Spiritual Survival at the End of the World
Plus an event with Sharon Eubank!
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 disorienting. 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 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.
Join us for a conversation to explore these themes with Elizabeth Oldfield, Ian Corbin and Zachary Davis.
WHEN: OCTOBER 8, 2025 6PM
WHERE: 211 Divinity Hall, 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.
Ian Marcus Corbin is a philosopher on the Neurology faculty at Brigham and Women’s Hospital & Harvard Medical School, where he co-directs the Human Network Initiative, and is a Senior Fellow at the think tank Capita. His philosophical work examines the connections between modes of intersubjectivity, cognition and human flourishing, and he is writing a book on belonging and world-making for Yale University Press. He serves on the ethics committee at Brigham and Women’s, and helps to direct the Trust and Belonging Initiative at Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program.
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.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Join us for a conversation with Sharon Eubank about her new book Doing Small Things with Great Love.
Drawing from decades of experience in humanitarian service, Sharon Eubank offers a wisdom-packed guide on how to enact impactful aid in the world and especially in your own backyard. Whether you’re inspired by compassion or looking to enrich your life through meaningful service, this book will change how you approach helping others.
Through powerful storytelling as well as twelve principles of action, rooted in her own experiences, Sharon demonstrates how to provide sustainable support and avoid common pitfalls. Her principles cover everything from preserving dignity to asking the right questions to attacking root causes. You’ll learn the importance of finding local solutions, fostering trusted networks, and recognizing that real help is always an exchange of value.
Like us, William Blake lived in a tumultuous era of warfare, discontent, rapid technological change, and a deepening estrangement of humanity from nature. He exposed the dark sides of political fervour and social moralising, while unashamedly celebrating love and liberty. But he also conversed with prophets and angels, and was powerfully, if unconventionally, religious. If we take this seriously—not easy, in secular times—then Blake can help us to unlock the transformative power of imagination and help us find our way out of our anxiety and towards the bliss of the infinite.