Author, activist and educator, Dougald Hine returns to the show this week for a discussion that is simultaneously timely and timeless.

If you've been following along on the blog, you'll know that I have been wrestling with how to say things, with whom and to what end, given how the world is going.

One of the topics I had been meaning to record on for months now was the resurgence of Christianity: whether it is surprising or not, whether it is automatically reactionary, whether it is a sign of things improving or devolving. And I tried coming at that from several angles -including recording a whole solo show before leaving Paraguay on the topic that I didn't release- but found none of them were satisfactory.

Then I messaged Dougald about it, and it turns out it's an area he is also exploring, both personally and 'culturally' (whatever that means) right now. Plus, he's something of an aficionado of the works of Ivan Illich -whose insight is especially useful in these times. So he graciously agreed to come back on the show to prove that two heads are definitely better than one.

We explore the possible why of Christianity's resurgence, who 'owns' it and what happens if we don't engage, plus its different forms and mutations. Then we turn to Ivan Illich himself, beginning with a biography and an overview of his thought, before finishing with what he might have to say about these very strange times we are living through. (And depending on when you catch this episode, there is still time to get in on some Illich discussions with Dougald. Details in the show notes.

An excellent discussion. Enjoy!

• Dougald's Substack. Subscribe for access details for the Illich discussions.
• Here's a series from Dougald's substack called Into The Deep exploring Christianity's return:
  • The Ruined Church.
  • Stranger Friends.
  • What Happened in the Cathedral.
• Regrowing A Living Culture: A School Called Home.
• Dougald's first appearance on the show, discussing At Work In The Ruins.