. He’s written or edited for the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and First Things among others. He was born in Tehran and emigrated to the US in his early teens, converting in 2016 to Catholicism, which he recounts in his book ‘From fire by water.’ His most recent book is ‘The Unbroken Thread: discovering the wisdom of tradition in an age of chaos.’ He speaks about his experiences as what he calls a radically assimilated immigrant in the US, the lasting impact of that childhood under a conservative Islamic regime, his time as a committed Marxist, his conversion to Catholicism, and why he thinks liberalism is failing us. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @sacred_podcast
Jul 28, 2021 · 1 min
New series coming soon
In this series we’ll be talking to Conservative MP Miriam Cates, journalist Sohrab Ahmari, ‘Science Mike’ Mike McHargue, writer Tim Stanley, theatre critic Arifa Akbar, loneliness expert Jillian Richardson and award-winning garden designer Sarah Eberle. Tune in and join us for the next series of The Sacred. Episodes out weekly from Wednesday 4th August.
May 19, 2021 · 44 min
Sam Byers on the role of a novel, freedom and why we need both compassion and anger
Sam is a novelist and author of ‘Idiopathy’, ‘Perfidious Albion’ and most recently ‘Come Join Our Disease’, which the Sunday Times has said confirms him as one of the most accomplished novelists of his generation. In this episode he speaks about his sense that novels should tackle big ideas, his discomfort with the idea of freedom and our society’s diminishing sense of compassion.
May 12, 2021 · 39 min
Chris French on skepticism and the psychology of paranormal beliefs
Chris is Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths University, a fellow at the British Psychological Society and a patron of Humanists UK. In this episode he speaks about what being a sceptic means to him, the difficulty of living out a fully materialist worldview, why even scientists have to take some things on faith and much more.
May 5, 2021 · 36 min
Grace Olmstead on rootedness, conservatism and what a consistent life ethic looks like
Grace is an American journalist. She has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the American Conservative among many others, and usually with a family or a farming focus. She has recently written a book called ‘Uprooted’ which explores the effects of the rural brain drain on farming communities, the huge ecological problems that global agri-business brings and questions in a very personal way whether our association of success with cosmopolitan mobility is problematic for our communities. In this episode she speaks about her personal wrestle with leaving her rural community, having a consistent pro-life ethic, and why she no longer feels at home in conservatism.
Apr 28, 2021 · 43 min
Guvna B on toxic masculinity and not fitting into boxes
Guvna B is a multi MOBO award-winning rapper, hip hop artist and author. He’s presented TV and radio documentaries for BBC, is a Sky Sports pundit and his most recent book is ‘Unspoken: Toxic Masculinity and How I Faced the Man Within the Man.’ In this episode he speaks about how his childhood as a first-generation immigrant on a council estate has shaped him, how he’s thought about his creativity and navigated different tribes with his music, how he needs space to process his emotions, the phrase ‘toxic masculinity’, and the conditions needed for young people to flourish.
Apr 21, 2021 · 46 min
Suzanne Moore on rebellion, the role of a journalist and why anger is a good thing
Suzanne is a journalist and columnist who for many years was at The Guardian, but has also written for the Mail on Sunday, Marxism Today and now writes for The Telegraph. In this episode she speaks about her rebellious youth, her atheism, how she understands the role of a journalist and briefly about her departure from The Guardian last year.
Apr 14, 2021 · 45 min
Rachel Mann on the goodness of bodies, poetry and challenging assumptions about identity
Rachel is a poet and a priest in the Church of England. She lectured in philosophy before being ordained and has a PhD in 19th century women’s poetry and the Bible. Her most recent books include full length poetry collection ‘A Kingdom of Love’, ‘Dazzling Darkness’ and ‘Fierce Imaginings’. In this episode she speaks about her conversion in her 20s, how that connected with her identity as a trans woman, her calling to the priesthood and why she thinks poetry can really help us understand what’s sacred.
Apr 7, 2021 · 42 min
Dina Nayeri on the experience of refugees and the nature of storytelling
Dina is a novelist and also the author of the non-fiction book ‘The Ungrateful Refugee’. In this episode, she speaks about her childhood in war-torn Iran, refugee hostels in Rome and eventually in Oklahoma, why many refugees feel the need to show why they were a good investment, the nature of storytelling and more.
Mar 31, 2021 · 38 min
Omid Djalili on his Baha’i faith, racism and serving humanity through comedy
Omid is a stand up comedian, actor, producer and writer. He grew up in Kensington with his Iranian Bahai family. He has appeared in Mamma Mia 2, Snatch, His Dark Materials and The Infidel among many other films, and he currently hosts the quiz show The Winning Combination on ITV2. In this episode he speaks about the impact of the Iranian revolution on his teenage faith, seeing comedy as a vocation that brings joy, and his experiences of dealing with racism.
Mar 25, 2021 · 3 min
The Sacred re-launch announcement
Our sabbatical has lasted a little longer than expected, but we are so excited to be back very soon with some brand new episodes for you. We will be celebrating our return with an event to premiere our first-ever Sacred short 'My Dream, My Taste', a 3-minute animated film featuring a clip from episode 50 with Miroslav Volf. The event on 29th March will feature a screening of the film followed by a conversation about what it means to live a good life with Miroslav himself, Julian Baggini and Sarah Stein Lubrano. You can find out more and register for your free ticket here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/my-dream-my-taste-what-does-it-mean-to-live-a-good-life-tickets-142089895703
Dec 16, 2020 · 3 min
The Sacred is taking a sabbatical
To everything there is a season and The Sacred needs a season change. The podcast is not ending but it is pausing so that we can reflect and refresh, and pop up again with new life and energy. We expect to be back in February 2021, please keep an eye on our social channels for updates (@sacred_podcast). Meanwhile, we would love to hear from you. We have created a questionnaire https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/JFLSFLS that will take just a few minutes to fill in where you can give us feedback about the show and take part in our reflection process. We’d also love a smaller group of listeners to gather for a virtual focus group where we can really discuss how the podcast can be most fruitful in its second season. If you would be up for giving up an hour or so to sit down with the team, please indicate that on your questionnaire and we may well be in touch.
Dec 2, 2020 · 48 min
#79 Rachel Clarke
Rachel is a doctor with a specialism in palliative care. Before going to medical school, she was a television journalist and documentary maker. She is the author of Sunday Times bestselling books ‘Your life in my hands’ and ‘Dear Life’, which is about her experiences working in a hospice. Her next book ‘Breathtaking’, about her experience on hospital COVID–19 wards, will be out next year. In this episode she speaks about unsuccessful attempts to become a Christian, her deep faith in humanity, feeling like a fraud as a journalist, and why we should all have more conversations about death.
Nov 18, 2020 · 30 min
#78 Krithika Varagur
Krithika is a columnist at the Wall Street Journal in New York and a former foreign correspondent based in Indonesia. She is a National Geographic Explorer and her first book ‘The Call: Inside the Global Saudi Religious Project’ was launched in April. In this episode she speaks about growing up in a Hindu home, being humble and doing your research on covering religion, and why it’s vital that journalists take faith seriously.
Nov 4, 2020 · 41 min
#77 Helen Lewis
Helen Lewis is a journalist, staff writer at The Atlantic and former deputy editor at The New Statesman. She is the author of ‘Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights’. In this episode she speaks about feminism, her parents Catholicism, navigating online backlash, and why she looks forward to the day when British media is more representative.
Oct 21, 2020 · 43 min
#76 Jules Evans
Jules is a writer, speaker and practical philosopher. He’s a research fellow at the Centre for the History of Emotions, Queen Mary University of London. He’s also the founder of the London Philosophy Club and co-founder of the first Stoicon, festival of Stoicism. He’s also the author of ‘Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations’, ‘The Art of Losing Control’, ‘Holiday from the Self’ and most recently ‘Breaking Open: finding a way through spiritual emergency.’ In this episode he talks about his boarding school hedonism, near-death experiences, foray into charismatic Christianity and why he thinks our society needs more space for ecstatic experiences.