蜜芽传媒

A recent survey has found that sales of non-fiction books has declined in recent years. But religious texts have bucked the trend. Sales of the Holy Bible have increased by 87% between 2019-24, with a particular growth in interest amongst Gen Z.

With a live audience at the Hay Festival, Jonathan Thomas and guests unpack the impact of the best-selling book of all time, and explore the Bible as literature. Why are new audiences drawn to an ancient text? What social and cultural movements could underpin this? And how has the Bible shaped the literary and cultural landscape across history?

Jonathan Thomas is joined by three guests; Dr Belle Tindall is a staff writer at the Centre for Cultural Witness at Lambeth Palace. She hails from Pembrokeshire and has a PhD in Biblical Studies. Charlotte Thomas is an honorary tutor at Cardiff University and is currently studying for a PhD in Theology on hypermasculinity and the Bible, looking in particular at the Promise Keepers, an Evangelical parachurch organisation for men based in the United States. Dr Mark Clavier is an Anglican priest, Canon Theologian and author, and is the Vicar of St. Mary鈥檚 Brecon.

Charlotte Thomas's research is funded by the SWWDTP, the Arts and Humanities Research Council.