Spiritual Survival at the End of the World
Ritual, Friendship, and the Possibilities of Full Flourishing
Powerful forces have converged to make contemporary life uniquely hostile to spiritual life. The post-WWII consensus is ending and the birth pangs of a new age are disorientingl. And digital distraction, political rancor and a culture of workism fragment our experience and leave us disconnected from ourselves, each other, and the beauty of creation. But this is isn’t the first time the world has ended and within the Christian and humanistic tradition there exists a deep reservoir of practices and ideas that can help us better perceive reality, face it with courage and hope, and build communities of attention and love.
WHEN: OCTOBER 8, 2025 6PM
WHERE: HARVARD UNIVERSITY
PARTICIPANTS
Elizabeth Oldfield is the host of The Sacred podcast, former director of Theos Think Tank, and the author of Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times (Brazos, 2024). She appears regularly in the media, including BBC One, Sky News, the World Service, and The Financial Times. She is a regular conference speaker and chair. Before joining Theos in August 2011, Elizabeth worked for BBC TV and radio. She has an MA in theology from King’s College London.
Zachary Davis is the Executive Director of Faith Matters and the Editor of Wayfare Magazine. He is also the host of the podcasts Article 13, Writ Large, and Ministry of Ideas. He is the recipient of two John Templeton Foundation grants. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and Harvard Divinity School and lives in Somerville, Massachusetts with his wife, Mariya and their three children.
READING LIST
Attending to Life
When I pine for my phone, I can feel it on my skin, a tingle akin to a lover walking into the room. Patricia Lockwood calls it “the portal,” glowing with the promise of significance and connection. Smartphones act like the enchanted Mirror of Erised...
Caesar or the Cross
In 58 BC, the Helvetii, a Celtic tribe living in what is now Switzerland, attempted to migrate westward to a more fertile area in Gaul. Their route would take them through Roman territory, and so they sought safe passage from the governor of the province. Unfortunately for them, the governor was a highly ambitious, deeply indebted man—Julius Caesar. See…