Seen & Unseen | Seen & Unseen

Two men in seats adress a pyjamap-clad Ronald Regan.

Life is messy, take part

James Baker's political vocation sheds light on why character counts in this...

Those unexpected angel stories

Shedding a strange light on a disenchanted world.

Théoden and breaking the spell

Bernard Hill’s most famous role sheds light on where humanity needs to be.

Matthew Krishanu: painting childhood

Portraying family, memories and counterpoints.

The Merc, the monks, and the pursuit of excellence

Exploring the roots of the work ethic.

Joshua Luke Smith: re-enchanting... the life we have

Joshua talks with Belle and Justin about creativity and the music industry.

Blackpool: how to make somewhere home

From tents to a town-wide regeneration, Blackpool’s hopeful placemaking.

What makes a journey a pilgrimage?

Travel may broaden the mind, but pilgrimage can nourish a soul.

Seen & Unseen Aloud: new episode

Zeal, reform, and weaponised words.

Reform votes: what really matters in the end

Two votes, three decades apart.

Recently popular

Review

Culture

Music

Recent reviews

Essay

A bloody and shocked boxed leans on the ropes

Scorsese’s fusion

The director's whole canon is infused with religion.

The Zone of Interest’s peripheral vision of evil

Director Jonathan Glazer bests Spielberg thanks to a quality of attention.

Théoden and breaking the spell

Bernard Hill’s most famous role sheds light on where humanity needs to be.

Matthew Krishanu: painting childhood

Portraying family, memories and counterpoints.

Adapting Doctor Who: it's time for change

The fan debate on associating disability with evil lacks nuance.

How to react in an era of social media outrage

Media executions and the quality of mercy.

Blake, imagination and the insight of God

A new exhibition focuses on seekers of spiritual regeneration and national...

Cutting America to the bone

Civil War warns against worshipping civic and political violence.

Beyoncé’s breaking barriers

Cowboy Carter sees the star crack her whip in the temple of the music...

How to look at our world: Aaron Rosen interview

In a visual culture how we gaze becomes more important.

America today

Essay

What would Bonhoeffer make of the rogue creed?

Politics

A red baseball cap, with Make America Great Again written across it, sits on an open bible.

MAGA’s sorting of America

Jared Stacy

Is reconciliation possible in America’s culture wars?

Miroslav Volf

Understanding a strange kingdom of anxiety and belligerence.

America's mood check: Matt McDonald interview

Dilemma, apathy, and what we get wrong about politics and religion.

Why religious liberty? Love, actually

Nathan S. Chapman

Claims for religious freedom can be controversial. Nathan Chapman weighs up approaches to accommodating them, not just legally but in the light of love.

Remembering well: journeying through America’s memorials

Ian Hamlin

Ian Hamlin recalls the Civil Rights landmarks and memorials, as he continues his journey in the footsteps of his hero Martin Luther King.

Disney at 100: The Magic Kingdom's simulation of modern life

Jared Stacy

Disney is more than a mouse and entertainment. Theologian Jared Stacy dissects how the Liturgy of Disney reflects modern America in all its contradictions.

Christian Nationalism: an uncontrollable ideological fusion

Jared Stacy

In America, Cross, Flag, and Nation have become fused into a single, toxic entity. Jared Stacy dissects the increasingly influential ideology of Christian Nationalism.

What do we want from our stories?

James K.A. Smith

New film release American Fiction satirises storytelling and the expectations placed on authors. Jamie Smith records his reactions to watching the movie.

Politics

Stephen Timms: still on mission

Robert Wright

The MP on five decades trying to prove a Christian Tory wrong.

"Nobody is neutral": Kate Forbes on her Christian faith and political future

Robert Wright

Politician Kate Forbes knows how it feels when public life misunderstands a faith-led life. Robert Wright interviews her as she reflects on that experience and what next.

Why we need a gentle radical revolution

Danny Kruger

Our social arrangement needs to prioritise human relationships, argues MP Danny Kruger.

12 January 2024

By Graham Tomlin

Explainer

Middle East

A blue and gold domed mosque sits surrounded by old stone buildings of a city.

A history of Israel and Palestine – 4,000 years of history in 2,500 words

The land at the heart of the Middle Eastern crisis is at the centre of world attention again. For those whose grasp on the history behind the situation is hazy, Graham Tomlin offers a brief survey.

The Rest is Luther

Did 'The Rest is History' get Luther right? Graham Tomlin gives his verdict

Killing Joy: VAR's search for objectivity is flawed

Why this Man United fan wishes his team had lost.

The moral machine: algorithms that give a window into the soul

In TikTok’s algorithm Graham Tomlin saw something that got him thinking. Could it lead to moral health rather than harm?

Prince William's doubt is normal - it's impossible to be certain whether there is a God

Our limited human understanding means we will never fully understand God in this life, writes Graham Tomlin.

What the Gaza conflict and the asylum seeker row have in common

Iran’s persecution drives its Christians here. This is their story.

God in the garbage: Egypt's unlikely megachurch

Cairo's Church of the Zabballeen is the largest Church, and one of the most unusual in the Middle East. Graham Tomlin tells its story and that of the remarkable priest who inspired it.

The Church and the State need to disagree on asylum seekers

Politicians don’t always get how church and state relate, but both have a vital and different role to play when it comes to immigration. Graham Tomlin explores the age-old tensions between clerics and politicians

08 February 2024

6 min read

Podcasts

Podcast

A casually dressed man perches on railing balancing, clasping his hands and looking around.

Seen & Unseen Aloud: Easter

The big questions of our experience. Is temperance vital? What's more real...

Lisa Fields: re-enchanting black voices

Belle and Justin talk to Lisa about unique challenges that people of colour...

Joshua Luke Smith: re-enchanting... the life we have

Joshua talks with Belle and Justin about creativity and the music industry.

Seen & Unseen Aloud: new episode

Zeal, reform, and weaponised words.

Seen & Unseen Aloud: new episode

Angels, anxiety, and what Taylor Swift says about Romanticism.

Seen & Unseen Aloud: new episode

Bullies in politics, marriage as martyrdom, and VAR stealing the joy.

Seen & Unseen Aloud: new episode

Security over performance, love over lovelessness, and a little on Luther.

Seen & Unseen Aloud: new episode

The spiritual Scorsese, Beyoncé's country fight, and sharing discomfort.

Seen & Unseen Aloud: new episode

This week: the creativity of writers Jane Austen and poet Theresa Lola; and...

Seen & Unseen Aloud: new episode

This week: lost fun, lament, and distraction.

Natalie Garrett

Podcasts

1 min read

Sport culture

We mistake the nature of work and our purpose within it.

A professional footballer wearign a red top stands proudly beneath a white and black banner.

Idols or idiots? Why sporting stars cannot bear the weight we place on them

Why it’s wise to know their place, and ours, in the universe.

Even the best have their limits: Jürgen Klopp’s lessons for life

A famed football manager’s resignation tells us a lot about human nature...

Whither work?

Work isn’t working, it’s killing us

Cameron Wiltshire-Plant

How to be (un)successful

Pete Portal

Could busyness really be the counterfeit of significance?

Can the economy work for the common good?

Laurence Fletcher

Adrian Pabst on the economic framework that is universal yet particular about people.

16 April 2024

Israel-Hamas War

Interview

Change

Middle East

Medical staff stand beside a bed in which a man lies with an amputated leg.

Eye witness: life and death in Gaza’s European Hospital

Returning plastic surgeon Tim Goodacre reports on the struggles, the despair and the dignity of the people and the medics of Gaza during their long nightmare.

The Israel-Hamas war: how does it all end?

Some of the supposed solutions to the Israel – Hamas conflict, may not be the end of it. Graham Tomlin explores what’s on offer and the need for a newly imagined form of politics.

How much is a human life worth?

Ryan Gilfeather

Concerned by the conditional responses to deaths in the Israel-Hamas war, Ryan Gilfeather considers why we should value all human lives.

A peacemaker’s guide to keeping hope alive

Todd Deatherage

Amid continuing despair around the Israel-Hamas war, former diplomat Todd Deatherage shares the practices of the peacemaker.

How redemptive justice could be a way out of a long and costly war

Steven Firmin

Dynamics of shame, dis-honour and vengeance swirl around the decision makers in the Israel-Hamas war. Steven Firmin explores how redemptive justice could restore a relationship of peace.

Eyeless in Gaza: the tragedy and the trauma of Israel and Palestine

An ancient story of a captured warrior demolishing buildings and devastating Gaza, prompts Graham Tomlin to view the current conflict through the lens of pain and trauma.

“Sometime the killing just has to stop”

George Pitcher

Simple calls for peace are often against the grain of power, observes George Pitcher. Many still yearn for it, even when faced with complexities and impossibilities.

A history of Israel and Palestine – 4,000 years of history in 2,500 words

The land at the heart of the Middle Eastern crisis is at the centre of world attention again. For those whose grasp on the history behind the situation is hazy, Graham Tomlin offers a brief survey.

18 October 2023

12 min read

Political culture

The trouble with identity politics

Identity politics reflected two great longings, a desire for uniqueness, and...

Comment

Stephen Timms: still on mission

The MP on five decades trying to prove a Christian Tory wrong.

June 3: Esau McCaulley and Graham Tomlin - get tickets now

Join us in London as we explore today's cultural moments.

Democracy and the authorities that exist

Should we insist on democracy in the Gulf?

America's mood check: Matt McDonald interview

Dilemma, apathy, and what we get wrong about politics and religion.

Cutting America to the bone

Civil War warns against worshipping civic and political violence.

Can the economy work for the common good?

Adrian Pabst on the economic framework that is universal yet particular...

Will America succumb to the undertow?

A returning expat asks if an exhausted majority is, in fact, asleep.

Remembering red on red

The cultural revolution's factions have a disconcertingly contemporary feel.

Assisted dying

If intense suffering caused by society drives autistic people to seek assisted death, then society has failed. Henna Cundill seeks the stories behind the data about such deaths.

Assisted dying

Life & Death

A hand rest gently on another outstretched hand.

Behind the data: the social messages physician assisted suicide sends

Henna Cundill

What do you make of Esther?

Michael Wenham

A campaigner’s call to change an assisted dying law got family calling MND sufferer Michael Wenham. Here he shares why such legalisation will increase people’s fear of dying.

The cold truth of Canadian lives not worth living

M. Ciftci

Canada’s implementation of medical assistance in dying concerns M. Ciftci, showing that a society consider some lives not worth living. Part of the How to Die Well series.

The dying decision: choice, coercion and community

Sian Brookes

Plan 75 reveals a lot about our relationlessness, says Siân Brookes as she reviews the Japanese drama about medical assistance in dying

The lost art of dying well and what we can learn from it today

Lydia Dugdale

Living well in order to die well doesn’t simply happen. It takes work. It takes preparation. For All Souls Day, Lydia Dugdale asks if we are prepared for death.

Rediscovering 'ordinary dying'

Robert Wright

On the eve of her Theos annual lecture on 'Death for Beginners', Robert Wright speaks to former palliative care consultant Kathryn Mannix about the need for everyone to re-engage with the process of dying. Part of the Seen & Unseen How to Die Well series.

Dealing with death – why the fuss?

Jane Cacouris

“No fuss” cremations are getting more popular. Not giving a formal space or process to say goodbye feels like a seismic cultural shift to Jane Cacouris. Part of the How To Die Well series.

Depreciating human life: a year-end market report

George Pitcher

The cold currency of trading hostages repels George Pitcher, who explores the casual acceptance that some lives are biddable against lives of intrinsically higher value.

01 December 2023

Freedom of belief

A burnt out motor cycle and car stand amid charred debris in a dusty compound.

We’re ignoring Nigeria's hellish underbelly

Why the West averts its gaze from anti-Christian violence there.

What the Gaza conflict and the asylum seeker row have in common

Iran’s persecution drives its Christians here. This is their story.

Around the world

Beyond condemning the invasion of Ukraine, there is also a need to understand why Russia thinks what it does, explains Malcolm Rogers, the Anglican chaplain in Moscow.

Comment

War & peace

Moscow letter: why Russia critiques the West

Malcolm Rogers

Edward I and the monk from China

Benjamin Sharkey

A tale of a Chinese priest meeting a medieval monarch sheds a different light on the extent of Christendom. Benjamin Sharkey tells the surprising tale of the historic Asian church.

Geert Wilders: heir apparent to an anxious nation

Wim Houtman

The election of a populist has shocked The Netherlands. Wim Houtman unpacks the result and explores anxious attitudes among electors, particularly Christians.

Beyond Bollywood: how Indian cinema depicts Christians

'Sha'

India’s film industry tackles the complexities of life, morality, harmony and violence, as experienced by its Christian community. Indo-Christian Culture’s Sha reviews.

A tale of two Septembers

Anush Petrosyan

The recent conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is already a twice forgotten war. Forced to flee twice, Anush Petrosyan describes the experience.

Untouchable: experiencing discrimination around the world

Rahil Patel

In America it’s in the headlines, while in India it continues to influence. Rahil Patel explores caste discrimination and finds out who helped craft constitutional protections for those affected.

Beware Europe’s political messiahs

George Pitcher

As European leaders increasingly co-opt Christianity, George Pitcher asks if they have come to serve or be served?

Understanding authority from Rome to Beijing

K.K. Yeo

As geo-political tensions between China and the West rise, K.K. Yeo explores authority and religion in China, finding complex questions and nuanced answers.

27 June 2023

Artificial Intelligence

An angel of death lays a hand of a humanioid robot that has died amid a data centre

What AI needs to learn about dying and why it will save it

Those programming truthfulness can learn a lot from mortality.

Andrew Steane

Culture

There’s a moral case for investing in defence capabilities right now.

Explore more on artificial intelligence and living

As AI constructs our future, explore its impact and understand its key...

Ukraine and Russia

Swords now, ploughshares later

Tom Simpson

Letter from Lviv

Iryna Dobrohorska

Loss, resilience, and a hope one day to count blessings not missile intercepts.

Shall the tyrants win?

Michael Bird

Understanding Navalny's death.

23 February 2024

Seen & Unseen Showcase

Explainer

A strangely named season of the Church calendar, Ordinary Time, is anything but that. Julie Canlis explores how it can point to wonder in the moments.

A father sits on a bed and fixes the hair of his daughter standing in front of him

The unutterable preciousness of an ordinary day

Julie Canlis

Strangers and identity in a global age of nationalism

Miroslav Volf

Exploring inclusive and exclusive nationalism, Miroslav Volf challenges all of us to dialogue with those who may see things differently.

The meaning of meals

Matthew Croasmun

Food is the nexus of relationships. Matthew Croasmun notes that food, and all created things, are most themselves when they are more than merely themselves.

Shouldn’t you be in school?

Henna Cundill

Beyond headlines about school refusers and ghost children, lies a challenge to adult notions of schooling. Henna Cundill unpacks the issue, inspired, in part, by fish.

What's good – and bad – about cancel culture?

Erin Crider

Looking to an ancient story of compassion Erin Crider seeks inspiration for an ethical response to social censure.

The really annoying thing about dying

Roger Bretherton

In his first Notes from Solitude, the death of his dad causes Roger Bretherton to reflect on the relationship and the strange emergence of 'father’.

Riding from darkness to light

Graeme Holdsworth

Long-distance cycle rides give Graeme Holdsworth time to contemplate traveling from light to darkness and back again. And, to grapple with the wordless way our bodies do what they were created to do.

Beyond cold certainties

Alister McGrath

The Creeds set out a vision of reality – a vision that cannot be proved to be true, but which was found to be true by a community of people.

30 March 2023

“No fuss” cremations are getting more popular. Not giving a formal space or process to say goodbye feels like a seismic cultural shift to Jane Cacouris. Part of the How To Die Well series.

How to Die Well

Explainer

Change

Life & Death

Dealing with death – why the fuss?

Jane Cacouris

Rediscovering 'ordinary dying'

The lost art of dying well and what we can learn from it today

Lydia Dugdale

Living well in order to die well doesn’t simply happen. It takes work. It takes preparation. For All Souls Day, Lydia Dugdale asks if we are prepared for death.

How to face the space of death

Natalie Garrett

Losing family and friends across a life, leads Natalie Garrett to navigate the space of death we all face. Part of the How to Die Well series.

How lament and hope destroyed death and transformed our attitudes towards it

Andrew Davison

Once we buried bodies outside cities, cast out from the living. Then we started burying loved ones inside them. For All Hallows Day, Andrew Davison explains how Christianity transformed attitudes to death. Part of the How to Die Well series.

What they don’t tell you about when someone you love dies

Yvonne Tulloch

Sharing her experience of her husband’s death, Yvonne Tulloch charts grief’s journey and shares signposts to help. Part of the How to Die Well series.

08 November 2023

The Problem with Men

There was much more to the famed monarch than a padded codpiece, Historian Suzannah Lipscomb unpacks how his toxic behaviour led to ridicule and dishonour. Part of The Problem with Men series.

Culture

King Henry VII, wearing a hat, stares away, in a portrait.

Henry VIII's toxic masculinity

Suzannah Lipscomb

Authenticity and the problem with men

James Ray

The problem with men rarely leaves the headlines. James Ray looks beyond, seeking one potential solution - authenticity. Part of the Problem with Men series.

Well, what about men? Caitlin Moran’s love letter to masculinity

Krish Kandiah

Gender writing that’s gracious and full of hope. Krish Kandiah reviews Caitlin Moran’s What about Men? Part of the Problem with Men series.

Russell Brand and the bystanders: how to say enough is enough

Tiffany Bluhm

When calling out misogyny, low standards are expected of men. Tiffany Bluhm assesses the ‘Say Maaate’ campaign and explores bystander intervention. Part of the Problem with Men series.

Should you be ashamed of yourself?

Henna Cundill

Shame powers cancel culture, yet its historic role is guarding community boundaries. Henna Cundill takes an in depth look at shame - and empathy.

To the abyss and back. The art of Peter Howson

Alastair Gordon

Painter Peter Howson captures personal conflict, toxic masculinity and horrific wars. Alastair Gordon reviews his work. Part of the Problem with Men series.

The overwhelm

Belle Tindall

What follows is an act of female emancipation. Belle Tindall reviews the Oscar-winning Women Talking.

14 March 2023

The Seven Deadly Sins

Updated weekly, over the summer, Seen & Unseen explores the Seven Deadly Sins.

Seven Deadly Sins

Gluttony’s unconscious self-image of emptiness

In the seventh of a series on the Seven Deadly Sins, Graham Tomlin digests gluttony’s distorting obsession with food.

Pride: self-obsessed isolation

Jonathan Aitken

In the sixth of a series on the Seven Deadly Sins, Jonathan Aitken identifies Pride as egotism with a capital E and the cause of his own royal flush of crises.

Anger: the dragon’s wrath

James Mumford

In the fifth of a series on the Seven Deadly Sins, James Mumford encounters Anger, and reflects that its object is no mere object.

Lust: disordered desire

Belle Tindall

In the fourth of a series on the Seven Deadly Sins, Belle Tindall explores how Lust minimises or sensationalises sex and desire.

Greed: “No, I’ll never have enough”

Jane Williams

In the third of a series on the Seven Deadly Sins, Jane Williams highlights how Greed destroys both individuals and societies.

Envy: jealousy’s evil cousin

Roger Bretherton

In the second of a series on the Seven Deadly Sins, Roger Bretherton investigates the psychological and moral impact of envy on its victims.

Sloth’s languid lack of passion

In the appropriately last in a series on the Seven Deadly Sins, Graham Tomlin looks at what’s lost to life when sloth sets in.

Reverse psychology: understand goodness then sin

Roger Bretherton

Psychologist Roger Bretherton concludes our series on the seven deadly sins with a subversive proposition: we don’t understand sin because we don’t understand goodness.

Sin: explained