Best of the Spectator Holy Smoke: how would you sell Christianity? with Rory Sutherland
Apr 5, 2026
Rory Sutherland, advertising executive and behavioural thinker, explores how Christianity might be 'sold' today. He discusses religion as a social network and trust mechanism. They consider shorter, low-pressure services, remote worship accessibility, small-group scaling and surprising social lessons from driving. Humour and real-world experiments pepper the conversation.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Religion As An Elevated Trust Mechanism
- Religion functions as an elevated trust mechanism that lowers transaction costs between strangers.
- Rory Sutherland cites Quaker business success and John Stuart Mill's point that religious norms reduce need for legal enforcement in commerce.
Religious Ethic Can Drive Economic Behavior
- Religious ethics can create economic incentives that persist after belief fades, as Max Weber argued with the Protestant ethic.
- Damian Thompson notes prosperity-gospel churches explicitly tie faith to financial success and teach money-making skills.
Rituals Redirect Attention To Better Choices
- Rituals and disciplined practices redirect attention and produce beneficial behaviors.
- Rory gives the counterintuitive example that driving trains social calculus of mutual gain, improving everyday cooperative decisions.
