Nick Spencer: re-enchanting aliens, animals, and AI

Belle and Justin chat with Nick about what makes humans unique.

Nick Jones

Nick is the senior editor of Seen & Unseen.

A podcast guest speaks in front of a mic and raises their hands to gesture.

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Nick Spencer is Senior Fellow at Theos and hosts their podcast ‘Reading Our Times’. He is the author of a number of books and reports, including Magisteria: the entangled histories of science and religion and his most recent book co-authored with Hannah Waite, Playing God: Science, Religion and the Future of Humanity.

Belle and Justin chat with Nick about aliens, animals and AI. How are the boundaries of science and technology re-enchanting what makes humans unique?

Visit Nick Spencer's page on the Theos web site

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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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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