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An abstract image of red and gold fluid shapes akin to stained glass, seem to depict a face and an upstretched hand.

Why the incarnation adds up for me

There’s much more to it than maths and linguistics.

2024 - the year Christianity bounced back?

From the opinion sites to the churchyard, we’re seeking a better way to live...

My Boxing Day anti-climax

What if the most wonderful time has come and gone, and not much has changed?

Re-enchanting… reading lists

As a Re-enchanting series ends, here's our guests and staff book picks.

Christmas countdown day 25: a gift is given

Reflecting on gifts given and received unlocks so much.

The twelve days of Christmas TV

What to watch across the festive season.

Christmas countdown day 24: midnight's anxiety

Challenging OCD on Christmas Eve to find freedom.

Nine Lessons and Carols needs to be long

The carol service that take time to pull at the golden thread of Christmas.

‘Midnight Mass’: a guide for the perplexed

Get set for the wee small hours.

Christmas countdown day 23: the poets

Tennyson, Eliot, Rossetti and L’Engle: at Christmas, sorrow doesn’t preclude...

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Christmas 2025 New Writing

Article

This is love, actually

Love is not always simply a joy, delight, and comfort.

Cameron Wiltshire-Plant

The Visitation and Wicked taught me about welcoming

See, behold, recognise, welcome.

The mess, grit, and dirt of the post-partum stable

No cheerleaders, nor midwives, no older women who had walked Mary's path...

Giving is good for everyone . . . and not just at Christmas

A guest opinion for the Financial Times.

The mysterious Magi: outsiders, outlandish, Uyghur?

Many claimed the Wise Men, wherever the story was heard.

If you think Christmas is ‘right’ you’ve got it wrong

Contrasting cathedral Christmases conjure world-changing subversion.

Magi: where did the wise men come from?

The origin story of the Middle East's ancient king makers.

How to have a philosophically happy Christmas

Raise a glass to the invasion of history by the author of history.

Share some food and find the antidote to despair

Who we eat with says who we are.

Paula Gooder: the women of the nativity

A GodPod Christmas special with storyteller and theologian Paula Gooder.

Recently Popular

Article

A screengrab from Spotify reads 'your 2024 wrapped.

What Spotify Wrapped really tells us about ourselves

We listen, therefore we are.

The holy or the broken: Hallelujah at 40

What’s the magic sauce Leonard Cohen mixed into his masterpiece?

Watching Bonhoeffer from below

Does a new biopic capture a compelling and complex character?

Miranda Hart's diagnosis of the unseen

Beyond a medical illness she's on to something supernatural.

What good is a beautiful Notre Dame to a traumatized world?

Beauty reminds us why life is worth preserving.

All this can be yours: the momentum that drives mafia states

Once abhorred opinions gain traction among the distracted nursing grievances...

Why we’re fascinated with power behind closed doors

Conclave captures the powerful chemistry between heaven and earth.

Nightbitch’s metamorphosis of motherhood

In parenting the best things in life cost everything and nothing.

So, what are the prospects for peace and good will?

2025 will need the reconcilers, and their pain.

Wild writers for those who wish to wonder

A wilderness reader for wintertime and beyond

Podcasts

Podcast

Paula Gooder: the women of the nativity

A GodPod Christmas special with storyteller and theologian Paula Gooder.

Francis Collins: re-enchanting wisdom

Covid, faith, polarised politics and the battle for truth.

Re-enchanting… reading lists

As a Re-enchanting series ends, here's our guests and staff book picks.

Christmas countdown day 24: midnight's anxiety

Challenging OCD on Christmas Eve to find freedom.

Christmas countdown day 22: the contrast

You learn more when Christmas feels wrong.

Christmas countdown day 14: It's a Wonderful Life

It really is a wonderful life.

Christmas countdown day 19: team Christmas

Push past the stresses of the festive season and find joy.

Christmas countdown day 17: the shadow under the Christmas tree

The challenge of spending time with the family at Christmas.

Christmas countdown day 16: a philosophical Christmas

Raise a glass to the invasion of history.

Christmas countdown day 15: your reality of Christmas

Re-evaluating the story and experiences of the season.

Explore our podcasts: Re-enchanting, Seen & Unseen Aloud, and GodPod

Assisted Dying

Article

An MP stands and speaks in a parliamentary debate.

The assisted dying debate revealed the real role of Parliament

MPs from areas where people are vulnerable and at risk were more sensitive...

Assisted dying: truly a black Friday

The UK takes a step into the bleak unknown.

No, it is not your life to dispose of

What could not be said about the assisted dying debate

Why end of life agony is not a good reason to allow death on demand

Assisted dying and the unintended consequences of compassion.

Who holds the keys of death? The logic of assisted dying

The ethical principle of double effect.

Assisted dying hasn’t resolved Swiss end of life debates

Despite attempts to normalise it, new challenges still arise.

“Shortening death” sidesteps the real battle

We need to do more than protest bad deaths, we need to protest death itself...

Proposed euthanasia safeguards insult our NHS

We must defend a collective sense of care and generosity.

The deceptive appeal of assisted dying changes medical practice

In Canada the moral ethos of medicine has shifted dramatically.

Assisted dying: ethical and theological perspectives

Download the e-book of articles.

Nick Jones

Assisted dying

1 min read

Graham Tomlin- Most Popular in 2024

Explainer

A blue and gold domed mosque sits surrounded by old stone buildings of a city.

A history of Israel and Palestine – 4,000 years of history in 2,500 words

The land at the heart of the Middle Eastern crisis is at the centre of world...

Prince William's doubt is normal - it's impossible to be certain whether there is a God

Our limited human understanding means we will never fully understand God in...

The Rest is Luther

Did 'The Rest is History' get Luther right? Graham Tomlin gives his verdict

Graham Tomlin

Creed

Faith

Justification by faith

6 min read

Article

Red hat with the words Make America Great Again

Did God save Donald Trump?

In the aftermath of the assassination attempt, Graham Tomlin asks whether or...

The difference between Richard Dawkins and Ayaan Hirsi Ali

How we decide what is true rests on where we start from.

God in the garbage: Egypt's unlikely megachurch

Cairo's Church of the Zabballeen is the largest Church, and one of the most...

John Smyth: how evil masks itself as goodness

Be alert to the cloaked and warped wherever it occurs.

Are we Secular, Christian or Pagan?

After the Paris Olympics, Graham Tomlin wonders whether a full-on secularism...

Assisted Dying logic makes perfect sense but imposes a dreadful dilemma

The case for assisted dying appeals to choice and autonomy, yet not all...

Those unexpected angel stories

Shedding a strange light on a disenchanted world.

Recent Reviews

Review

Watching Bonhoeffer from below

Does a new biopic capture a compelling and complex character?

Rock ‘n’ roll’s long dance with religion

How popular music conjures sacred space.

The twelve days of Christmas TV

What to watch across the festive season.

Nine Lessons and Carols needs to be long

The carol service that take time to pull at the golden thread of Christmas.

That mother mild

A cartoon and a shampoo might shed some light on a lazy rhyme.

Band Aid: that song, that question

What’s so funny about generosity, kindness and compassion?

Christmas Countdown Day 18: singing together

All this carol singing rang a bell about the joy of belonging.

Christmas countdown day 14: It's a Wonderful Life

It really is a wonderful life.

Christmas countdown day 13: the hidden messages in carols

Beyond the festive there's a hint of rebellion and even revolution.

If you think Christmas is ‘right’ you’ve got it wrong

Contrasting cathedral Christmases conjure world-changing subversion.

Belle Tindall

Article

What Spotify Wrapped really tells us about ourselves

We listen, therefore we are.

The holy or the broken: Hallelujah at 40

What’s the magic sauce Leonard Cohen mixed into his masterpiece?

Re-enchanted: swimming with Charlie Mackesy

Fascinated by the astonishing success of the whimsical The Boy, The Mole...

Strangers and the sound of belonging

Utterly captivated by a clip of a Jacob Collier concert, and then...

The overwhelm

What follows is an act of female emancipation. Belle Tindall reviews the...

Where it's dangerous to believe

In the symbolic heart of a liberal democracy, a list is revealed of where it...

Updated: the war that we’re not seeing

Nagorno-Karabakh remains the epicentre of a complex and ongoing conflict...

Face to face with the danger of faith

In the face of compassion fatigue, connecting with the humanity of a cause...

Re-enchanting... the universe

In this third episode of Re-enchanting, Belle and Justin talk all things...

My conversation with... Jennifer Wiseman

Re-enchanting podcast guest Jennifer Wiseman shared an infectious wonder at...

Explore more of Belle's articles

Freedom of Belief

Nigeria’s terror survivors share their stories

This violence is not gruesome fiction, it’s reality.

Don’t send us back, North Korean escapee tells China

Timothy Cho hopes to help those still trying to escape.

From Nigeria’s killing fields to Europe’s shores, the data behind the domino effect

While Nigeria thrives, some left-behind are desperate to escape.

Seen in Beijing: what’s it like in a surveillance society?

Cameras and controls remind a visitor to value freedom.

Alex O'Connor: re-enchanting... atheism

Belle and Justin talk to Alex about atheism, culture's tides and what it...

We need to talk about Nigeria’s brutal war

As Nigerian culture rises globally, why do we ignore seven decades of...

Experiencing Tbilisi's cold shoulder

Georgia’s warm welcome doesn't extend to refugees fleeing Iran.

Iran: defender of minorities?

Making such claims is part of a carefully managed facade.

Seen & Unseen Alive: new episode

This week: democracy and dairy, The Three Body Problem, and artist Hannah...

The women with tears of gold

Artist Hannah Thomas’ visceral and moving portraits offer a glimpse into...

Digital Culture

Article

What Spotify Wrapped really tells us about ourselves

We listen, therefore we are.

Filterworld: algorithmic anxiety is flattening our culture

The rule of vanilla lets our unfeeling gadgets decide what’s best for us.

Seen in Beijing: what’s it like in a surveillance society?

Cameras and controls remind a visitor to value freedom.

Seen & Unseen Aloud: Googling, Ukraine and dragons

Did the Google impulse started in the Garden of Eden? Ukraine visit, and...

When tech holds us captive, here’s how to find liberation

The last of a three-part series exploring the implications of technology.

How tech harvests our humanity

The second in a three-part series exploring the implications of technology.

Tech has changed: it’s no longer natural or neutral

The first in a three-part series exploring the implications of technology.

Nick Spencer: re-enchanting aliens, animals, and AI

Belle and Justin chat with Nick about what makes humans unique.

Ghosting is not immature, it’s plain cruel

The dehumanising behaviour hiding in plain sight.

Browsing our bias

Should we curate our feeds for community or for challenge?

Explore the digital life

Political Culture

Review

Why we’re fascinated with power behind closed doors

Conclave captures the powerful chemistry between heaven and earth.

The utter miracle of disliking an election result

Voting is a profound act of love, argues Luke Bretherton, Regius Professor...

All this can be yours: the momentum that drives mafia states

Once abhorred opinions gain traction among the distracted nursing grievances...

So, what are the prospects for peace and good will?

2025 will need the reconcilers, and their pain.

Here's why we need to keep democracy holy

It's much more than a utilitarian deal that benefits the most.

Neighbours, nimbys, and politician power plays

Is there a politics that takes both love of the land and climate concerns...

Assisted dying hasn’t resolved Swiss end of life debates

Despite attempts to normalise it, new challenges still arise.

Blair’s revelatory sermon to Starmer

What can the former Prime Minister teach about leadership?

Seen & Unseen Aloud: Trump, Henry VIII, Paddington and Keegan

New episode: understanding the election, Tudor authority, the bear returns...

Would you rather live in Wolf Hall?

Monarchy and deciding who's really in charge.

Sport Culture

Column

A striker is about kick a football towards a goal, a red beach ball sits between him and the goalkeeper.

Referees and stupidity

What one referee’s foul-mouthed rant tells us about the nature of sport, and...

Transformer: how Jurgen Klopp gave belief to a team and city

Neil Atkinson talks about his new biography of the redemptive Liverpool...

Football’s rainbow row shows up symbolism’s flaws

The vagueness that gives symbols power reduces the chance for nuanced...

Football in the age of conspiracy theory

More politics in football is driving distrust and mis-information

The book to help you fall back in love with football

Neil Atkinson’s Transformer isn’t the straightforward biography of Jurgen...

Seen & Unseen Aloud: making meaning out of life

Winning, losing, the life in between, and the music that accompanies.

What’s Simone Biles doing today?

How to live with winning and losing.

Is the Premier League too much of a good thing?

A weary look ahead to the new season.

When medal mania strikes

What turns a healthy motivation to excel into a toxic desperation to achieve...

Letter to the Olympians

A veteran sports chaplain writes a letter to Christian Olympians, on how...

Artificial Intelligence

Article

An angel of death lays a hand of a humanioid robot that has died amid a data centre

What AI needs to learn about dying and why it will save it

Those programming truthfulness can learn a lot from mortality.

The wisdom of living with the question not googling the quick answer

Are we trading wisdom for apparent certainty?

Whether it's AI or us, it's OK to be ignorant

Our search for answers begins by recognising that we don’t have them.

Coal’s demise teaches us to be cautious about progress

Why the extinguishing of coal power should dampen attitudes to what promises...

Art, AI and apocalypse: Michael Takeo Magruder addresses our fears and questions

The digital artist talks about the possibilities and challenges of...

Are we letting a monster or saviour into the classroom?

Examining Sal Khan’s confidence in artificial intelligence.

When tech holds us captive, here’s how to find liberation

The last of a three-part series exploring the implications of technology.

How tech harvests our humanity

The second in a three-part series exploring the implications of technology.

Tech has changed: it’s no longer natural or neutral

The first in a three-part series exploring the implications of technology.

Seen & Unseen Aloud: new episode

C.S. Lewis' storytelling, Shardlake, and the mistakes that set us apart.

Think more about artificial intelligence

America

Snippet

America: two nations under God?

Red, blue, and rarely purple.

Trump's triumph is not the end of the world, nor the dawn of a new age

Donald Trump may not be as bad as many fear and not as good as many hope

Did God tell Joe Biden to stand down?

His story teaches us to listen a little more intently to what comes our way.

When America presses in on you

A returning American feels the heat generated by contesting ‘realities'.

Jonathan Aitken: I’m in my 80s and here’s what I’d tell Joe Biden

Don't succumb to this politicians' fantasy.

MAGA’s sorting of America

What would Bonhoeffer make of the rogue creed?

June 3: Esau McCaulley and Graham Tomlin - get tickets now

Join us in London as we explore today's cultural moments.

America's mood check: Matt McDonald interview

Dilemma, apathy, and what we get wrong about politics and religion.

The bullies invoking Jesus as their best buddy

Trump and Putin's desire to be loved, admired and followed.

Will America succumb to the undertow?

A returning expat asks if an exhausted majority is, in fact, asleep.