Helen Lewis: re-enchanting feminism and the culture wars

On the Re-enchanting podcast Helen Lewis talks with Belle and Justin about the religious instincts that seems to underlie secular activism, and whether she sees any way forward in re-enchanting feminism and the culture wars.

Nick Jones

Nick is the senior editor of Seen & Unseen.

a woman sits at a table, with a mic in front of her, talking and holding her hands together in front of her.

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Helen Lewis is a journalist, broadcaster and staff writer for The Atlantic. She is the author of Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights and has been writing and speaking about feminism, gender, and the culture wars for several years... and occasionally gets caught up in them herself, including a viral interview with Jordan Peterson for GQ.

Justin and Belle chat to Helen about the religious instincts that seems to underlie secular activism on both the left and right, and whether she sees any way forward in re-enchanting feminism and the culture wars of our day.

For more about Helen Lewis visit her website.

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?

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Seen & Unseen Aloud

17 November 2025

1 min read

BBC, bequeathing, and being still

New episode: listen to articles by Tim Wyatt, Annika Greco-Thompson, and Helen Cowan

Natalie Garrett

Natalie produces and narrates The Seen & Unseen Aloud podcast. She's an Anglican minister and a trained actor.

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About this episode

This week, Tim Wyatt dives into the crisis of trust and asks whether the resignations from the hierarchy will serve to rekindle trust in the BBC, Annika Greco Thompson encourages us to pass on our values as well as our wealth to the next generation, And, Helen Cowan poignantly explores the power of different types of stillness within wellness and illness that she witnesses as a care home nurse.

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