Dr. Bijan Omrani is a classicist, historian, and Oxford-educated barrister. His research explores questions of religious history and cultural identity, spanning from ancient Roman Greece to Afghanistan and the Silk Road. He has taught Classics at Eton College and Westminster School, is a former editor of Asian Affairs, and currently serves as a Research Fellow at the University of Exeter. He is also a churchwarden.

In this episode, Bijan and I think out loud about his book God is an Englishman: Christianity and the Creation of England, and the profound role Christianity has played in shaping English identity, culture, and ethics; how the faith helped form the national character, the cultural cohesion it has historically fostered, and the dangers we face in moving away from this heritage; the consequences of Christianity’s decline in public life, the importance of understanding and preserving England’s spiritual and historical roots, and the figures Bijan believes to be the five most influential in the story of English Christianity and nationhood, why the literary canon remains ever relevant, and Bijan offers personal reflections on faith, tradition, and the need for a revival of cultural and spiritual imagination—and much, much more.

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#075 - Bijan Omrani - Why God Is An Englishman: England Is A Christian Nation Or No Nation At All