Jonathan Pageau: re-enchanting just about everything

Belle and Justin talk with Jonathan about the symbolic patterns that underlie our experience of the world.

Nick Jones

Nick is the senior editor of Seen & Unseen.

A man sits at a desk and looks up and gestures with his hand.

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Jonathan Pageau is a French Canadian icon carver, public speaker and YouTuber exploring the symbolic patterns that underlie our experience of the world. He's also the editor of the Orthodox Arts Journal and host of the Symbolic World blog and podcast.

Jonathan is also known for his friendship with Jordan Peterson, another thinker invested in symbolism, psychology and pointing people back to Christianity as the modern West navigates a ‘meaning crisis’.

Jonathan talk to Justin and Belle about meaning, symbolism, atheism and the meaning crisis as we ask whether we can re-enchant… just about everything!

Visit Jonathan's web site.

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Podcast

Creed

GodPod

Podcasts

Visionaries

8 August 2025

1 min read

The visionaries: Kierkegaard's critique of cultural Christianity

Stephen Backhouse and the GodPod hosts on the first of the visionaries

Nick Jones

Nick is the senior editor of Seen & Unseen.

A sculpture of a early 19th century man with a quiff and sharp suit.

Kierkegaard captured in sculpture. The Royal Library, Denmark.

Holger Damgaard, via Wikimedia Commons

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About this episode

In this, the first instalment of GodPod’ Visionaries series, Graham Tomlin and Jane Williams delve into the profound impact of Søren Kierkegaard, the enigmatic Danish philosopher whose ideas continue to resonate in today's world.

Join us as we explore Kierkegaard's critique of Christendom (or ‘cultural Christianity’), his emphasis on individual authenticity, and his challenge to the herd mentality. With insights from Dr. Stephen Backhouse, an expert on Kierkegaard, we uncover how this 19th-century thinker shaped modern existentialism and continues to influence contemporary discussions on faith, individuality, and societal norms.

Tune in to discover why Kierkegaard's legacy is, perhaps, more relevant than ever

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