Luke Bretherton... re-enchanting the election(s)

Can we re-enchant politics, democracy and our vote? Oxford's new Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology discusses.

Nick Jones

Nick is the senior editor of Seen & Unseen.

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2024 will see more than sixty countries hold national elections and more than two billion people eligible to vote - including an imminent election in the UK and what looks to be a historic election in the US.

This calls for a special episode of Re-Enchanting.

Luke Bretherton is an author and theologian who currently splits his time between Duke University in the US and St Mellitus College here in London. It has just been announced that from January 2025 onwards, Luke will be the Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at Christ Church Oxford.

Specialising in political and moral theology, Luke’s books include the award-winning Christianity & Contemporary Politics, Resurrecting Democracy, and his latest offering - A Primer in Christian Ethics: Christ and the Struggle to Live Well.

Luke joins Belle and Justin to discuss the often-choppy waters of liberal democracy and to ponder whether we can re-enchant politics, democracy and our vote.

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Christmas culture

Podcasts

12 November 2025

1 min read

Advent Special, from Seen & Unseen Aloud

Our audio box set serves up some choice picks from Christmases past and present.

Natalie Garrett

Natalie produces and narrates The Seen & Unseen Aloud podcast. She's an Anglican minister and a trained actor.

Seen & Unseen Aloud: Advent Special audio boxset

Reflect this Advent with your Thinking Aloud audiobox

Enjoy your free Advent audiobox

However you choose to spend the festive period, we hope these reflections spark meaningful conversations and moments of stillness this Advent.

Listen now to the Seen & Unseen Advent Special series

Episode 1: Learning to find joy on Team Christmas, by psychologist Roger Bretherton

The clinical and coaching psychologist investigates the bone-deep satisfaction in the hard work of hosting Christmas at home and why the act has now become a spiritual discipline for him.

Episode 2: This is love, actually by Cameron Wiltshire Plant

The Leicestershire vicar explains that while the meet-cutes are abundant in the Christmas movie staple, it’s the sibling storyline that strikes at the truest meaning of love: God’s sacrifice.

Episode 3: My Boxing Day anti-climax, by Jonny Torrance

The priest and theologian ponders whether, once the most wonderful time of year has come and gone, anything really has changed and why the Christian faith also contends with this reality.