Tom Holland talks about his most compelling moments of faith

...and I have (polite) beef with Humanist UK president Adam Rutherford

Author

Justin Brierley
May 10, 2023

If you haven’t yet caught the latest Re-Enchanting episode with Tom Holland then do have a listen. It’s a corker.

In recent years I, along with many others in the Christian world, have been slightly obsessed with Tom Holland (No, not Spiderman. The bestselling historical author and co-host of ‘The Rest if History’).

I’ve had the pleasure of sitting down with him several times to host discussions on why, as an agnostic historian, he has come to believe that the Christian Revolution of the 1st Century is responsible for the moral instincts of the 21st Century West. If you want to read the long version then do get hold of his magnum opus ‘Dominion’.

Our most recent conversation, also available on Youtube, was shared with my Re-Enchanting co-host Belle Tindall. As well as a lot of fascinating conversation about the Christian history on display in the Coronation, Islam, Humanism, and Nazis too, we talked about Tom’s own journey.

A number of listeners have commented that the final 10mins was the most riveting part of the conversation as we move beyond the purely intellectual issues.

I asked Tom a personal question or two about where he stands on the faith front (he doesn’t mind me probing… too much!). His answer as ever, was honest and eloquent.

He spoke of how his most persuasive moments of believing that Christianity could be true are often connected with standing in its most ancient sites. Speaking of a recent trip to St Martin’s in Kent, a church dating from before 597AD and founded on a Roman mausoleum, Tom said:

“You stand in that place and you are not only going back to the beginning of continuous Christianity in the English-speaking world. But you’re also going back beyond that to the last days of the Roman Empire. And the sense of the strangeness there. I completely felt it. I felt the spirit rush, the flame!

Maybe it’s just that I feel moved by antiquity. But Christianity is an ancient religion and it’s written through time. That’s the whole point of it. Augustine talks of a pilgrim church, going through time. So the fact that Christianity is situated in time, in history, is important. And personally I find that very moving.”

Tom concluded the conversation by saying “I crave the enchantment. A Christianity that has bled itself of enchantment is a pallid and an anaemic thing.”

Listen or watch the conversation in full, and do check out the other great conversations on the Re-Enchanting podcast. 

P.S. Become a Patreon Supporter and you’ll get a bit more behind-the-scenes of what happened when I recorded with Tom Holland, including thoughts on living in the ‘goldfish bowl of Christian faith’ and his surprising choice of breakfast condiment!

You’ll also be the first to see early release of new video material … coming soon

Oh c’mon Humanists UK!

Saturday was spent in the company of family and friends watching the Coronation of King Charles III on TV. I’m not a staunch monarchist (I didn’t feel the need to join in the ‘People’s Oath’ of allegiance), but it was a great occasion and (as expected) a service rich in Christian symbolism and prayer. However there was also a generosity of spirit shown to other faith traditions in attendance. It’s the kind of thing the CofE does quite well.

So I was surprised to get a florid email the same morning from secular campaigning group Humanists UK (I’ve been on their mailing list for years) claiming that the Coronation was part of a ‘truly alarming’ resurgence of religion in the UK. And calling on all ‘rational citizens’ to fund their cause in fighting all this superstitious nonsense.

I tweeted why I felt this email was rather over the top, tagging Humanist president Adam Rutherford in whose name the email had been written:

I was surprised and gratified to get a response from Rutherford (who was also watching the Coronation). Our conversation continued thus:

Not exactly a full force debate but I was pleased that Rutherford had engaged. I don’t know what the future holds for the Monarchy, the Church and the UK, but I am glad that (for now) we can still celebrate a church service which began with a child approaching the head of state saying ‘As children of the Kingdom of God, we welcome you in the name of the King of Kings’ with Charles responding:

“In his name and after his example I come not to be served but to serve.”

That’s all for now. There are lots of exciting plans in the pipeline.

As ever, if you feel able to support me as I transition into new freelance ministry projects (without the safety net of a monthly salary!), you can do so here either via Paypal or Patreon.

Thank you and Best wishes

Justin