Anne McElvoy is a journalist and broadcaster, and host of the BBC Radio 4 series 'Across the Red Line'. Her career has seen her writing and presenting for numerous outlets including Politico, The Economist, The Spectator and The Evening Standard.

Anne spoke about her childhood growing up going to a Catholic comprehensive school, her journey in the world of journalism, why she's increasingly concerned about the way we have public debates and what she's trying to do about that.

Listen to Across The Red Line, here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09m2bj1

*****

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Tomiwa Owolade is a journalist and critic, and writer of the highly acclaimed book 'This is Not America: Why Black Lives in Britain Matter'.

Tomiwa spoke about his upbringing and moving from Nigeria to Britain as a boy, why we should approach racism differently in the UK to America, and why he doesn't like being seen solely through the lens of race.

You can get a copy of This is Not America here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Not-America-Britain-Matter/dp/1838956212

Read the full transcript here: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2023/10/11/tomiwa-owolade-on-why-black-lives-in-britain-matter

CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:53 What is sacred to you? Tomiwa Owolade’s answer
00:05:29 Roots of Faith and Culture: Growing Up Christian in Nigeria
00:10:59 From Nigeria to London: Smooth Transitions and Cultural Surprises
00:15:51 Settling with ease in the UK, being Christian, and the irony of African Christian identity
00:21:58 Journey to University and Navigating Identity and Education
00:26:37 This is Not America: Why Black Lives in Britain Matter
00:32:42 Diversity of Black British population, and unhelpful generalisations
00:49:18 Academic fisticuffs and unhelpful racial pigeonholing
00:59:01 Outro: Many things can be true at the same time

*****

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James Marriott is a columnist and book/podcast critic for The Times. His columns cross a variety of topics from culture to ideas and observations of our society.

James spoke about his deep reverence for literature, the objectives of critics, and the role of nihilism in shaping who he is today.

Read the full transcript here: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2023/10/04/james-marriott-on-literature-and-the-art-of-review

You can read more from James in his column, here: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/profile/james-marriott?page=1

*****

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*EPISODE DISCLAIMER*
This episode was recorded before brand allegations emerged. It feels very timely but also potentially a difficult time for us to be releasing it. In the end, we wanted to leave as is because Thordis and her story is about more than sexual violence, and because the topic of sexual violence itself is about more than one person and their story. But we're also very aware there are a lot of complex and conflicting thoughts following the allegations emerging. So as ever please do get in touch and let us know your thoughts.

Thordis Elva is a writer and speaker best known for her powerful story of forgiving and reconciling with her rapist, Tom. Her Ted Talk, given alongside Tom, has been viewed over six million times.

Thordis spoke about her story of sexual assault and journey to forgiveness, the challenge of recognising the human nature of those who hurt you, and the uniting force that is hope.

Watch Thordis' Ted talk here: https://www.ted.com/talks/thordis_elva_and_tom_stranger_our_story_of_rape_and_reconciliation

Buy a copy of Thordis' book, South of Forgiveness, here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/south-of-forgiveness/thordis-elva/tom-stranger/9781911344056

*****

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This episode takes place live at the Greenbelt Festival, and in it Elizabeth Oldfield speaks to writer, Cole Arthur Riley.

Cole Arthur Riley is a writer and the creator of the very successful social media account, Black Liturgies - "a space where Black words of dignity, lament, rage, and rest, are curated and integrated with a liberating spirituality". She is also the author of the NYT bestseller, This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories that Make Us.

Cole spoke about her childhood and growing up being raised by a young dad, the power of sharing stories, and how she has learned to express rage through her writing.

You can follow Black Liturgies on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/blackliturgies/

Read the full transcript here: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2023/09/20/cole-arthur-riley-on-storytelling-and-learning-to-express-anger

*****

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This series of The Sacred Elizabeth spoke with nine fascinating individuals about their core values, and how the messages, philosophies and experiences from their childhood shaped them into the people they are today.

She spoke with Abi Morgan, Dougald Hine, Audrey Assad, Patrick Deneen, Inaya Folarin Iman, Wes Streeting MP, Martin Shaw, Felix Marquardt and Satish Kumar.

In this reflection episode, Elizabeth takes a look back at all these conversations and dwells on a couple key threads that were prominent throughout.

Read the full transcription here: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2023/07/19/series-reflection-how-stories-shape-our-lives

*****

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This episode takes place live at The Realisation Festival, and in it Elizabeth Oldfield speaks to activist, Satish Kumar.

Satish Kumar is a peace activist and formerly Jain monk who has spent his life promoting sustainability, spirituality and nonviolence to audiences and communities across the globe. He is also the Editor Emeritus of the Resurgence & Ecologist Magazine.

Satish spoke about his upbringing and the experience of becoming a Jain monk aged 9, the influence of Mahatma Gandhi on his life and outlook and how he deals with those who approach his beliefs and practices with cynicism.

Many thanks to the team at The Realisation Festival for organising and recording this event. You can find out more about them and their work here: https://realisationfestival.com/

Read the full transcription here: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2023/07/10/satish-kumar-on-life-as-a-jain-monk-and-lessons-from-decades-of-peace-activism

*****

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Martin Shaw is a mythologist and author of the award-winning, Branch from a Lightning Tree. Felix Marquardt has worn many hats over his career from author to entrepreneur to French rap producer. He is also the co-founder of Black Elephant - an experiential social network based on vulnerability.

They spoke about their respective religious conversations to Orthodox Christianity and Islam, the power of myths and storytelling and the role of vulnerability in bridging divides.

This recording took place in Patmos and is an audio only episode.

Read the full transcript here: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2023/07/05/martin-shaw-felix-marquardt-on-religious-conversion-being-vulnerable-and-the-power-of-myths

Chapters
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:47 What is sacred to you? Martin Shaw and Felix Marquardt’s answers.
00:06:59 Martin’s childhood: Christianity, punk rock, and holding onto conscience
00:10:26 Martin – turning down a career in music, tent living, and rediscovering myths
00:21:11 Martin – A hundred and one nights on Dartmoor and a transformational experience
00:30:36 Felix’s childhood: toxic French secularism, fear of eternity, and escapism through drugs
00:36:58 Felix – Faith through recovery, the 12 Step movement, and showing reverence for synchronicity
00:49:50 Black Elephant: well-sealed vessels, breaking down barriers and trading growth for depth
00:57:23 The Black Elephant Question: common ground beyond the topical and the superficial
01:09:13 Reflection and Outro

*****

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Wes Streeting is the the Labour MP for Ilford North, and was elected in 2015. Since being elected he has been appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. He is also the author of the soon-to-be-released memoir 'One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up'.

Wes spoke about his childhood growing up in a council flat and the figures that raised him, his journey with his faith and sexuality, and navigating political divides within the House of Commons.

You can purchase Wes' new book, 'One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up', here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Boy-Two-Bills-Fry/dp/1399710109/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1687772807&refinements=p_27%3AWes+Streeting&s=books&sr=1-1

Read the full transcript here: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2023/06/28/wes-streeting-mp-on-growing-up-in-a-council-flat-and-why-politics-matters

*****

The Sacred is a podcast produced by the think tank Theos. Be sure to connect with us below to stay up-to-date with all our content, research and events.

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Inaya Folarin Iman is a political commentator and former GB News presenter. Her written work has appeared in the The Telegraph, Politics Home, UnHerd, Spiked and The Daily Mail. She is also the director and founder of the Equiano Project, which is as "a debate, discussion and ideas forum" that "focuses on race, culture and politics".

Inaya spoke about her childhood which involved moving many times, growing up with a single mother, the ingrained conservatism that many immigrants have and why free speech is vital to a flourishing society.

Check out more from The Equiano Project here: https://www.theequianoproject.com/

Read the full transcript here: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2023/06/21/inaya-folarin-iman-on-race-immigrant-conservatism-and-the-importance-of-free-speech

*****

The Sacred is a podcast produced by the think tank Theos. Be sure to connect with us below to stay up-to-date with all our content, research and events.

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