Seen & Unseen Aloud: new episode

Humility and leadership - a weird but essential combo. Plus the outliers.

Natalie Garrett

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

The Pope, wearing white, kneels, crades a bare foot, and kisses it.

Pope Francis kisses the foot of a woman inmate of the Rebibbia prison.

Vatican Media.

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This week we think about leadership and humility as unlikely but essential bedfellows: Roger Bretherton exhorts us to look out for the outliers who bring something unique to the group; Graham Tomlin learns about humble leadership from Pope Francis and Elizabeth Wainwright calls out for a new style of leadership in a year of local, national and international elections.

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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