‘My faith is massive to me’: The Christian faith of Raheem Sterling

Source: Arsenal

It was an eventful summer for Raheem Sterling – in more ways than one.

The 29-year-old was one of the surprising omissions from England’s Euro 2024 squad and, soon after the new Premier League kicked off in August, he became the centre of one of the biggest transfer stories of the summer. Deemed surplus to requirements at Chelsea, he made a deadline-day move to London rivals Arsenal, where he joins fellow Christian football pro, Bukayo Saka…

This article appeared on the Premier Christianity blog in September 2024. To read the full piece please click here.

‘Lights on with Carl Lentz’ is raw and repentant, and that’s a start

Source: B-Side

Secrets. Shame. Scandals. Survival.

It’s sounds like the promo for a Netflix series or a box office release, not a podcast. And certainly not one involving a church pastor.

But sometimes truth can be stranger than fiction, because this week saw the unexpected release of ‘Lights On With Carl Lentz’, a podcast in which Carl and his wife Laura share the journey they’ve been on following his dismissal as pastor of Hillsong New York in 2020 for infidelity (among other allegations)…

This article appeared on the Premier Christianity blog in June 2024. To read the full piece please click here.

Netflix’s Testament shines a new light on the life of Moses

Source: Netflix

Isn’t it funny how adaptations of the same story can wildly differ and prompt very different reactions? Watching Testament: The Story of Moses, the new three-part series on Netflix, I turned to my wife and said: “It’s not quite the direction taken by The Prince of Egypt: The Musical!”…

This article appeared on the Premier Christianity blog in April 2024. To read the full piece please click here.

The Christian faith of RAYE

Source: RAYE/Instagram

If you haven’t heard of RAYE (real name Rachel Keen) already, you’ve likely heard at least one of the many hits she’s written. The 26-year-old songwriter of the year also has an Ivor Novello and a MOBO award, and was nominated for last year’s Mercury Music Prize…

This article appeared on the Premier Christianity blog in March 2024. To read the full piece please click here.

Jon Batiste’s Christian faith isn’t explored in ‘American Symphony’. But does it need to be?

It’s the biggest performance of your life, hundreds are watching you – and there’s a power cut on stage. But for Jon Batiste and the year he’s had, the obstacle is relatively minor, and so after a few awkward moments, he keeps calm and carries on, playing a piano piece that has everyone spellbound…

This article appeared on the Premier Christianity blog in January 2024. To read the full piece please click here.

Book review: Don’t fret - Don Purdey

It’s rare to come across a foreword that so powerfully shapes how you read what follows. This one tells the story of the author, Don Purdey, passionately worshipping God, despite the slurred speech cruelly brought on by motor neurone disease. It adds that the last page of the book, where Purdey quotes 2 Timothy 4:6-8 (“the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight”) was open on his computer on the day he died in July 2014…

This article appeared in the January 2024 edition of Premier Christianity Magazine. To read the full piece please click here.

‘People miss the point of Christmas. It’s supposed to be about Jesus’ The faith of Shane MacGowan

Source: Alamy

Did you know that Shane MacGowan was born on Christmas Day? I didn’t - until his death last month. How apt for a man whose band, The Pogues, were responsible for ‘Fairytale of New York’, one of the all-time great festive songs…

This article appeared on the Premier Christianity blog in December 2023. To read the full piece please click here.

7 things to put in the sin bin

Souce: pexels.com

If someone were to ask you for words that could be considered Christian jargon, what would you say?

High on your list might be “sin”.

To Christians, it’s a serious thing (and rightly so) but explaining it to someone with little or no church background is enough to make many of us break out into a nervous sweat. Or is that just me?

This article appeared on the Premier Christianity blog in December 2023. To read the full piece please click here.

Journey to Bethlehem: When the Bible meets High School Musical

Have you ever wondered what a Christmas musical in the style of Glee and High School Musical might look like? It sounds rather outlandish, but it has now hit our cinema screens, and it’s everything you’d likely expect it to be.  

This article appeared in the December 2023 edition of Premier Christianity Magazine. To read the full piece please click here.

Madman or martyr? The Mission is an unsettling documentary about a murdered evangelist

When 26-year-old American missionary, John Allen Chau, was murdered by the unreached tribe he was trying to tell about Jesus, it made headlines around the world. 

Chau’s death on North Sentinel Island in 2018 prompted widespread debate over the theological, ethical and anthropological implications of his journey. Now, a new documentary, The Mission, which is produced by National Geographic, is reigniting these questions – and posing a few more…

This article appeared on the Premier Christianity blog in November 2023. To read the full piece please click here.

The Christmas adverts have arrived! Here are 7 thoughts for Christians to ponder

It’s quite the paradox. Normally when adverts appear on TV, we tend to make a cuppa, or at least hit mute. But from early November when the festive ads appear, suddenly these attempts to sell us stuff become the hot topic of conversation.

So let’s dive into this year’s ads, and analyse what messages they’re promoting…

This article appeared on the Premier Christianity blog in November 2023. To read the full piece please click here.

The Christian faith of the players and teams at the Rugby World Cup

Source: Instagram/Alamy

On Sunday, I was gearing up to play football with some guys and the hot topic of conversation was an entirely different sport: rugby. That’s because England had earlier beaten Fiji in the quarter-final of the Rugby World Cup. Amusingly, the most vocal among us even admitted to not even really being into rugby, but that’s what a major sporting tournament can do – draw in those who otherwise have little interest in the sport.

This article appeared on the Premier Christianity blog in October 2023. To read the full piece please click here.

At Home With The Furys is a missed opportunity to explore the boxer’s Christian faith

Source: Netflix

When Tyson Fury comes out on top, he’s a very happy man – both in the ring and, now, on Netflix.

The undefeated heavyweight boxing champion was thrilled to tell his six million Instagram followers that At Home With The Furys was number one on the streaming service, just 48 hours after being released…

This article appeared on the Premier Christianity blog in August 2023. To read the full piece please click here.

‘I couldn’t resist the ringing intensity of Christ’ The Christian faith of Nick Cave

Source: The Times/Facebook

Occasionally an interview or article in a national newspaper will do the rounds among Christians on social media – perhaps because it says something controversial, provocative or insightful about faith, or because someone famous unexpectedly opens up about their own relationship with God…

This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in March 2023. To read the full piece please click here.

‘I wondered if I would ever get married, but God had a plan’

Being single and trying to find love can be difficult - and awkward.

I can vividly recall the week when two very well-meaning friends, who do not know each other, messaged me to express an interest in matching me with the same person (the Christian world really is a very small one!) Having considered it, I didn’t think their friend and I would be a great match, but how do you say that without appearing shallow or picky? It took me a good 30 minutes to compose my responses…

This article appeared on the Premier Christianity blog in February 2023. To read the full piece please click here.

'It was God who made me play like this' - the Christian faith of Lionel Messi

Source: Reuters

When it comes to football, it takes little to irritate me — and this World Cup has been no different.

Prior to the tournament, I lost count of the times someone said: “Lionel Messi deserves to win this World Cup.” It grated on me, because it implied that he had a divine right to walk away with the trophy, just because of his prior achievements in the game.

But then Sunday’s final neared and, as people asked who’d I’d like to win, I replied: “Argentina, because Messi deserves it.” Yes, I’m big fat hypocrite (and also a bit salty because of France’s victory over England)…

This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in December 2022. To read the full piece please click here.

From Messi to Neymar: 7 World Cup footballers with a Christian faith

There is a huge amount not to like about this World Cup – and for very good reason. But with the tournament now underway, it has been nice to focus a bit more on the football and, with it, the small and unexpected moments of joy, including some lovely public declarations of faith…

This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in December 2022. To read the full piece please click here.

3 reasons why I’m still watching Qatar’s controversial World Cup

Source: Reuters

“So, are you looking forward to the World Cup?”

If there’s one question that’s emerged more than any other in recent conversations, that’s the one. The answers tend to share the same sentiment.

“Hmmmm, not so much…”

This is followed by a list of reasons why this World Cup just doesn’t seem quite right. But for many, there was an expectation that, once it got going, a semblance of excitement would emerge. That’s been true for me, helped by a few surprise results and one decent England display…

This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in November 2022. To read the full piece please click here.

‘Life is about to get harder…but God will send renewal’ Mark Sayers on Covid, war and politics

Can we really think about the renewal of the Church in the midst of a chaotic world? What if in the midst of political instability and rising living costs, God is up to something exciting? That’s the belief of Mark Sayers. Tim Bechervaise caught up with the Aussie church leader, podcaster and writer to find out more…

This interview appeared on the Premier Christianity website in August 2022. To read the full piece please click here.