The Sacred
The Sacred is a podcast about our deepest values, the stories that shape us and how we can build empathy and understanding between people who are very different. Each episode features a conversation with someone who has a public voice, from academics to journalists, playwrights and politicians. We ask them where they have come from, what they are trying to do and what might help heal our very divided public conversations. The Sacred is hosted by Elizabeth Oldfield, former director of Theos. For more information about the people and ideas behind the podcast, visit https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/about/who-we-are or follow us on Twitter @theosthinktank, @sacred_podcast and @ESOldfield.
Episodes
What happens when standing by your principles means losing your community?
David French was once a Republican darling - a military veteran in Iraq, a pro-life lawyer, and a defender of religious liberty. But when he publicly opposed Donald Trump in 2016, everything changed. His church turned on him, his family received threats, and he became controversial figure in political and religious debates.
In this conversation, David reflects...
After three incredible years, we're saying goodbye to our producer, Daniel Turner. We sat down with him to reflect on his journey, asking what's making young men conservative?In this special episode of The Sacred, we debrief on what it's like to work on the podcast, explore how leadership failures challenged his faith, talk about masculinity, abortion and the influence of figures like Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson on young men. W...
In this bonus episode, Elizabeth Oldfield and Christine Emba dive deep into the heart of what it means to live a good life in turbulent times.
Recorded in Washington, DC, this intimate discussion explores vulnerability, community, and finding hope when the world feels overwhelming.
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💡 Produced by the @thinktanktheos www.the...
Fariha Róisín is a poet, Muslim, and survivor of extreme childhood trauma. In this raw, soul-baring conversation, they speak about the long road from abuse to healing - via Islam, queerness, Ayahuasca, and a radical reimagining of wellness.
This is not your typical conversation about wellness, it's about what healing really takes and why the current wellness industry often gets it so wrong.
🎧 In this episode:
- What Western wellness ...
We sat down with Jonathan Rauch - a gay, Jewish atheist - to explore his remarkable journey from accepting his sexuality and rejecting religion to becoming a key voice advocating for same-sex marriage and the vital role of Christianity in sustaining liberal, secular democracy.
Key topics include:
- Jonathan's personal wrestle with his sexuality and eventual acceptance
- His commitment to gay and lesbian equality and the social conserv...
Bestselling author Caitlin Moran made waves with her 2011 feminist classic How to Be a Woman.
Now, she’s calling for an urgent conversation about the crisis of modern masculinity.In this special live episode of The Sacred, Elizabeth Oldfield and Daniel Turner sit down with Caitlin for a hilarious, moving, and deeply honest conversation that challenges what we think we know about men, women, gender roles, and society today.
Toget...
Driven by a hunger for more, Joshua Luke Smith opens up about his journey with ADHD, addiction, and the unraveling and deconstruction of his faith. In this honest conversation, he invites us to lay down hustle culture, live poetically, and rediscover the sacred in the life we already have.Together with Elizabeth Oldfield, Joshua reflects on his childhood as a missionary kid in Pakistan, the challenges of identity and belonging, and...
Elizabeth Oldfield and author Lamorna Ash and take us on an unexpected journey through faith, doubt, and contemporary spirituality. Fresh from writing her groundbreaking book "Don't Forget We're Here Forever", Lamorna shares her search for meaning, her remarkable immersion in Christianity and her exploration of the surprising ways young people are rediscovering religion.---
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Elizabeth Oldfield reflects on our latest episodes — and how the mood of our audience is changing in a world of wars, elections, and rising turbulence. She offers a powerful reminder: by choosing to listen, and stepping outside our algorithmic echo chambers, we can resist the forces driving us apart.
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How do we recognise the humanity on both sides of the Israel-Gaza conflict? Elizabeth Oldfield asks CNN's former Jerusalem Bureau Chief, Richard Allen Greene about journalism, his Jewish faith, and human understanding in the midst of the Israel-Gaza conflict.Key Moments:- Inside the CNN Jerusalem Bureau during October 7th- The challenge of reporting on the Israel-Gaza war- Navigating personal trauma and professional objectivity...
Elizabeth spoke to Olympic legend Kriss Akabusi reveals the extraordinary journey from a challenging childhood foster care during the Nigerian civil war, to becoming a world-class athlete and inspirational figure.
We spoke about:
💪 How discipline and sports became his pathway to self-discovery
🇳🇬 Reconnecting with his Nigerian roots and identity after years of rejecting it
🎙️ His spiritual awakening and complex relationship...
Matthew Elliott joins Elizabeth Oldfield in his first interview since Brexit to talk about how he became the man behind the Brexit campaign and now a champion of social mobility through business. Elliott shares insights into his family's influence, his political awakening, and the principles that have guided his controversial yet impactful career. He offers a candid look inside the Brexit referendum, explaining the complex moti...
Elizabeth speaks with Chine McDonald about her new "Motherhood vs The Machine" podcast, which explores the intersection of motherhood, productivity, technology, and what it means to be human.She discusses the shift in motherhood discourse, womanhood, the challenges of navigating motherhood in professional life, the focus on motherhood vs. parenting, confronting miscarriage and baby loss, and how motherhood can serve as a ...
Writer and activist Shane Claiborne calls out the hypocrisy within fundamentalist Evangelical Christianity in America, advocating for a return to the radical compassion of Jesus.
Shane challenges what it means to truly be "pro-life," challenges its entanglement with Christian nationalism, and its allegiance to Donald Trump. As he unpacks these priorities, he wrestles with what to keep, what to challenge, and what bones to ...
Announcing a new four-part documentary podcast, Motherhood vs The Machine, where hosts Chine McDonald and Dr Madeleine Pennington look at what motherhood teaches us about what it means to be human.
The work of motherhood has always been changed by technological advancement: from the nipple shield to the feeding bottle and breast pump. But as technological advancement accelerates and a future of artificial wombs and ‘bio bags’ does n...
Jameela Jamil joins us for a conversation about her rise to fame, the dangers of divisive echo chambers, and her decision to reject harmful beauty narratives.
With her signature wit and vulnerability, Jameela’s dives into toxic beauty standards, the destructive anti-aging narrative that has plagued women for generations, and the deep-rooted values that inspire Jameela to use her platform as a force for positive change.
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Elizabeth Oldfield and James Orr discuss the relationship between the sacred and the secular, and his conservative political views on Brexit, and his critique of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion policies.
James Orr is the Associate Professor of the Philosophy of Religion at the University of Cambridge.
This episode offers a unique and insightful exploration of the sacred in the modern world, touching on themes of tradition, communi...
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