Christianity or the Enlightenment? Rhetorical swords crossed at London debate club - The Freethinker

An Agora Debate Club London meeting on 28 September 2026 tackled the motion: “This House believes that Christianity is the basis of Western civilisation.” The event, chaired by Stan Billington at the Tea House Theatre in Vauxhall, saw an unexpected shift in voting as discussion developed. Freethinker editor Daniel James Sharp was scheduled to argue against but did not attend for personal reasons; Agora co-founder William Hagerup took his place and filed a written report on the proceedings. Defending the motion were historian Bijan Omrani (God Is an Englishman) and Sharon James, from the Christian Institute, while the opposing side included theologian-turned-lawyer Steven M. Rhodes. The room had 33 votes for, 9 against, and 21 undecided before the debate, held in an intimate former-pub venue opened by proprietor Harry Iggulden in 2011.