Podcast Episodes

Which are the 'Twelve Churches' that made Christianity?

What links the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and St Peter's in Rome, with the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and Canaanland in Ota, Nigeria? These are just some of the churc…

Published on 11 hours ago

From the Bible to Tolkien: the risks & rewards of collecting rare books

The Bible is widely said to be the most published book of all time. Despite this, many older versions of the Bible are still sought after. This is because, as Tom Ayling tells Damian Thompson on this…

Published on 1 week, 6 days ago

How has John Henry Newman inspired Pope Leo XIV?

St John Henry Newman (1801-90) is perhaps the most influential theologian in the history of English Christianity. Yet, as Damian Thompson discusses with Fr Rod Strange – one of the world’s leading au…

Published on 2 weeks, 6 days ago

Massacres in Syria & the Congo: why aren't Western elites drawing attention to religious persecution?

After the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, many people voiced fears that the religious minorities in the country could face increased persecution. This could be at the hands of the new government’s…

Published on 4 weeks ago

Recovering the Sacred with Michael Gove, Revd Marcus Walker, Dr Cosima Gillhammer and many more

Last week The Spectator held a live event entitled ‘Recovering the Sacred’ in the glorious surroundings of St Bartholomew the Great, the oldest parish church in the City of London.

The speakers includ…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

It’s time for Pope Leo XIV to make some tough decisions

Nearly everyone loves Robert Prevost, the unassuming baseball fan from Chicago who unexpectedly became Pope Leo XIV this year. But as he prepares to spend his summer in Castel Gandolfo he has some di…

Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago

Why are young Christians returning to tradition?

Today’s Holy Smoke is a curtain-raiser for ‘Recovering the Sacred’, a Spectator event at St Bartholow-the-Great in the City of London in which a panel of experts will explore the rediscovery of tradi…

Published on 2 months, 1 week ago

A Jewish guide to arguing

Daniel Taub, former Israeli Ambassador to the UK, joins Damian Thompson to talk about his new book Beyond Dispute: Rediscovering the Jewish art of constructive disagreement. In a fast-moving intervie…

Published on 2 months, 2 weeks ago

Is God an Englishman?

Bijan Omrani joins Damian Thompson to talk about his new book God is an Englishman: Christianity and the Creation of England. They discuss the spiritual and cultural debt the country owes to Christia…

Published on 2 months, 3 weeks ago

The mystifying process – and problems – behind choosing the next Archbishop of Canterbury

After Pope Francis died, it took the Roman Catholic Church just 17 days to choose a successor in Pope Leo XIV. It has been well over 6 months since Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned and …

Published on 3 months ago