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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A few weeks ago, something strange happened. Elon Musk’s name was being associated with something other than cars, AI or even space. Instead, to widespread curiosity, it was Jesus. To date, the clip of him talking with Babylon Bee about his admiration for Jesus has been watched more than 2.2 million times…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity website in February 2022. To read the full piece please click here.
At the beginning of 2020, Liverpool’s Brazilian striker Roberto Firmino shared an unusual post with his 13 million Instagram followers. It was a video of his baptism. In the pool with him was teammate Allison Becker, and both were wearing T-shirts, commonly associated with Hillsong, which display the symbols ‘=’ (the cross equals love). Firmino’s Instagram caption read: “I gave you my failures and the victories I will give you too. My biggest title is your love, Jesus!”
It isn’t just Firmino and Becker who are open about their faith. The Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp, is also a Christian. He comes from a Lutheran background and has spoken of the security and liberation that Jesus gives him, once quipping: “If anyone asks me about my faith, I give information. Not because I have claim to be any sort of missionary. But when 40 I look at me and my life – and I take time for that every day – then I feel I am in sensationally good hands.”
Two hundred miles south of Liverpool, and a little further down the football pyramid, Adebayo Akinfenwa and Alex Samuel recently took to their knees in prayer after Wycombe Wanderers gained a promotion. In an Instagram post, Samuel explained that two years ago, injured and without a team, God gave him a vision that he would play for Wycombe…
This article appears in the November 2020 edition of Premier Christianity Magazine. If you’d like to read the full piece, you can order a free copy of the magazine can here (if you’re reading this after November 2020, please contact subscriptions@premier.org.uk to request a copy of the correct edition).
They're like marmite. You either love or hate Coldplay.
Catchy melodies, anthemic songs and emotional lyrics are their staple — the very things that draw in the fans but deter the haters.
But wherever you fall on the divide, Coldplay have had a monumental impact on pop culture. This month marks 20 years since their debut album Parachutes was released…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in July 2020. To read the full piece please click here.
It was a brisk Saturday morning on my local high street some years ago. I was doing outreach with my church. We were gathered together for prayer when a man none of us knew quietly joined us, prayed and offered some timely encouragement. We thanked him and asked his name. “Why do you need to know that?” he replied. He departed and we saw nothing further of him.
I’d forgotten all about this. But recently, having heard increasingly from others who believe they have encountered angels, I’ve returned to it as part of a broader reflection. To what extent can these angelic stories be believed in light of the Bible and good old common sense? Are angels actively involved in ministering to us?
This article was the cover story for the April 2020 edition of Premier Christianity. To read the full piece please contact subscriptions@premier.org.uk to get a copy of the magazine.
BMX bikes, arcade games, walkie-talkies, nods to Stephen King and films such as Jaws and E.T., a playlist featuring the likes of Cyndi Lauper and The Clash. Then there are the likeable kids who bear a close resemblance to The Goonies. It’s little wonder people have been getting all wistful over the 1980s pop-culture phenomenon Stranger Things.
The Netflix original series first aired in 2016; its stunning success surprised even the streaming giant and turned its young cast into global stars. More than 40 million households tuned in to watch the first episode of Stranger Things 3 within days of its release earlier this month, a Netflix record.
There are many facets to the appeal of Stranger Things. Alongside the wonderful nostalgia, the show features an endearing set of relationships, a haunting synth-led score, compelling character development, sacrificial acts of love, geeky bits of science, and an imaginative, if sometimes confusing, plot line. Then there is the stranger side to Stranger Things, the supernatural, which leads to get-behind-your-sofa moments. It is here that the show bears a surprising likeness to the eschatological world view of the Bible.
Christian author Michael S Heiser, whose new book The World Turned Upside Down: Finding the Gospel in Stranger Things (Lexham Press) is released in October, writes: “Stranger Things taps into spiritual questions and crises and addresses them the way the gospel story does – with mystery and transcendent power, justice, and love.”
This article appears in the Culture column of the August 2019 edition of Premier Christianity. To read the full piece please contact subscriptions@premier.org.uk to get a copy of the magazine.