Unbelievable?

In a world riddled with conflict, where headlines scream of violence and unrest, the age-old question resurfaces: Is war ever justified, or should Christians wholeheartedly embrace pacifism? Join esteemed scholars Nigel Biggar and Stanley Hauerwas as they delve into the moral complexities of war and peace from a Christian perspective in this classic replay episode.

Nigel Biggar, renowned theologian and ethicist, brings his nuanced understanding of just war theory, exploring the conditions under which Christians might find themselves compelled to engage in warfare.

Stanley Hauerwas, also a leading voice in Christian ethics, advocates for a radical alternative: pacifism. Hauerwas challenges listeners to reconsider conventional notions of power and violence, urging a transformative approach rooted in love and nonviolence.

This episode originally aired on: 8 November 2014

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Recorded in Premier’s new London studios, John Nelson welcomes Rod Dreher for a wide-ranging conversation about freedom, faith, and the West’s growing spiritual hunger.

Drawing on his bestselling book Live Not By Lies, Dreher argues that today’s greatest threat is not Orwell-style tyranny but Huxley’s “soft totalitarianism” a culture that trades liberty for comfort, safety, and approval. Together, they explore the cost of discipleship, why suffering still matters (from Solzhenitsyn to Bonhoeffer), and how “therapeutic” Christianity leaves believers unprepared for pressure and loss.

Dreher also reflects on meeting Nick Cave, the search for transcendence, and why many young adults are moving from scepticism to spirituality sometimes via the occult. He concludes by introducing themes from his new book Living in Wonder, calling Christians to recover beauty, liturgy, prayer, and a hopeful (not naïve) vision for the future.

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Malcolm Guite joins Luke Martin for a wide-ranging Unbelievable: The Interview conversation on poetry, faith, and the power of imagination. Known as a poet, priest, and academic (and former chaplain of Girton College, Cambridge), Guite reflects on the writers who shaped him from Augustine to Coleridge, and especially C.S. Lewis and Tolkien. Why does imagination matter for truth, not just feelings? And what happens to a culture when “reason” becomes narrow, utilitarian, and disenchanted? Guite engages the modern hunger for beauty, tradition, and meaning, arguing we don’t need to “re-enchant” the world so much as un-disenchant ourselves. He also shares what he’s writing next: an epic poetic retelling of the Arthurian cycle Galahad and the Grail: Merlin’s Isle (Volume 1), out in March 2026 - a retelling restoring the Christian bedrock of the Arthurian legend and the Holy Grail, inspired by the Inklings.

For Luke Martin: follow on X https://x.com/luke_s_martin

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Can Christian faith survive a scientific age—or even thrive in it?

Andy Kind explores physics, faith, and meaning with Cambridge philosopher Dr Emily Qureshi-Hurst and scientist Sam McKee.

Drawing on Emily’s new book Decoding the Cosmos, the conversation tackles cosmic fine-tuning, design arguments, the multiverse, the limits of physics, and whether science could ever deliver a true “theory of everything”.

Emily explains why she is an atheist who rejects New Atheism, while Sam reflects on why Christianity remains the most coherent model of reality for him as a scientist. The discussion then moves into deeper territory—time, salvation, incarnation, and even the theological implications of alien life—raising profound questions about human uniqueness, divine action, and cosmic hope.

A thoughtful, warm, and often surprising conversation for anyone curious about science, philosophy, and faith.

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Rewind to this hot debate! What does it mean to be truly human in an age of artificial intelligence, declining religious belief, and rising spiritual hunger?

Oxford mathematician and Christian apologist Professor John Lennox and cognitive scientist Dr John Vervaeke of the University of Toronto explore whether AI threatens or reveals our uniqueness, if meaning can exist without God, and whether spiritual transformation is possible in a post-religious age.

Along the way, they challenge one another on the logos, consciousness, and the enduring power of the Book of Revelation.

Lennox draws from his new book, God, AI and the End of History, to argue for a Christian vision of wisdom and hope.

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Every Christmas we hear the familiar words read in church. Matthew chapter 1, quoting the prophet Isaiah: “The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel.” But critics argue there’s a serious problem. They say Isaiah wasn’t talking about a virgin at all—and that Matthew misused the prophecy. If that’s true, does it undermine the virgin birth? And does it put the credibility of the first Christmas at risk?

In this classic Unbelievable? discussion, theology lecturer Alistair McKitterick of Moorlands College explains why Matthew’s use of Isaiah is deliberate and theologically grounded, not a mistake. Challenging him is atheist sceptic Robert Stovold, who argues that the nativity story is a later invention by the gospel writers rather than a historical event. Is Christmas built on a mistranslation—or a deeper reading of Scripture?

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In this New Year’s classic edition of Unbelievable? author Jessica Kelly discusses the story behind her book Lord Willing: Wrestling with God’s Role in My Child’s Death. Jessica recounts the gradual onset of symptoms, the shock of an aggressive brain tumour diagnosis in her four-year-old son Henry, and the decision to bring him home with hospice care. She explains why she could not accept “God planned it” clichés, and how viewing God through Jesus—rather than a meticulous blueprint—helped her grieve without blaming God. In the second half, apologist Sarah Foster from the Pfander Centre discusses engaging Muslims in London, the questions young Christians face, and why churches should equip youth to respond with truth and love. A moving, candid conversation about suffering, faith, and witness today.

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Bad theology, great tunes - who cares? We bring you the truth about Christmas carols in this festive bonus from Ask NT Wright Anything, theologian Tom Wright and host Mike Bird take a playful yet thoughtful look at our favourite (and not-so-favourite) Christmas hymns. Many people love singing carols even if they’re unsure what they believe, but are some beloved hymns actually theologically misleading?

Recorded during Advent in London, this conversation explores which carols richly express the biblical meaning of Christmas and which may drift into sentimentality, confusion, or even quiet heresy. From the beauty of O Come All Ye Faithful to the problems lurking in Away in a Manger, Tom explains why words matter and how hymns shape what Christians believe about incarnation, salvation, and the future hope of God’s new creation.

A festive and surprising Christmas treat, rather like Christmas pudding!

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In a replay Christmas special Justin Brierley is joined by priest and physicist Revd Gillian Straine and agnostic astronomer Mark Kidger of the European Space Agency. They discuss the scientific theories for the star of Bethlehem, who the Magi were and how scientists reconcile the miracles of Christmas with science. And… cute kids alert! We hear the Christmas story retold by 6 and 7yr olds.

Towards the end of the show Justin also asks NT Wright whether we can trust the Christmas stories in Matthew and Luke as historical.

For Gillian Straine: http://www.gillianstraine.com/

For Mark Kidger’s blogs on the Star of Bethlehem: https://openspacescience.blog/2017/12/01/star-of-bethlehem-reflections/ 

For a previous show on the Star of Bethlehem: https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable/Episodes/Unbelievable-The-Star-of-Bethlehem-Fact-or-Fiction-Colin-Nicholl-Aaron-Adair-Mark-Kidger 

For the Ask NT Wright Anything podcast: http://www.askntwright.com

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In this live edition of Premier Unbelievable? from Aylesbury High School in the UK, stand-in host Sam McKee moderates a thought-provoking dialogue between:

Caleb Woodbridge – Christian writer, editor and cultural apologist

John Richards – President of Atheism UK

Together they wrestle with questions of meaning, value, morality, evolution, human rights, animal ethics, suffering and religion as comfort. Is “ultimate meaning” even a coherent idea? If morality evolved, can we still say some values are better than others?

This episode asks whether our deepest experiences of love, beauty, justice and purpose are just products of nature, or signposts to a transcendent source of meaning. Can atheism justify calling some values “better” or “more humane”? Does Christian belief offer real contact with ultimate reality, or just a comforting story? If you’re interested in atheism vs Christianity, meaning of life, and where morality comes from, this conversation is for you.

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