Seen & Unseen Aloud: people, politics and purpose

A summer box set special. Emerson Csorba's three articles on purpose and character.

Natalie Garrett

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

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

James Baker, left, briefs a recovering Ronald Reagan, right, in hospital .

White House via Wikimedia Commons.

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Over the last few month Emerson Csorba's written for us on character and purpose He takes us through US politics with a focus on James Baker a reluctant recruit to the Reagan team; he asks what's the point of purpose and how do we find it? and he contemplates the power of supposedly random encounters with people - looking at the career of Fiona Hill from mining village to Durham University, via the White House.

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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