Nick Spencer speaks with panpsychist philosopher and professor Philip Goff. 16/12/2025

Human beings need a sense of purpose but differ strongly on whether that purpose is discovered or created, on whether the universe itself has a purpose or whether purpose is just the result of a hyperactive human mind?

This disagreement often maps onto the theist/atheist divide – but not always and not necessarily. Perhaps the issue of purpose is wider than belief in God.

So does the universe itself show signs of purpose? If so, how would we know? Or is all this simply a delusion of a hominid brain than needs purpose and is happy to create it if it can’t find one out there?

Join Nick Spencer as he speaks to Philip Goff, a British author, panpsychist philosopher, and professor at Durham University, to discuss his latest book, ‘Why? The Purpose of the Universe’.

Tune in here.

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Nick Spencer speaks with scientist, writer, broadcaster and member of the House of Lords Baroness Susan Greenfield. 02/12/2025

Consciousness is famously called the “hard problem” and it elicits a very wide range of (sometimes very strongly held) opinions.

These range from the idea that it is little more than a trick played on us by our brain, to the idea that it is built into the very fabric of matter at the most fundamental level.

How does consciousness differ from mindedness? It is all or nothing, or are there grades of consciousness? And how does it map on our ordinary, everyday lives?

This week, Nick Spencer speaks to Baroness Susan Greenfield about her new book: A Day in the Life of the Brain: The Neuroscience of Consciousness from Dawn Till Dusk.

You can purchase a copy of her book here.

Tune in to the episode here.

Nick Spencer speaks with scientist Paul Davies about the quantum realm. 25/11/2025

Everyone has heard of quantum physics. Many of us can parrot its key ideas – uncertainty, entanglement, collapsing the wave function, something to do with a cat…

But when it comes to really understanding it, well that’s a different matter altogether. “Anyone who is not shocked by quantum mechanics hasn’t understood it”, wrote the eminent physicist Niels Bohr.

So, what is quantum physics? How did it come about? What does it say about ultimate reality? And how might it transform our lives?

This week on Reading Our Times, Nick Spencer delves into the quantum realm with scientist Paul Davies to discuss his latest book, Quantum 2.0: The Past, Present, and Future of Quantum Physics.

You can buy a copy of Paul’s book here.

Tune in here.

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Nick Spencer speaks with poet Michael Symmons Roberts. 18/11/2025

The performance of Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time in a freezing WW2 prison camp is one of the most famous moments of 20th century music.

The piece and performance spoke to audiences movingly, both then and now, of peace, God, time, and the power of music.

Such questions remain powerful today. How imprisoned by time are we? In what sense does music and art enable us to transcend the constraints of our existence? What does the end of time mean?

This week on Reading Our Times, Nick speaks to poet Michael Symmons Roberts about his latest book Quartet for the End of Time: On Music, Grief and Birdsong.

You can buy a copy of Michael’s book here.

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Nick Spencer speaks with theologian Gilbert Márkus. 04/11/2025

Many of the New Atheist arrows fired in the religion wars of 2000s and 2010s hit their target well and hard. The question is, was it the right target?

Believers often claim that atheists don’t believe in the kind of God that they themselves don’t believe in, and that the concept of God in Christian thought is altogether subtle and more sophisticated than critics give credit.

What is the evidence for this? Is this more sophisticated understanding of God not simply a late, post–Enlightenment evasion? Or does the idea that “God is nothing” have deep roots?

This week, Nick speaks to Gilbert Markus about his book, ‘God as nothing’.

Tune in here. 

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Nick Spencer speaks with Clare Carlisle, Professor of Philosophy at Kings College London. 11/11/2025

The idea of transcendence is common, perhaps even universal, among human beings. But what it means (if anything) is much more debatable.

There are different ways of understanding transcendence, some orthodoxly religious; others more heterodox and surprising.

How should we understand transcendence? If you can be spiritual but not religious, can you experience transcendence without religion? What does it mean to live a transcendent life?

This week, Nick speaks to Clare Carlisle, Professor of Philosophy at Kings College London, about her latest book ‘Transcendence for Beginners’.

Purchase a copy of Clare’s book here.

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Nick Spencer speaks with science writer Philip Ball. 28/10/2025

Recent decades have seen the gene as supreme in all discussions of what life is and how it works. Whether selfish, co–operative or eternal, it’s genes that matter.

But that picture is changing, in favour of a much subtler, more complex and more layered understanding. Life, it seems, goes all the way down (and up).

So what role do genes play in life? Where, if anywhere, does agency reside? Are human beings more than mere propagation vehicles? How, in effect, does life work?

This week, Nick speaks to Philip Ball about his book ‘How Life Works: A User’s Guide to the New Biology’.

Purchase a copy of Philip’s book here.

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Elizabeth speaks with Gen Z influencer and podcaster Jade Bowler known as UnJaded Jade. 17/09/2025

In a world where half of young people UK dream of becoming influencers, Jade Bowler delves into the hidden costs of this career – from burnout and loneliness to the struggle for authenticity.

Jade Bowler is an author, content creator, podcaster, and one of the UK’s first “StudyTubers.” Since starting her YouTube channel at 16, Jade has built a global audience and is shaping a generation interested in spirituality, self–discovery in your 20s, productivity and finding “casual magic” in your every day.

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Elizabeth speaks with political commentator David French. 30/07/2025

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 on the cost of choosing virtue over political loyalty, why free speech still matters even when it’s painful, and what it’s like to be exiled by your tribe.

We talk about moral courage, the state of American evangelicalism, and what it means to stay principled in a world that rewards tribalism.

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Nick Spencer speaks with Anastasia Berg, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Irvine. 15/07/2025

Western societies have fallen out of love with (having) children, and all too often this is treated as a policy problem. But in reality, it’s a much deeper personal and philosophical one.

What has changed in our attitudes to having children? How do we understand the role and standing and “purpose” of children in society? What, in effect, do we think children are for?

This week Nick Spencer talks with Anastasia Berg about her book co–authored with Rachel Wiseman, ‘What are children for? On Ambivalence and Choice’

Purchase a copy of their book here.

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Elizabeth speaks with columnist and author Christine Emba. 09/07/2025

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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Nick Spencer speaks with historian Sophia Rosenfeld. 08/07/2025

Choice is so important to who we are in the West is no longer feels like something we do, so much as something we are. Deny someone choice, and it feels like you are challenging their very humanity. 

Where does this obsession with choice come from, historically and philosophically? What are its foundations and justifications? And has it gone too far? Can you have too much of this particular good thing? 

This week Nick Spencer talks with Sophia Rosenfeld about her book ‘The Age of Choice: A History of Freedom in Modern Life’ 

Purchase a copy of her book here.

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Elizabeth speaks with poet Fariha Róisín. 02/07/2025

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.

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Nick Spencer speaks with author Rupert Shortt live from the Church Times Festival of Faith and Literature. 01/07/2025

Strange things are happening to Christianity in the West. Some people are talking about revival whereas others are talking about extinction. Whoever is right, the ramifications for our culture will be immense.

What is happening? If we are entering a period of eclipse for Christianity, would it matter? Would it simply be strike us through the loss of beautiful buildings and moving music? Or is there something more substantial in all this? 

This week Nick Spencer talks with Rupert Shortt about his book ‘The Eclipse of Christianity and why it matters’ 

Purchase a copy of his book here.

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Nick Spencer speaks with Richard McNeill Douglas, research fellow at the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity. 24/06/2025

The idea that society should grow – and continue to grow, economically, without ending, without limits – is a relatively new and fiercely defended idea. It emerged first in Western countries but has captured much of the world today.

How realistic is it? How “sustainable”? What should we think about “limits to growth”? Is it a narrative of declinism, best ignored? Or a warning we dismiss at huge peril?

This week Nick Spencer talks with Richard McNeill Douglas about his book ‘The Meaning of Growth: The Rhetoric of Environmental Scepticism and the Defence of Modernity’

Richard’s book will be published in Autumn, find out more here.

Tune in to the episode here. 

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Elizabeth speaks with Jonathan Rauch a gay, Jewish atheist. 18/06/2025

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.

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Nick Spencer speaks with award–winning journalist, Lucy Ash. 17/06/2025

The Russian Orthodox Church has been conspicuous in its support of Putin’s war against Ukraine. The reasons seem as obvious as they are depressing.

But behind the politics, there are centuries of history and theology. How did we get here? How is history of the church in Russia shaping the nation’s present? How might it shape the future?

This week Nick Spencer talks with Lucy Ash about her book ‘The Baton and the Cross: Russia’s Church from Pagans to Putin’.

Purchase a copy of Lucy’s book here.

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Nick Spencer speaks with former senior judge Lord Jonathan Sumption. 10/06/2025

The UK has one of highest levels of dissatisfaction with democracy in the world, though other Western countries aren’t far behind. Hopes that the rest of the world would naturally follow the West and democratise have all but evaporated. 

How serious is this decline in democratic sympathy? What lies behind it? What are the deep foundations on which democracy rests? And what, if anything, can be done about it? 

This week, Nick Spencer talks with Jonathan Sumption about his book ‘The Challenges of Democracy: And The Rule of Law’. 

Tune in to the episode here.

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Nick Spencer speaks with Professor Sir Diarmaid MacCulloch. 03/06/2025

One of the major changes in Western society in the last half century is the so–called sexual revolution, and one way of understanding that is to see it as the long, withdrawing roar of a Christian sexual ethic.

But that makes two presuppositions: first, that we have indeed left Christian sexual ethics behind and second, that there is such a thing as a single identifiable Christian sexual ethic.

This week Nick Spencer talks with Diarmaid MacCulloch about his book ‘Lower than the angels: A history of Sex and Christianity’ recorded live at the Church Times Festival of Faith and Literature.

Purchase Diarmaid’s book here.

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Nick Spencer speaks with Samir Puri, Director of the Centre for Global Governance and Security at Chatham House. 27/05/2025

The idea of the West – its foundations, its values, its future – has become much debated over recent months. 

What does the political rise of China mean for us? What about the economic rise of the BRICS nations? Or the demographic rise of the global south? Where will power and influence tilt, and to what effect? Is it all over for “the West”? 

This week Nick Spencer talks with Samir Puri, Director of the Global Governance and Security Centre for Chatham House, about his book ‘Westlessness: the great global rebalancing’ 

Purchase Samir’s book here.

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Elizabeth speaks with poet and artist Joshua Luke Smith. 21/05/2025

Driven by a hunger for more, Joshua Luke Smith opens up about his journey with ADHD, addiction, and the unravelling 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. 

Joshua reflects on his childhood as a missionary kid in Pakistan, the challenges of identity and belonging, and his path toward sobriety, stillness, and spiritual depth. This is a conversation about presence, recovery, and the radical power of living poetically in a world that never stops moving.

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Elizabeth Oldfield speaks with author Lamorna Ash. 07/05/2025

Elizabeth Oldfield and author Lamorna Ash 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 speaks with Richard Allen Greene, CNN’s former Jerusalem Bureau Chief. 23/04/2025

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.

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Elizabeth speaks with Olympic legend, Kriss Akabusi. 09/04/2025

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.

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In the final episode, Chine McDonald and Madeleine Pennington explore what motherhood teaches us about loss, grief, change and death. 03/04/2025

Warning: This episode includes discussion of stillbirths, pregnancy loss, miscarriage and death. 

In the final episode, Chine and Maddy explore what motherhood teaches us about loss, grief, change and death. What does a mother’s grief – even a mother’s fear of grief – reveal about what it means to be human?  

We explore the painful and difficult realities of stillbirth, pregnancy loss and the death of children after birth, as well as how parents deal with their own mortality. We look at both the potential and limitations of technology in saving premature babies’ lives, and ask how parents cope with the grief of life not turning out how they had hoped for their children, including anxiety about the climate and the state of the world. How does grief – about the climate or the loss of children – lead women into different forms of activism? We ask whether machines can help us grieve, or whether grief is an inevitable part of motherhood; and take a look at the most famous example of maternal loss: Mary, the mother of Jesus, who in the traditional Pieta imagery, cradles the dead body of her son. 

Listen here.

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