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The Surprising Rebirth Of Belief In God

S2 E19. The Rise Of The Lapsed Atheists

The Surprising Rebirth Of Belief In God

Justin Brierley

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.8592 Ratings

🗓️ 26 August 2025

⏱️ 94 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When high-profile food critic and journalist Giles Coren revealed he had begun attending church as a 'lapsed atheist' he joined an increasing number of people now using that label to describe themselves. Justin Brierley investigates why other public figures like Konstantin Kisin, Louise Perry, Niall Ferguson, James Lindsay and Carl Benjamin are trying out church as 'lapsed atheists'. He also hears from a new breed of thinking atheists - Alex O Connor (aka Cosmic Skeptic) and Joe Folley (aka Unsolicited Advice) on what it would take for them to believe. But what moves 'lapsed atheists' towards Christian faith? Ross Douthat, author of 'Believe: Why everyone should be religious' offers advice, and Luke Thornton a young convert from atheism to Christianity tells his story. 'Responding To The Rebirth' Conference: http://rebirthconference.net/ More info, book & newsletter: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/ Support via Patreon for early access to new episodes and bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/justinbrierley/membership Support via Tax-deductible (USA) and get the same perks: https://defendersmedia.com/portfolio/justin-brierley/ Give a one-off gift via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/brierleyjustin Buy the book or get a signed copy: https://justinbrierley.com/the-surprising-rebirth-of-belief-in-god/ Got feedback? Share it with us by emailing: feedback@think.faith Ep 19 show notes: https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/season-2-episode-19-lapsed-atheists Also, check out our show ‘Uncommon Ground’ for discussion and debates: ⁠https://justinbrierley.com/uncommon-ground-podcast/⁠ The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God is a production of Think Faith in partnership with Genexis, and support from The Jerusalem Trust. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Well, we were not prepared for this. The venue is full. However, the mission is bigger than the room. You can still join us. Due to the incredible uptake, our responding to the Rebirth Conference will now be live streamed. Book your online pass now at rebirthconference.net. You may not be in the room, but you can still be part of the

0:22.5

response from anywhere in the world on Saturday the 22nd of November. On the live stream,

0:28.5

you'll get full access to all keynote sessions, panels and interviews with guests, including

0:33.6

John Lennox, Paul Kingsnorth, Elizabeth Oldfield and Al Gordon. You can take part in the

0:38.9

Q&A. You'll get to take home recordings of all of the sessions and get a front row seat to what God is doing.

0:45.7

A rebirth is happening. Let's respond together wherever we are. Book your live stream pass at

0:52.0

rebirthconference.net.

0:56.6

I'm Giles Corrin. As restaurant critic for the London Times, I've become the most powerful critic in Europe.

1:02.5

Restaurant owners fear me because a bad review from me could shut them down, but a good one could bump up their profits by a million dollars.

1:09.5

With my researcher, Julia, I'm in North America looking for restaurants worthy of my review,

1:13.6

which could change their business and lives forever.

1:17.6

Giles Corrin is a UK journalist, newspaper columnist and food critic,

1:22.6

whose opinions on cuisine and culture have been watched and read by millions of people.

1:28.7

But at the beginning of Lent this year, his weekly column in The Times took an unexpected turn.

1:36.1

Maybe Ash Wednesday has become a kind of national coming out as a Christian day.

1:42.3

This is the BBC's Sunday show picking up on Corrin's column titled,

1:47.6

This Lent I Will Turn Atheism to Ashes.

1:50.8

In his column in The Times this year on Ash Wednesday,

1:54.1

Charles Corrin tells the story of his own waning atheism and his gradual embrace of the Christian faith. And that column has caused quite a stir,

2:04.2

as they say. Some even see it as evidence of the spiritual tide turning. In the widely shared

2:13.3

article, Corrin explained how he had been raised in a non-practicing Jewish home by parents

2:19.1

with no belief in God. Like them, Corrin had never thought of himself as religious, writing,

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