Theos Think Tank

16/06/2026

Immigration is a major issue in the contemporary world, a - if not the - driver of nationalist movements the world over. It is impossible to think about nationalism today, religious or otherwise, without thinking first about immigration.

But immigration is also a hard subject to think about, not because of a lack of information but because of an excess. Awash with statistics, anecdotes and personal stories, immigration offers people a well-stocked cupboard of things to feed their existing views and opinions.

So, what is the truth behind immigration? What are the actual numbers? What are the benefits? And the harms? And to which people? Immigration policy is notoriously tough - is there are way to think clearly about it and make it any easier?

This week on Reading Our Times, Nick Spencer speaks with Alan Manning about his latest book, 'Why Immigration Policy Is Hard: And How to Make It Better'.

Link to the episode in the comments 👇

15/06/2026

👽 Can aliens save us?

George Lapshynov unpacks the religious imagery and themes in the new Steven Spielberg film 'Disclosure Day'. Would alien life actually threaten Christian belief?

Read the full blog here:

George Lapshynov reviews the new Steven Spielberg film ‘Disclosure Day’. Would alien life threaten Christian belief? 15/06/2026

15/06/2026

Can we resist the pull of productivity?

Chine McDonald - Author, speaker, broadcaster appears on BBC Radio 4 Sunday unpacking the recent controversy surrounding Steven Bartlett and self-optimisation.

🎙️ Listen to Chine from 11:18 here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002xnr8

Belfast reaction, coming home, and faith and football.

09/06/2026

"Woke" has become one of the most contested words in contemporary culture, deployed as a badge of honour by some, a term of abuse by others. But what does it actually mean, and does it constitute a serious ideological movement or merely a passing fashion?

In today's episode, Nick talks to writer, comedian and broadcaster Andrew Doyle, best known as the creator of satirical persona Titania McGrath, whose latest book 'The End of Woke' examines the origins, methods and possible decline of the movement. They discuss how woke ideology captured institutions, weaponised language, and confused equity with equality - and why the real threat, left or right, is always authoritarianism in disguise.

05/06/2026

We're delighted to announce that tickets for the second of our 20th anniversary events are on sale now.

Our panel discussion 'Art, creativity and what it means to be human in the age of AI' will include Dr Rowan Williams, Prof Marcus du Sautoy, Rev Ayla Lepine, Dr Nathan Mladin and will be chaired by Chine McDonald - Author, speaker, broadcaster.

📍The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square
🗓️ Friday 10 July

Sponsored by CCLA

Find out more and get tickets here: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/events/theos-at-20-being-human-in-the-age-of-ai-10-07-2026

04/06/2026

"We are a spiritual species. Largely irrespective of what we actually believe in any formal sense... human beings and culture naturally and always gravitate to 'spiritual' language."

Nick Spencer explores what linguistics can tell us about humanity's spiritual dimension.

Read it here: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2026/06/04/learning-to-speak-human

This blog is adapted from Nick Spencer's opening remarks at a recent event in collaboration with The Fetzer Institute and LSE Faith Centre to mark the publication of the Fetzer book 'Retelling Sacred Stories'. Find out more here: https://fetzer.org/news/retelling-sacred-stories/

Theos, the Fetzer Institute and LSE’s Faith Centre recently held an event at the RSA on ‘Exploring Sacred Stories in a Secular Age’, to mark the publication of the Fetzer book Retelling Sacred Stories. Senior Fellow, Nick Spencer opened the event with an exploration of what it means to “spea...

03/06/2026

What does the Lincoln memorial have to do with Christian humanism?

Nick Spencer reflects on ruling power and our humanity following his recent trip to Washington DC.

🔗 Read it here: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2026/06/03/bc-in-dc-christian-humanism-and-the-lincoln-memorial

Nick Spencer reflects on the real meaning of Christian humanism after visiting Washington DC. 03/06/2026

02/06/2026

Unpalatable truth as it may be, there are some, especially today, who draw on the Bible to exclude and vilify others, as a way of protecting and the "pure" Christian culture of Europe or the West.

It's not an altogether new phenomenon, people have deployed the Bible for militaristic ends since the Crusades, but it appears to be growing once again as Europe comes under "attack" from immigrants and Islam.

How does this happen? What Bibles do the Far Right use? What texts do they quote? What principles underlie that usage? And what can be done about it?

In today's episode, Nick Spencer talks to theologian Hannah Strømmen, whose latest book The Bibles of the Far Right, examines just these questions.

27/05/2026

Last chance to attend!

We can't wait for next week's lunchtime discussion 'Exploring Sacred Stories in a Secular Age' in with The Fetzer Institute and LSE Faith Centre.

We'll hear two fascinating panel discussions:

1. The Sacred Dimension with Mark Vernon, Elizabeth Oldfield, Luqman Ali and Bill Vendley.

2. The Sacred Direction with Chine McDonald, Prof. Linda Woodhead, David Smith MP and Daisy Scalchi.

🔗 Find out more and reserve your place here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1988317105988?aff=oddtdtcreator

How do we rediscover the sacred in a world that often ignores it - and why does it matter now more than ever?

26/05/2026

Buddhism is often seen in the West as a religion of peace and serenity - rarely, if ever, associated with violence. But that comforting image has obscured a darker and more complex reality playing out across Southeast Asia.

Journalist and author Sonia Faleiro joins Nick Spencer to explore her latest book 'The Robe and the Sword', which examines how Buddhist nationalism has fuelled ethnic tension, discrimination, and outright genocide in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand.

From the militant monks who emerged out of Sri Lanka's brutal civil war, to the Facebook-driven hatred that preceded the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar, the patterns Faleiro uncovers are uncomfortably familiar to anyone watching the rise of religious nationalism elsewhere in the world.