Theos

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Understanding faith. Enriching society.

Theos stimulates the debate about the place of religion in society, challenging and changing ideas through research, commentary and events.

report — Latest

Our latest report Faith and Belief on Campus: Division and Cohesion explores issues facing students in faith and belief societies at UK Universities
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Report — Latest

Our new report ‘Science and Religion: The perils of misperception’ gathers over 10 years of polling data to give the fullest picture yet of the science and religion landscape in the UK.
Read More
Comment — Latest

To coincide with his new BBC Radio 4 series ‘The Secret History of Science and Religion’ Nick Spencer sets out his thoughts on the story so far
Read More
Comment — Latest

Madeleine Ward considers the challenge and the opportunity that churches face when responding to loneliness in the young
Comment — Latest

In episode #41 of The Sacred, Elizabeth Oldfield talks to the author and journalist, Hussein Kesvani
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Comment

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Having faith in universities: What life is really like for students of religion or belief

Simon Perfect explores major new research by Theos looking at faith and belief societies in universities.

Science and Religion: the next chapter

Nick Spencer examines the history of science and religion and the extent to which they have been in conflict with one another.

Belief, Darwin, Humanity, Media, Reason, Religion, Science

Birmingham school protests: reflections three months in

Paul Bickley shares his thoughts on the protests at Anderton Park Primary School 27/06/2019

Activism, Britain, British Values, Education, LGBT, Protests

Never walking alone: the poster boys for public faith

Liverpool Football Club and its star player Mo Salah are normalising religious faith in the world of football, writes Hannah Rich. 04/06/2019

Christianity, Islam, Sport

Latest thoughts from the Theos team and guest contributors on current issues around religion and society.

Theos is a body that commands attention.

The Economist

Research

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Faith and Belief on Campus: Division and Cohesion

Simon Perfect

Universities are a symbolic battleground in debates about our values. But what is university like for students of different faiths or beliefs? This report explores faith and belief student societies, the challenges they face, and how they handle controversial issues like freedom of speech. (2019)

Extremism, Freedom of Speech, Secularism, Universities

Reports Download

Science and Religion: the perils of misperception

Nick Spencer

This report gathers over ten years of polling data to give the fullest picture yet of the science and religion landscape in the UK. (2019)

Belief, Bible, Darwin, Faith, Identity, Religion, Science

Reports Download

Prepare your church for emergency response: Lessons from Grenfell

Amy Plender

This guide draws on our research into faith group responses to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, and can be used in emergency response preparation. (2018)

Britain, Christianity, Church, Communities, Religion, Social Action, Trauma

Reports Download

Forgive Us Our Debts

Nathan Mladin

This report examines personal, corporate, and public debt in the UK within a moral framework. (2019)

Britain, Debt, Economy, Ethics, Government

Reports Download

Theos researches and investigates the intersection of religion, politics and society in the contemporary world.

Audio & Podcasts

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The Sacred #41: Hussein Kesvani

In the 41st episode of The Sacred, Elizabeth Oldfield talks to the author and journalist, Hussein Kesvani. 12/06/2019

Atheism, Belief, Britain, Faith, Islam, Podcast, Social Media

“What you will see depends on the questions you ask”: Talking, Quantum theory, and God

Leading science writer, Philip Ball, talks to Nick Spencer about his new book, ‘Beyond Weird’, quantum theory and the limits of language. 17/09/2018

Science, Theology

The Sacred #39: Sanderson Jones

In the 39th episode of The Sacred, Elizabeth Oldfield talks to the comedian and co–founder of Sunday Assembly Sanderson Jones. 15/05/2019

Atheism, Comedy, Communities, Podcast

The Sacred podcast explores how we can have better public conversations about the things we value, despite our differences. It is presented by our Director, Elizabeth Oldfield.

Events

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4 July 2019

Faith and Belief on Campus: Division and Cohesion

This conference explored religion or belief in universities and issues like freedom of speech, and launched our research in this area.

12 June 2019

Religion Online: How the internet is changing faith

Hussein Kesvani speaks about his adventures in the digital lives of Muslims and explores what this means for faith more broadly.

16 May 2019

City of God? The Desecularisation of the City

David Goodhew will join Theos’ Paul Bickley for a conversation on the power and profile of churches in London.

23 May 2019

Religion and Violence: what is the connection?

Authors Rupert Shortt and Ziya Meral tackle the difficult question, what is the connection between religion and violence?

Theos hosts public debates, discussions and lectures about relgion and society.

Among the most pressing political challenges of our time is to define the politics of the common good – ways of resisting the relentless commodification of our lives, our families and our communities. Theos shows us how the Christian tradition has a huge part to play in meeting that challenge.

Jon Cruddas MP

In the news

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Nick Spencer appears on BBC Radio 4’s Sunday programme

Theos has done a huge amount to raise the level of public debate about religion. It has won respect for its high–quality research and respect for honest enquiry.

Linda Woodhead, Professor, Sociology of Religion, Lancaster University

Understanding faith. Enriching society.

report — Latest

Our latest report Faith and Belief on Campus: Division and Cohesion explores issues facing students in faith and belief societies at UK Universities

Report — Latest

Our new report ‘Science and Religion: The perils of misperception’ gathers over 10 years of polling data to give the fullest picture yet of the science and religion landscape in the UK.

Comment — Latest

To coincide with his new BBC Radio 4 series ‘The Secret History of Science and Religion’ Nick Spencer sets out his thoughts on the story so far

Comment — Latest

Madeleine Ward considers the challenge and the opportunity that churches face when responding to loneliness in the young

Comment — Latest

In episode #41 of The Sacred, Elizabeth Oldfield talks to the author and journalist, Hussein Kesvani

Having faith in universities: What life is really like for students of religion or belief

Science and Religion: the next chapter

Birmingham school protests: reflections three months in

Never walking alone: the poster boys for public faith

Theos is a body that commands attention.

Faith and Belief on Campus: Division and Cohesion

Simon Perfect

Science and Religion: the perils of misperception

Nick Spencer

Prepare your church for emergency response: Lessons from Grenfell

Amy Plender

Forgive Us Our Debts

Nathan Mladin

The Sacred #41: Hussein Kesvani

“What you will see depends on the questions you ask”: Talking, Quantum theory, and God

The Sacred #39: Sanderson Jones

4 July 2019

Faith and Belief on Campus: Division and Cohesion

12 June 2019

Religion Online: How the internet is changing faith

16 May 2019

City of God? The Desecularisation of the City

23 May 2019

Religion and Violence: what is the connection?

Among the most pressing political challenges of our time is to define the politics of the common good – ways of resisting the relentless commodification of our lives, our families and our communities. Theos shows us how the Christian tradition has a huge part to play in meeting that challenge.

Nick Spencer appears on BBC Radio 4’s Sunday programme

Elizabeth Oldfield on BBC Radio 5live: The Emma Barnett Show

One in three of us trust in guardian angels. Why?

Will we worship artificial intelligence in the future?

Theos has done a huge amount to raise the level of public debate about religion. It has won respect for its high–quality research and respect for honest enquiry.