Building Jerusalem? An Evening with Bijan Omrani
About this Event
Is Christianity declining in England, and why does it matter anyway?
In (Forum, 2025), a Telegraph Book of the Year 2025, Bijan Omrani argues that the decline of Christianity in England is the most momentous change to occur in English history.
He shows how a religion that has been part of our national story for over 1700 years was instrumental in the creation and development of the English nation, its codes of law and morality, and its structures of government and kingship. He demonstrates its profound cultural impact, in areas ranging from architecture and literature to our very landscape and the structure of our everyday life and language. He asks what Christianity might yet offer our society, in dealing with both the eternal questions of the human condition as well as the malaises of modernity.
This evening of conversation with the author explores themes and ideas in Omrani's writing, including the significance of Christianity in our national story and identity, and what it might yet have to offer.
Each ticket includes a glass of wine or soft drink.
‘Christianity is the golden thread that stitches together England’s history. Yes, it may be fraying now but, as Bijan Omrani brilliantly explains, it is not yet quite broken – and must be repaired’ (Harry Mount, author and journalist)
‘An affectionate but deeply realistic book... [it] deserves a wide circulation among those concerned by the deeper reasons for our current malaise’ (Church Times)
‘A finally judged and beautifully written account’ (Peter Frankopan, Guardian Books of the Summer)
Bijan Omrani is an author, historian, journalist and Oxford-educated barrister who has taught Classics at Eton College and Westminster School, is a former editor of the Asian Affairs Journal, and is currently a research fellow at the University of Exeter. His previous books and research have looked at questions of religious history and cultural identity from Ancient Rome and Greece to Afghanistan and the Silk Road.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 9.38 to GBP 22.38
