Jonathan Rowson is a Scottish Chess grandmaster, an author, and the director of Perspectiva, an organisation that aims to "research the relationship between complex global challenges and the inner lives of human beings and highlight why this matters in society".

In the first episode of The Sacred, hosted by Elizabeth Oldfield, Jonathan talks about his religious and spiritual past, how chess helped him make sense of himself, and how talking to people of faith made him reevaluate his own.

We also catch up with Theos' head of research, Nick Spencer, on his new book "The Political Samaritan". He talks about how the parable has been hijacked by politicians from all spheres of the conversation, and how this tale has helped shape contemporary British politics.

The Sacred is a podcast about the things we cherish and hold dear to us. It is supported by Theos, the UK's leading religion and society think tank.

The Sacred is produced by Hussein Kesvani and No Country Media.

Hello, and welcome to The Sacred.

The Sacred is a new podcast hosted by Elizabeth Oldfield, the director of Theos, the UK's leading religion and society think tank.

This podcast is interested in the state of our public conversations, the way we might do them better and the role the things that we hold sacred but don’t always know how to talk about might play.

Each episode will feature an in depth interview with writers, thinkers, activists, comedians, community leaders and others, in which we discuss the things we hold dear, and to examine the things that hold us together- not just as individuals, but as a society.

You can follow Elizabeth at @TheosElizabeth and Theos at @Theosthinktank.

'The Sacred' is produced by Hussein Kesvani and No Country Media. You can follow Hussein at @HKesvani