
How would you sell Christianity today? with Rory Sutherland
From Holy Smoke by The Spectator
April 5, 2026 · 28 min
About this episode
Rory Sutherland joins Damian Thompson to discuss how to sell Christianity in today's society.
Advertising guru – and the Spectator's Wiki Man – Rory Sutherland joins Damian Thompson to try and tackle the question 'how would you sell Christianity – today?' If religions have previously thrived by providing a form of social network and an 'elevated trust mechanism', perhaps there ways in which they can adapt for modern society – especially as many people appear to be turning away from conspicuous consumption and searching for meaning. In this Easter special they ponder: are religious people less likely to be alcoholics? Does driving make you a better person? And are Churches today akin to the carrier pigeon of yesteryear? Produced by Patrick Gibbons. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts . Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Host: Damian Thompson
Guest: Rory Sutherland
Topics covered
- Christianity
- advertising
- social networks
- modern society
- meaning
- Easter
Keywords
- Christianity
- advertising
- social networks
- Easter
- meaning
- alcoholism
- trust mechanism
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Spectator, Acast
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