LICC’s Paul Woolley and Grace Fielding are joined by well-known experts to discuss just about everything, from AI taking over the world to what makes good stand-up, from the existential dread of ecological crisis to the simple benefits of prayer. There’s literally everything to talk about and just under an hour to talk about it.

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We all know what the first Christmas looked like, right? The stable, the donkey, the fluffy lambs, the shepherds and wise men all gathered round the manger… But it&#39;s no secret that in the two millennia since Jesus was born, the reality of the story has often been buried under a snowdrift of myths, adaptations, and memes. There&#39;s nothing wrong with a good Christmas tradition, but if we want to get to the earth-shattering, life-changing truth of Christmas, we need to clear off some of that snow and look at the people and places that were actually there. And it&#39;s not just the biblical story that needs a fresh look. From Coca-Cola&#39;s monopoly on Santa&#39;s origin story to why Christmas Day falls on 25 December, there are plenty of myths to bust. Luckily, in this Christmas episode – and the last episode of season 2 – Paul and Grace are joined by Nick Page, Christmas mythbuster extraordinaire. Nick is the author of &#39;Christmas: Tradition, Truth, and Total Baubles&#39;, which explores our yuletide traditions, and rummages through the sleigh-full of festive fake news that gets passed around each year. Together, they chat about how we can get back to the amazing reality of the season - and let it change our whole lives. Find out more about Nick&#39;s work at <a href="http://nickpage.net/" rel="nofollow">nickpage.net</a>

Nick Page: Busting Christmas myths

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The theatre is one of our oldest art forms. It has a unique power to unpick what it means to be human, to expose what&#39;s really going on in society, and to deliver an emotional gut-punch.  It&#39;s also full of kingdom character and opportunities. The Bible is often described as a unified story in six acts, and Jesus himself was in one sense a highly skilled &#39;performer&#39; – holding huge crowds with carefully crafted stories that revealed deeper truths about his listeners and the world he was in. So how can the theatre contribute to God&#39;s mission on earth – and how does it echo his character? To dive into the wonderful world of the West End, Paul and Grace chat to actor, singer, and dancer Naomi Alade, a cast member in the musical &#39;Six&#39;. She shares her journey into the performing arts, what it looks like to be distinctively Christian in an often challenging space, and how theatrical productions can bring glory to God. Naomi trained in musical theatre at the University of West London and has been working in the industry for the last three years. As well as &#39;Six&#39;, she&#39;s appeared in &#39;Beautiful: The Carole King Musical&#39;, &#39;Eugenius!&#39;, and the Robin Hood pantomime. Follow her on Instagram @naomialade1

Naomi Alade: Performing in 'Six' and finding faith in theatre

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In the UK today, few people would say that social action isn&#39;t a central part of the church&#39;s mission. Whether it&#39;s providing food banks, debt advice centres, night shelters, winter &#39;warm banks&#39;, or any other kind of assistance, the church is rightly seen as a major national player in the fight against poverty. But despite that, many of the UK&#39;s biggest social action charities have lost the distinctively Christian character with which they were founded. Organisations that were founded on sharing the message and the practical love of Jesus have lost the former, and as a result, people can forget that the latter is rooted in the love of God, not just altruism. In fact, talking about the Jesus who inspired your social action is often seen as bad manners. How should we respond to this lopsided cultural landscape, where the church&#39;s provision is appreciated but the gospel roots of social action are forgotten or rejected? Paul and Grace dive into this complex but crucial issue with Jon Kuhrt, CEO of Hope into Action. Jon has worked with people affected by homelessness for over 30 years, and is a former government adviser on how faith groups can address rough sleeping. Listen in to hear Jon&#39;s wisdom, and read more from him at gracetruth.blog

Jon Kuhrt: Why have so many social action charities lost their Christian roots?

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The UK is facing an epidemic of poor mental health. Even if you&#39;ve never experienced depression or anxiety yourself, chances are you&#39;ve got plenty of friends or family who have. For so many of us, poor mental health is a constant spectre hanging over our lives, making the simplest of tasks into a battle, and stopping us truly thriving. The Christian story can speak amazing healing into this darkness – but the church&#39;s record on mental health is far from spotless. Too often, people managing mental ill health can feel shamed or pressured, as though they&#39;re at fault for not believing enough in God&#39;s promises, or as though being a Christian should mean always being joyful and happy. So how do we sensitively and fruitfully bring the gospel of hope and redemption into the conversation about mental health? To explore this crucial topic, Grace and Paul chat to Elle Limebear, songwriter, worship leader, artist, and author of &#39;Say Goodbye to Anxiety&#39;. Find out more about Elle&#39;s work at ellelimebear.co.uk

Elle Limebear: It's time to say goodbye to anxiety

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Right now, for the first time in about 1400 years, Christians in the British Isles are living in a non-Christian culture. Yes, the remnants of Christian influence are all around us – but by and large, our society rejects the authority of the church, the Bible, and God himself.  At the same time, cultural norms are changing at breakneck speed. Digital technology has rewritten the rules of social interaction, political discourse is degenerating fast, and sexual and moral codes are being rewritten in the name of selfish individualism. All in all, it can be a bewildering time to try and live for Jesus.  How should we respond to this culture we find ourselves in? Draw battle lines, engage caps lock, and fight to the last? Well, according to Mark Sayers, author of A Non-Anxious Presence, there is a better way. Rather than being overwhelmed by cultural change, Christians can offer a more peaceful, wise way forward. Because we know the one who never changes, we can be a non-anxious presence - bringing kingdom perspective and service into the world, moulding culture to be more kingdom-like. Listen in as Mark chats with Paul and Grace about all things cultural engagement. Mark Sayers is the author of several popular books, including Disappearing Church, Reappearing Church, and The Road Trip that Changed the World. He also hosts the Rebuilders podcast, and leads Red Church in Melbourne, Australia. Find out more at marksayers.co

Mark Sayers: Navigating Faith in a Shifting Culture

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Race affects everything. From our everyday interactions to our sense of self, our educational prospects to our health outcomes, our career progression to our housing situation. Our race doesn&#39;t dictate all the details of our lives to us – but it has a major statistical impact on how we&#39;re treated and the opportunities we get. Systemic racism can negatively affect people from minority ethnic groups. And on a day-to-day basis, racist abuse and prejudice continue to blight far too many lives. So if God is a God of justice, how should the church respond? What does the Christian story have to say about the way race and ethnicity fit into God&#39;s good creation? How do we have tough but essential conversations about racism in a way that balances love with urgency, unity with righteousness?  To explore these questions and more, Paul and Grace are joined by Chine McDonald, director of Theos think tank. Born in Nigeria, she moved to the UK aged four. She read theology &amp; religious studies at Cambridge University before training as a newspaper journalist. She&#39;s a regular contributor to BBC religion and ethics programmes, including Thought for the Day on Radio 4, the daily service, and Prayer for the Day. She is the author of Am I Beautiful? and God Is Not a White Man, and sits on a number of charity boards, including Greenbelt Festival, where she&#39;s vice-chair, and Christian Aid.

Chine McDonald: Exploring race, justice, and the Christian story

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The climate and ecological crisis poses a massive threat to all of us. But somehow, the problem&#39;s so big it can feel hard to know what to do in response – or how to keep fighting for change after decades of trying. And for followers of Jesus, there&#39;s an added question: how far is the Christian story concerned with these issues? To get into all this and more, Paul and Grace host Laura Young (aka @lesswastelaura), an award-winning climate activist, environmental scientist, and ethical influencer. Based in Scotland, she&#39;s led the campaign against disposable vapes, appeared on a host of broadcast media, and is researching how her home nation can improve its climate resilience in community-centred, nature-based ways. Together, they explore why working for the healing of God&#39;s creation is far from a peripheral issue for Christians – in fact, it&#39;s a crucial part of the church&#39;s mission to join in the redemption of all things. And as if that wasn&#39;t enough, Laura shares practical, actionable ideas for how each of us can make a difference on climate issues, right where we are. Find out more about Laura at lesswastelaura.com/

Laura Young: The small and big things we can do for climate justice

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If there&#39;s one issue that defines many people&#39;s perspective on Christianity, it&#39;s sex and relationships. The church has a reputation for being judgemental and restrictive, for burdening people with a heavy weight of guilt around their sex life rather than painting a beautiful picture of sex&#39;s place in God&#39;s world. How can we do better? Christianity&#39;s sexual ethics are as distinctive today as they were in ancient Rome – focused on care, commitment, and joy rather than power, selfishness, and consumerism. As many people&#39;s exploration of their sexual selves has moved online, and as sex and relationships have become increasingly central to people&#39;s sense of their own worth and identity, our culture is awash with anxiety and depression. Christianity has a beautiful alternative to offer – sex as an expression of faithfulness and love, rather than sex as a social (or financial) commodity. With all that to discuss, Paul and Grace get expert insights from Rachel Gardner, Director of Partnerships at Youthscape and a church leader in Blackburn. Together they explore the unique beauty of Christian sexual ethics – and how we can engage wisely in our daily lives with this thorniest of topics. Rachel has written several books for young people on sex and relationships, including The Sex Thing and The Girl Deconstruction Project.

Rachel Gardner: Christians don’t hate sex. They want it to be great

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If they hear the phrase &#39;UK Christian politician&#39;, a lot of people will think &#39;Tim Farron&#39;. The former leader of the Liberal Democrats and incumbent MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale knows exactly what it takes to live distinctively for Jesus in frontline politics – including in the glare of the national media spotlight. In the fourth and final part of our election special, Tim speaks to Paul and Grace about the Christian roots of the Lib Dems&#39; policy platform, how we can grow a more Christlike culture in politics, and what he&#39;s learnt about effective witness during his time in the Westminster bear pit.  And as attention focuses on Sunak and Starmer, he makes the case for the &#39;third way&#39; of the Liberal Democrats – will you be convinced? As well as his political work, Tim Farron hosts the &#39;Mucky Business&#39; podcast – listen at https://www.premier.plus/a-mucky-business-with-tim-farron

Election special | Tim Farron | The Lib Dems: a Christian perspective

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As the general election campaign ramps up, all eyes are on the Labour Party. Will this be the moment they take power for the first time since 2010? And what – if anything – has the Christian faith got to do with Labour politics? Continuing our four-part election special, Cat Smith chats to Paul and Grace about how the Christian story connects to the vision and policies of the Labour Party, and what it looks like for her to live out her faith in frontline politics. How do you balance your loyalties to your party, leader, constituents, values – and Jesus? Cat has served as Labour MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood since 2015, and was a member of the Shadow Cabinet from 2016 to 2021.

Election special | Cat Smith | Labour: a Christian perspective

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As an MSP, John Mason has the luxury of not being up for election on 4 July. But the fortunes of his party, the SNP, will be crucial to the outcome of the general election – and the future makeup of the UK itself.  In the third instalment of our election special, John speaks to Paul and Grace about the Christian history of the Scottish National Party, and shares his experience of publicly standing up for his Christian values, often receiving a strongly negative response from those who disagree.  What does it mean to be distinctively Christian while also prioritising gracious debate and a &#39;broad tent&#39; approach to party politics? John has been MSP for Glasgow Shettleston since 2011, and was previously MP for Glasgow East from 2008–2010, and a Glasgow City Councillor from 1998–2008.

Election special | John Mason | The SNP: a Christian perspective

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With the 2024 general election underway, The Whole Life Podcastbrings you a four-part election special! Christian politicians from four major UK parties discuss how the Christian story connects to both their own work and their parties&#39; unique character and policies.  Amid the noise of the campaign, it&#39;s something a little different – a chance to hear how the Christian faith continues to shape our politics, through the daily discipleship of politicians right across the spectrum. First up, it&#39;s John Glen of the Conservative Party. John has served as MP for Salisbury since 2010, and as Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General since November 2023.  Going into the election, after a stormy few years the Tories must defend their record and convince voters they&#39;re the right people to continue the job. Paul and Grace quiz John on the character, competence, and compassion shown (or not!) during 14 years of Conservative government, and John shares how his faith plays into the tricky decision-making that comes with holding national office.

Election special | John Glen | The Conservatives: a Christian perspective

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It&#39;s all flown by so fast! As we close out season 1 of The Whole Life Podcast, Paul and Grace chat about their favourite moments from the first 13 episodes, what surprised them, and the wisdom that&#39;ll stay with them.  Stay tuned – we&#39;ve got lots of exciting stuff planned for the rest of 2024!

Season 1 wrap-up: What we loved and what we've learned

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Scientific advances have been rewriting our understanding of reality for centuries. Now, in the 2020s, the pace is rapidly accelerating.  Whether it&#39;s the quest for immortality or the search for alien life, the treatment of pandemics or animal personhood, AI or mental health, abortion or genetic editing, science is making advances that pose huge questions about what it means to be human, whether we should change ourselves, and how far we should &#39;play God&#39;.  With every new power we develop, a whole new set of ethical and moral questions emerge. What does it mean to live well in a world where the very concept of personhood is up for debate, and where human ingenuity is extending its reach into the very building blocks of life? What impact does that have on our daily lives – and the way we live out our faith in the places God’s put us?  To unpack these thorny questions, Paul and Grace speak with Dr Nick Spencer, author, broadcaster, and Senior Fellow at the think tank Theos. Nick is the author of several books and reports, including &#39;Magisteria: the Entangled Histories of Science and Religion&#39;, &#39;The Political Samaritan: How Power Hijacked a Parable&#39;, &#39;The Evolution of the West&#39;, and &#39;Atheists: The Origin of the Species&#39;. His latest book is &#39;Playing God&#39;. Nick is host of the podcast &#39;Reading Our Times&#39;, and outside Theos, is Visiting Research Fellow at the Faiths and Civil Society Unit, Goldsmiths, University of London and a Fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion.

Nick Spencer: Why playing God isn't actually a bad thing

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Fashion is the UK&#39;s biggest creative industry, worth over £26 billion a year. If we wear clothes, it affects us, whether we care about it or not. Our clothes aren&#39;t just functional – they communicate who we are and what we care about. Despite all that, the fashion industry&#39;s reputation isn&#39;t exactly holy. From fast fashion&#39;s environmental impact to haute couture&#39;s fondness for unrealistic body ideals, it can seem as though we&#39;re better off keeping away from the whole thing. But God cares about every part of life, and what we wear is no exception. So what does the Christian story have to say about fashion, and what are the implications for us, whether we’re in the fashion industry or not? To explore those questions, Paul and Grace are joined by Christina Abbott, personal shopper and stylist to the stars. Over a long and varied career, she&#39;s dressed just about every kind of A-lister imaginable, from royalty to film stars, pop sensations to world leaders. She&#39;s a Christian and passionate about luxury fashion, faith, and where the two meet. Listen to Christina&#39;s stories – and get a fresh perspective on the industry that clothes the world. Christina Abbott currently runs an independent consultancy that focuses on leadership, team development, and public speaking, with a particular focus on the luxury fashion sector. She also offers bespoke shopping experiences in London. Find out more at christinaabbott.co.uk

Christina Abbott: Dressing Tom Cruise, Tina Turner, and the Royal Family

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Think about the last time you bought an illustrated book. What percentage of the royalties do you think the illustrator got? Nope, not 50/50 with the author – most publishers only offer 3%–5%, even though illustrations often sell the book. Why do we undervalue design and illustration? God, after all, is the great designer – we literally live and breathe his amazing handiwork. Too often, though we treat visual communication as a secondary thing, just supporting the words on the page rather than doing a huge amount of the heavy lifting. In reality, the old adage &#39;a  picture is worth a thousand words&#39; is totally true – illustrators and designers shape the way we perceive the world around us, and their work stays burned in our brain long after we&#39;ve forgotten the specific words that accompanied it. In this episode, Paul and Grace speak to Martha Ratcliff of @martharatcliffillustration about the crucial role design and illustration play in our world, how good design stays with us for a lifetime – and how God&#39;s creativity is the template for so much human endeavour. Martha is a professional designer and illustrator whose work has appeared on greetings cards sold in major high street chains, as well as the recent book &#39;Bible Stories for Little Ones&#39; and her own line of prints and merchandise. Find out more at www.martharatcliffillustration.com

Martha Ratcliff: How illustrators shape everyone's minds

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It&#39;s not exactly a vintage time for politics in the West. Our prospective leaders either leave us apathetic or drive us into feral tribes. Perhaps the reason we&#39;re left so cold or scared by so many of today&#39;s political class is that we&#39;ve let the importance of character slip away from our political culture. Gone are the days of great power bringing great responsibility (if they ever existed) – instead, we seem to be voting for people whose sole goal is power for its own sake. Michael Wear, author and former advisor to President Obama, believes we need to make character central to our politics once more if we&#39;re to see it reformed. Actions flow out of personality and values. If we cared as much about politicians&#39; humility, kindness, and honesty as we do about their cultural affiliation or soundbite policies, we might begin to move towards a more mature – even godly – politics. In a year that&#39;ll see more than 40% of the global population vote in an election, Michael talks with Paul and Grace about why character matters, and how a refreshed focus on character can create a politics of hope – all of which is grounded in the Christian story. Michael Wear is the Founder, President and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life, and previously led Public Square Strategies, a consulting firm that helps religious organizations, political organizations, businesses and others effectively navigate the rapidly changing American religious and political landscape. Michael is the author of several books on politics, faith, and culture, and writes for The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Catapult Magazine, and Christianity Today.

Michael Wear: If we don't care about character, we get bad leaders

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&#39;&#39;Christianity is outdated. A cultural relic from a less enlightened time. Superstition for the masses – not the kind of thing intelligent people believe in nowadays.&#39; That&#39;s the general message New Atheism put out into the world in the noughties. And for a while it felt like Dawkins and Hitchens and co might have had the last word. In Alastair Campbell&#39;s memorable phrase, it seemed as though the UK at large &#39;didn&#39;t do God&#39; any more. And yet. Over the last few years, something&#39;s started to shift. Podcaster and author Justin Brierley has been hosting high-profile debates between Christians, atheists, and agnostics for nearly two decades, and in that time he&#39;s seen the conversation change. A new set of so-called secular thinkers are turning away from the materialist non-story of reality and reconsidering how the Christian story speaks to today’s meaning crisis. In this live episode, hosts Paul Woolley and Grace Fielding chat to Justin and Tom Holland, author of the bestselling book &#39;Dominion&#39; and host of the hugely popular podcast &#39;The Rest is History&#39;. Together, they explore why new atheism is growing old and the Christian view of reality is making a comeback.

Justin Brierley and Tom Holland: Are we witnessing a rebirth of belief in God?

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It&#39;s the 18th Century. Slavery has been a fact of life for millennia, and a new, racialised form is now powering the wealth and expansion of the British Empire. Faced with that reality, the British abolition movement should have been doomed to fail. So where did it come from, why did it take hold, and how did it succeed?  To answer those questions, Paul and Grace are joined by Professor John Coffey from the University of Leicester, who specialises in the religion, politics, and ideas of the Protestant Atlantic world from 1600 to 1850.  In this episode, he explains how the Christian faith of key figures like William Wilberforce inspired them to act, and how abolitionism became a popular movement as well as a legislative campaign – based on the very Christian idea that all humans are equally valuable in God&#39;s eyes.

John Coffey: Christianity and the abolition of the slave trade

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No buzzword is buzzier than &#39;AI&#39;. Depending on who you talk to, it&#39;s either going to deliver the perfect utopia we&#39;ve always dreamed of, take over the world and wipe us off the face of the earth – or simply fail to take off altogether. Whichever of these scenarios we&#39;re heading towards, what we do know is that AI poses all kinds of weird new questions about human identity, consciousness, sentience, and value. Can a machine learning model be a person? Can it be self-aware? Can it suffer? Does it need rights? And in the middle of all that – what happens to our understanding of who we are before God? So much of our understanding of what it means to be &#39;made in the image of God&#39; has to do with our minds: our ability to reason, problem-solve, create. When AI can do all of that better than us – when AI becomes more human than humans – what does that say about who we are, and about who God is? To untangle all this, Paul Woolley and Grace Fielding chat to Eve Poole, author of &#39;Robot Souls: Programming in Humanity&#39;, which explores how understanding human &#39;code&#39; can help us build safer AI. Eve is a leadership expert, author, and frequent commentator on ethics in public life. She was formerly Third Estates Commissioner, one of the most senior lay roles in the Church of England, and was appointed OBE in 2023 for services to education and gender equality. Find out more at evepoole.com

Eve Poole: Is AI created in the image of God?

Connecting the Christian story with all of life.

LICC’s Paul Woolley and Grace Fielding are joined by well-known experts to discuss just about everything, from AI taking over the world to what makes good stand-up, from the existential dread of ecological crisis to the simple benefits of prayer. There’s literally everything to talk about and just under an hour to talk about it.