Real Questions with Clare

Pain that arrives overnight. Hospital staff who doubt you. Church spaces that sometimes turn prayer into pressure. If you have sickle cell disease, love someone who does, or want to understand why this matters for the Black British community, this conversation is one for you. This week, I'm joined by my brother, Jonathan Williams, who has lived with sickle cell anaemia his whole life. He desc...

If you’ve ever felt like church wanted your emotions but not your mind, this conversation puts words to that tension without turning it into church-bashing. This week, I sat down with Leondre Douglas, a church minister, educator, diocesan secondary faith adviser, and young adults leader, to talk about education versus anti-intellectualism and what it means to build a genuinely thinking faith. We u...

A lot of people assume leaving church means leaving religion completely. But this might not be the full story, especially in Black British communities. People can often step back from church life, keep hold of scripture, and go looking for a spiritual home that takes history, identity, and power seriously. This week, I sat down with Dr Eleasah Phoenix Louis, an independent academic consultant and...

Dating disappointment can make you cynical fast. One minute you are hopeful, the next you are recovering from another let-down and wondering whether it is even worth trying again. This week I get honest about that cycle and talk about how to stay optimistic in dating without pretending, settling, or letting anyone mishandle your heart. I consider into adult attachment styles and why understanding...

Church hurt can make faith feel dangerous, not because God has changed, but because trust was broken where it should have been protected. We sit with that reality and ask the blunt question many people are already living: hurt and harm, why go to church in 2026? I’m joined by pastor, theologian, and Bible teacher Jeronne Rudder from Uhambo The Journey, and we start by naming what church hurt actua...

This week, Stephen is my very special guest, and we share our experience of online dating. A dating app match can turn into months of messaging, and you still might not know the person at all. We get honest about what actually helped us move from Hinge chat to a relationship that felt calm, intentional, and safe, especially after years of being single in Christian spaces and carrying the weight of...

In this episode, I get honest about the weight of singleness, especially in church spaces where people mean well but still leave you unseen. I talk about grief, the silence many Christians carry, and why hope isn’t pretending it doesn’t hurt. Then I shift into what has genuinely helped me: friendship that becomes chosen family, the kind of open‑door welcome where you don’t need an appointment and...

Singleness can be a blessing, but when you want marriage and it keeps not happening, it can start to feel like your faith is doing extra emotional labour just to stay steady. On this episode, I name that reality without judging anyone who feels content single, and speak directly to those who love God, serve faithfully, and still go home carrying a quiet ache that church language often fails to rec...

 I’m back after a long pause, sharing what’s changed—including getting married—and how shifting seasons shape faith. This leads into a bigger point: people’s hardest questions about Christianity aren’t always intellectual but deeply existential. We explore both kinds, from science and Scripture to meaning, identity, and suffering, with examples like AI and The Truman Show . I also unpack how protr...

Can survival-driven evolution truly lead us to understand objective moral truths, or do our deepest convictions about right and wrong point to something greater? This episode of Real Questions with Clare promises to stretch your thinking as we explore the profound implications of the moral argument for God's existence. If you'd like to support Clare's work, you're welcome to bu...

This week Clare is joined by a special guest, Jeronne Rudder to discuss the question: 'How can we read the bible well?' This is for anyone who struggles to make sense of scripture or desires to have a fuller understanding of what they're reading.  The significance of cultural, historical and theological contexts are explored as well the importance of biblical literacy.  Jeronne is t...

This week we return to exploring arguments for God’s existence, specifically the Moral Argument.  Do we need God for morality?  Clare talks through what the moral argument is and what it's not.  It’s designed to help us grapple with the foundations of objective moral values, and how perhaps this points us to God.   Resources: The Moral Argument by William Lane Craig at Reasonable Faith  Sapie...

On this episode Clare looks at stories of Ancient Egypt which describe Aset (Isis) and her alleged virgin birth/immaculate conception.  The idea that Christianity copied from story is closely examined, alongside the interpretation of Egyptian carvings which predate and tell a seemingly similar account to the resurrection of Jesus. Resources: Rahil Patel From Aset to Jesus: The History of the Godde...

The allegation that Christianity is copied is popular within the Black community.  It's the idea that Christianity's colonial power stole and reformulated ideas from Kemeticism, ancient Egyptian religion.  Clare explores this objection, looking at the Afrocentric and European scholarship which underpins its claims. Resources: Urban Apologetics  ed. Eric Mason Unspoken documentary 'L...

Can we "prove" that God exists? In this episode, we'll explore how everyone is making claims about how the world works and from this, their worldview, they answer the question of whether or not God exists.     The Universe Next Door  by James Sire   Jude 3 Project The Sanity of Belief by Simon Edwards Seven Types of Atheism  by John Gray  Support my work here: buymeacoffee.com/realq...

Sometimes we feel we have to choose between science and faith but this is a false dichotomy.  This view mischaracterises both God and science. Tune in as we consider the ideas lying behind a supposed conflict between science and faith in God.  Resources: Can Science Explain Everything?  John Lennox   Science and Religion: An Introduction  Alistair McGrath   John Lennox and Peter Atkins debate The...

In this episode, we think through the assumptions behind the idea that now is the time for Black people to distance ourselves from Christianity.   Grab your Buy 1 Get 1 for a Friend offer of Have you Ever Wondered? here: https://uk.10ofthose.com/series/have-you-ever-wondered Resources: Suprised by Joy, CS Lewis Michael the Deacon Unspoken documentary The Whitewashing of Christianity, Jerome Gay Jr...

The 2023 Black British Voices survey revealed that more Black people are identifying as ‘spiritual’ rather than ‘religious’. Listen in as Clare considers these perspectives, and offers encouragement for continuing to live out your faith in these changing times. Grab your 'Buy 1 Get 1 for a Friend' offer of Have you Ever Wondered? here: https://uk.10ofthose.com/series/have-you-ever-wonder...

If we’re honest, we all have doubts about our faith from time to time.  Clare shares some of these experiences in her own life, and encourages us to see doubts, not as the precursor to the demise of our faith, but as the path to deeper relationship with God.  Grab your Buy 1 Get 1 for a Friend offer of Have you Ever Wondered? here: https://uk.10ofthose.com/series/have-you-ever-wondered   Resources...

Apologetics is a tool we can use to build a credible case for the Christian faith.  Clare talks us through the pros and pitfalls, and why she thinks Black Christians should explore it. For bespoke training in Christian apologetics, drop an email to hello@realquestions.co.uk Resources: Thinking Faith  Cruise ‘Traditionalists vs Christians’ discussion Why trust the bible? Amy Orr-Ewing  Can we trust...