Chine McDonald

Chine has loved seeing her words on the page since she got her first byline in the school magazine, aged six years old. Born in Nigeria, she moved to the UK at the age of four. Chine read theology & religious studies at Cambridge University before training as a newspaper journalist and over the years has written for several regional and national publications.

Chine is a regular contributor to BBC Religion & Ethics programmes, including Thought for the Day on Radio 4’s Today programme, the Daily Service, and Prayer for the Day. Her first book ‘Am I Beautiful?’ – explored body image among women of faith.

In her spare time, she sits on a number of charity boards, including Greenbelt Festival, where she’s vice-chair, and Christian Aid.

She’s lucky enough to say that her day job is also a dream job – she’s director of Theos, the religion and society think tank. Previously, she headed up community fundraising and public engagement at international development charity Christian Aid. She lives in south-east London and is wife to Mark and mum to an energetic toddler.

Chine’s second book, God Is Not a White Man? was published by Hodder & Stoughton in May 2021. Her latest book, Unmaking Mary: The Myth of Divine Motherhood, was published in February 2025.