The editor-in-chief of The Economist, and best selling co-author of God is Back, John Micklethwait delivered a Theos lecture last night addressing the question: Is God back?

In the lecture, co-hosted by Theos and the Westminster Forum, Mr Micklethwait argued that, despite the vocal objections of crusading atheists, religion is a resurgent force across the world. It was clear that religion and modernity could live together, he added.

The failure of communism and the rise of globalisation have helped spark the global religious revival in the twenty-first century, said Mr Micklethwait and it was now being fuelled by market competition and a customer-driven approach to salvation.

In her response to the lecture, journalist, novelist and broadcaster Cristina Odone paid tribute to John Micklethwait and his co-author Adrian Wooldridge in writing the book, but argued that the rise of faith could not simply be understood in economistic terms. Quoting Mark Twain, Cristina Odone said, '"To a man with a hammer everything looks like a nail." To the Economist, everything can appear to be about market share, but it’s surely more complex than that.'

A Times podcast of the lecture and Cristina’s response is available here. You will need to register on the Times' website in order to listen to it.