Maxwell Institute Podcast #182: The Future of Religion in the United Kingdom with Thomas Russell

Maxwell Institute Podcast

Christianity, Education, Religion & Spirituality

4.7 • 809 Ratings

🗓️ 19 September 2025

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Church bells still ring across the United Kingdom—often to thinner congregations. In this episode, host Rosalynde Welch speaks with filmmaker and BYU media-arts professor Tom Russell, the Maxwell Institute’s newest associate and a two-year fellow, about his mini-series Congregation—a thoughtful portrait of worship in the UK. Rather than tallying decline, Russell turns the camera toward those who still choose to gather: students and vicars, parish choirs and families. Together they ask: Why do people still come? What do they find here that’s hard to find elsewhere? Along the way, they explore how art, nature, and beauty—from green fields to stained glass—can deepen our connection with God and renew covenant-shaped community. The fellowship, purpose, and hope many discover at church remain vibrantly alive.

Transcript

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0:00.0	From Brigham Young University's Maxwell Institute, this is the Maxwell Institute podcast, Faith Illuminating Scholarship.
0:10.7	I'm Rosalind Welch. Today I have for you an interview with Professor Tom Russell, a filmmaker and professor of media arts at Brigham Young University.
0:21.6	Tom is also our newest associate at the Maxwell Institute.
0:25.6	He's the first of several BYU colleagues who have joined us for a two-year fellowship.
0:30.6	Each of these new fellows comes from a different academic background,
0:35.6	but they all bring an exciting project that relates
0:38.5	in some way to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
0:42.4	Tom is here to complete a television miniseries called Congregation, which is a thoughtful
0:48.2	look at congregational worship in the United Kingdom.
0:53.0	Like many places around the world, the UK has seen a decline in
0:56.8	religiosity, and many churches stand empty on Sunday mornings. While some observers believe that religion
1:03.9	may be on the cusp of a comeback, there's no doubt that the retreat of churchgoing has
1:10.0	profoundly changed the way that communities
1:12.6	are organized in England. Tom wanted to document this moment in time, not only to preserve on
1:20.2	film the places and practices of the faithful, but to better understand those who continue to congregate
1:27.3	in worship.
1:28.3	Because the truth is that the flock of the faithful is still vibrant on the sceptered aisle.
1:35.3	What motivates the faith leaders and the worshippers who gather every Sunday?
1:40.3	What do they find together in church that they can't find elsewhere? And how is it that
1:47.3	art, nature, and beauty can complement our search for God at church? Join me in this lively
1:55.2	conversation with Professor Tom Russell. Tom Russell, welcome to the Maxwell Institute podcast. Thank you, Rosal.
2:04.7	All right. So come with me on a little journey, a journey of the mind, Tom. We're going to cross
	...

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