Classic: Live Q&A - Is Religion Useful Fiction or Ultimate Truth? Alister McGrath vs Bret Weinstein (Part 2)
In this second part of Unbelievable? Season 2’s The Big Conversation, recorded before a live London audience in partnership with the Templeton Religion Trust, we return to Christian theologian Prof. Alister McGrath (University of Oxford) and evolutionary biologist Brett Weinstein.
Having debated whether religion is a useful fiction or ultimate truth in Part One, McGrath and Weinstein now field questions from the audience. The Q&A covers wide-ranging issues: is humanity more than an “over-evolved animal”? Has evolutionary science stalled since Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene? Does Scripture remain relevant in addressing modern moral concerns? What are the evolutionary benefits of following Jesus? And is belief in God essential to the usefulness of religion?
A lively, respectful dialogue probing the deepest questions of science, faith, and human meaning.
Part 1: https://www.premier.plus/unbelievable/podcasts/episodes
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Classic: Is Religion Useful Fiction or Ultimate Truth Part 1? Alister McGrath vs Bret Weinstein
In this classic episode of Unbelievable? The Big Conversation, recorded before a live London audience in partnership with the Templeton Religion Trust, Christian theologian Prof. Alister McGrath (University of Oxford) and evolutionary biologist Brett Weinstein explore the provocative question: Is religion a useful fiction or ultimate truth?
Weinstein, well known for his work on evolutionary theory and public debates on culture, argues that religion may be literally false but metaphorically true—an adaptive survival mechanism. McGrath, drawing on his journey from atheism to Christian faith, contends that Christianity is not only beneficial but also true.
This is Part One of the discussion. Join us next time for Part Two, featuring audience Q&A with the speakers.
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🔗 Get bonus content, updates, fascinating articles, and early access to new episodes - absolutely free! Join now at www.premierunbelievable.com 📢
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Charlie Kirk's Legacy - Preserving Debate in a Polarised Age | Os Guinness, Krish Kandiah, Billy Hallowell
The shocking death of Charlie Kirk has left a void in the public square. However you felt about his politics or style, he was a figure unafraid to step into hostile spaces, defend his Christian faith, and face opponents head-on. From the Oxford Union to U.S. campuses, Kirk embodied a willingness to disagree openly at a time when many retreat to echo chambers.
In this week's show Premier Unbelievable?'s Billy Hallowell is joined by Os Guinness and Krish Kandiah to reflect on Kirk’s legacy, the controversies, and the reckoning his loss demands. How do we preserve free speech without fear? How do we turn down the temperature in our debates? And can we recover the art of disagreeing agreeably in a polarised age? To keep bringing you conversations like this — with a wide range of voices and remarkable guests — why not consider supporting the production of more Unbelievable? podcasts //www.premierunbelievable.com/geolink/donate
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Do we have a soul - or are we just bodies and brains? Dr Claire Gilbert vs Harry Amos
In this live edition of Unbelievable?, Andy Kind hosts a fascinating conversation on the nature of the soul and spiritual experience.
Philosopher Harry Amos, a former Christian turned humanist, challenges whether the soul exists at all, pointing to science, consciousness studies, and the limits of dualism. Meanwhile, Dr. Claire Gilbert, writer and ethicist, shares her profound personal journey through faith, ecology, and cancer, drawing inspiration from Julian of Norwich and the deep mysteries of spirit, love, and human worth.
From neuroscience and quantum mechanics to prayer, mortality, and whether dogs have souls (!), this discussion wrestles with some of the most profound questions humans can ask.
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Classic: Does Science Point to God? Oxford Prof vs Atheist Philosopher - John Lennox vs Michael Ruse
In this classic Big Conversation, mathematician and Christian thinker John Lennox
sits down with philosopher of science Michael Ruse before a live London audience to ask whether modern science points towards — or away from — God. They trace the roots of science in the Judeo-Christian worldview, debate “scientism,” and spar over miracles (from water into wine to the Resurrection), natural theology versus faith, and the “unreasonable effectiveness” of mathematics. The pair tackle evil and suffering — yes, even hemorrhoids — free will, Auschwitz, and whether hope requires revelation. Audience Q&A presses them on the Big Bang, objective morality, Calvinism, and what counts as . Expect sharp disagreement, surprising agreement, and plenty of wit as Lennox argues for evidence-based faith and Ruse defends a conservative, largely agnostic naturalism.
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