"Who do you actually represent?" It’s a question I am often asked in my role at the Evangelical Alliance. Usually it is followed by another: "How many evangelicals are there in the UK?" Then, "What actually makes someone an evangelical?"
For years, those questions did not have straightforward answers. We pointed to our 30,000 personal members, and to our more than 3,000 church members. We might mention charity Tearfund's research from 2007, which estimated there were around two million evangelicals in the UK. It was the best answer that we had, but it was almost 20 years old.
Essex university has announced it is cutting positions equivalent to about 150 full-time roles, potentially affecting over 500 staff, BBC News reports.
The staff being lost are “disproportionately concentrated in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS), where 85% of all staff placed at risk of redundancy are based”. It is not surprising; the role of education in the humanities, once the main form of higher education, has been strongly questioned in today’s world. What is the use of knowing ancient history, or English literature? What is the point of learning obscure languages? How will that help society?
I live near a Christian retreat centre equipped with a labyrinth made of turf. A labyrinth is not a maze. In a maze there is more than one path so you can get lost or finish up in a dead-end. If you like, a maze can picture life without Christ, choosing your own way and living with the consequences.
By contrast a labyrinth has been used for centuries as a metaphor of the Christian way. There is only one path through, you make no choices about your route, you will reach your destination if you just keep going.
How can I build genuine friendships and find acceptance? How can I live graciously with people whose beliefs and values differ from mine? How can I speak about my faith honestly, clearly and respectfully?
I recently heard these questions discussed on a radio programme for freshers preparing to enter university called: Why university is (not) a faith killer. While the discussions were reasonable, the programme seemed to assume that Christian students entering university need to win acceptance and influence their non-Christian peers. This aim may be commendable, yet they can leave freshers or returning students feeling on the defensive and at a disadvantage before they even arrive.
On the UK church scene, we are often proud to own the term "evangelical" like a badge of honour, and yet how does this relate to our day-to-day, month by month, year by year expression of our local church?
The term "evangelical" centres on the authority of the Bible and personal conversion through faith in Jesus Christ, and is a core term used by many of us in identification of who we are. If you delve into specific groups of churches which hold to the teaching of the Bible closely, it is evident that they may not place the word "evangelical" on the church door, but they are evangelical.
His ice cream was using the cone to do a very good impression of a waterfall. The sweat on his brow seemed to be viewing this as a competition. Using a tissue as a temporary dam between his forehead and his shirt, he gazed out at the beach from the promenade. It was shimmering with heat and laughter and beach towels.
Ten metres to his right were some Nigerian families. The pot of Jollof behind the windbreak was making his mouth water despite the distance. Beyond them were two Polish families. He’d overheard their banter as he’d debated between salted caramel and vanilla at the kiosk. To his left were some Ghanaians, happily setting up deckchairs.
Moments before the result on the assisted dying bill was announced earlier today, I saw a WhatsApp message telling me we had lost the vote. My heart sank and I exchanged depressed glances with some of my fellow anti-assisted dying Lib Dem colleagues. I prayed earnestly that those figures were in error.
Then the result was revealed: the Ayes had 270 votes and the Noes, 286 votes. I felt a spine-tingling sense of God at work, a deep relief… but no desire to be triumphalist.
I have just read Nigel Biggar’s latest book: The New Dark Age: Why Liberals Must Win the Culture Wars (Polity 2026). It is very disturbing. We all know that universities are heavily influenced by woke ideology, decolonisation, and EDI [Equality, Diversity and Inclusion], but I didn’t realise quite how bad it has become.
Universities and 'woke ideology'
The whole sorry story of Jason Arday and his overpromotion by Cambridge University exposed a serious problem in academia. I don’t really blame Arday so much as the people who promoted him and celebrated him even though they were aware of his extensive plagiarism and easily disprovable claims. Then there were the sinister legal letters threatening those who dared to question his credentials and reporting them to police for harassment. It was all bound to fall apart one day, and so it did, with devastating consequences for Arday and his family.
Penn Jillette is a well-known American magician, who’s almost as well-known for being a prominent and vocal atheist.
When I came across a clip of him on social media reacting to an encounter with a fan after one of his shows, I was utterly amazed and uncomfortably provoked.
There are many chronic and fluctuating illnesses that give a lot of pain, and from what I see in the roles I do, there are many people in our churches who have such illnesses.
For many, this is invisible and what it’s like to live with chronic pain is largely misunderstood.
This summer, my seven-year-old son fell in love with cricket.
Ignited by a trip to the glitzy Hundred competition in Birmingham, fuelled by trips to our local club for training sessions and fanned by a cricket-mad dad, we are now playing daily wherever we find ourselves.
Friends, I have some bad news and some good news for you.
The bad news first: there are no silver bullets when it comes to the Christian life, or Christian ministry. No shortcuts. No secret wisdom. No hidden tip or technique. No one conference, book, strategy, leadership tactic, staffing structure, app, discipleship pathway, or productivity system that will suddenly make everything easy.
Just over two years ago, on 4 July 2024, Sir Keir Starmer led the Labour Party to a decisive general election victory. After 14 years in opposition, the party won 411 seats and a large parliamentary majority, giving him a clear mandate to govern. Yet the honeymoon period was incredibly brief. By the autumn, pressure was already building, and by the summer of 2026 he had stepped aside as Prime Minister.
During much of that same period, Andy Burnham appeared to be flourishing away from Westminster. As Mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017, he had built a strong profile, not least during the pandemic, when he was widely dubbed the “King of the North”. A former MP and minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, he had seemed to find a different kind of political voice outside the Westminster bubble.
What is your church like shortly before a Sunday service starts? In the September issue of en, John Brand raises the important question of whether most church families are, to put it bluntly, too noisy as corporate worship begins.
It’s not that fellowship isn’t important, of course. As Jesus puts it: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13v35). So there is a place for catching up with each other – it is part of how we show we care.
I have been involved in reaching out to Muslim people for over 35 years and, surprisingly often, I hear Christians talk as if descendants of Ishmael are cursed by God.
Few Muslims are actually descended from Ishmael, but I have often had to confront the idea that certain ancestries are less likely to be Christian – as if there is a genetic favouritism from the living God. I have even heard modern conflicts between Israel and Palestine framed as if one DNA is blessed by God whereas another is not.
Freshly revived from another invigorating experience at Keswick – the Galilee of England as I coined it last year – I am stirred anew by the glorious gospel which alone can heal our sick society.
Repeatedly urged to drink of the living waters Jesus promised to those who are spiritually thirsty, I know of no other Christian convention that is more Christ-centred.
Comment
The changing face of UK evangelicalism
"Who do you actually represent?" It’s a question I am often asked in my role at the Evangelical Alliance. Usually it is followed by another: "How many evangelicals are there in the UK?" Then, "What actually makes someone an evangelical?"
For years, those questions did not have straightforward answers. We pointed to our 30,000 personal members, and to our more than 3,000 church members. We might mention charity Tearfund's research from 2007, which estimated there were around two million evangelicals in the UK. It was the best answer that we had, but it was almost 20 years old.
Our culture must not be defined by our technology
Essex university has announced it is cutting positions equivalent to about 150 full-time roles, potentially affecting over 500 staff, BBC News reports.
The staff being lost are “disproportionately concentrated in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS), where 85% of all staff placed at risk of redundancy are based”. It is not surprising; the role of education in the humanities, once the main form of higher education, has been strongly questioned in today’s world. What is the use of knowing ancient history, or English literature? What is the point of learning obscure languages? How will that help society?
Want spiritual resilience? Try this...
I live near a Christian retreat centre equipped with a labyrinth made of turf. A labyrinth is not a maze. In a maze there is more than one path so you can get lost or finish up in a dead-end. If you like, a maze can picture life without Christ, choosing your own way and living with the consequences.
By contrast a labyrinth has been used for centuries as a metaphor of the Christian way. There is only one path through, you make no choices about your route, you will reach your destination if you just keep going.
Starting university? Four things to remember
How can I build genuine friendships and find acceptance? How can I live graciously with people whose beliefs and values differ from mine? How can I speak about my faith honestly, clearly and respectfully?
I recently heard these questions discussed on a radio programme for freshers preparing to enter university called: Why university is (not) a faith killer. While the discussions were reasonable, the programme seemed to assume that Christian students entering university need to win acceptance and influence their non-Christian peers. This aim may be commendable, yet they can leave freshers or returning students feeling on the defensive and at a disadvantage before they even arrive.
Does the UK really need to send missionaries oversees?
On the UK church scene, we are often proud to own the term "evangelical" like a badge of honour, and yet how does this relate to our day-to-day, month by month, year by year expression of our local church?
The term "evangelical" centres on the authority of the Bible and personal conversion through faith in Jesus Christ, and is a core term used by many of us in identification of who we are. If you delve into specific groups of churches which hold to the teaching of the Bible closely, it is evident that they may not place the word "evangelical" on the church door, but they are evangelical.
How a campfire helped bridge cultural divides
His ice cream was using the cone to do a very good impression of a waterfall. The sweat on his brow seemed to be viewing this as a competition. Using a tissue as a temporary dam between his forehead and his shirt, he gazed out at the beach from the promenade. It was shimmering with heat and laughter and beach towels.
Ten metres to his right were some Nigerian families. The pot of Jollof behind the windbreak was making his mouth water despite the distance. Beyond them were two Polish families. He’d overheard their banter as he’d debated between salted caramel and vanilla at the kiosk. To his left were some Ghanaians, happily setting up deckchairs.
Assisted suicide: No time for triumphalism
Moments before the result on the assisted dying bill was announced earlier today, I saw a WhatsApp message telling me we had lost the vote. My heart sank and I exchanged depressed glances with some of my fellow anti-assisted dying Lib Dem colleagues. I prayed earnestly that those figures were in error.
Then the result was revealed: the Ayes had 270 votes and the Noes, 286 votes. I felt a spine-tingling sense of God at work, a deep relief… but no desire to be triumphalist.
UK universities – a new Dark Age?
I have just read Nigel Biggar’s latest book: The New Dark Age: Why Liberals Must Win the Culture Wars (Polity 2026). It is very disturbing. We all know that universities are heavily influenced by woke ideology, decolonisation, and EDI [Equality, Diversity and Inclusion], but I didn’t realise quite how bad it has become.
Universities and 'woke ideology'
The whole sorry story of Jason Arday and his overpromotion by Cambridge University exposed a serious problem in academia. I don’t really blame Arday so much as the people who promoted him and celebrated him even though they were aware of his extensive plagiarism and easily disprovable claims. Then there were the sinister legal letters threatening those who dared to question his credentials and reporting them to police for harassment. It was all bound to fall apart one day, and so it did, with devastating consequences for Arday and his family.
Would you withhold life-saving information?
Penn Jillette is a well-known American magician, who’s almost as well-known for being a prominent and vocal atheist.
When I came across a clip of him on social media reacting to an encounter with a fan after one of his shows, I was utterly amazed and uncomfortably provoked.
The invisible pain within our churches
There are many chronic and fluctuating illnesses that give a lot of pain, and from what I see in the roles I do, there are many people in our churches who have such illnesses.
For many, this is invisible and what it’s like to live with chronic pain is largely misunderstood.
Have we forgotten how to enjoy sport?
This summer, my seven-year-old son fell in love with cricket.
Ignited by a trip to the glitzy Hundred competition in Birmingham, fuelled by trips to our local club for training sessions and fanned by a cricket-mad dad, we are now playing daily wherever we find ourselves.
Get your church used to change – before it's too late
What if you’re a leader and you’ve run out of ideas?
Amongst the many leaders I coach, this is a common experience and it can easily drain a leader’s confidence that they can even do the role.
He is still good. Do you believe that?
How do you learn to trust again when your trust has been broken, time and time again?
How do you move on when the people you never thought would fall, fall so hard it leaves you questioning the reality of all you thought you once knew?
How four simple words gave me strength
This is Amina’s story, as prepared by Doreen Umutesi, Compassion Rwanda Photojournalist.
A childhood shaped by illness and shame
I was sick for much of my childhood. We were living in poverty in a community in Rwanda. I was very small, and other children would bully me.
Is there a 'silver bullet' for the Christian life?
Friends, I have some bad news and some good news for you.
The bad news first: there are no silver bullets when it comes to the Christian life, or Christian ministry. No shortcuts. No secret wisdom. No hidden tip or technique. No one conference, book, strategy, leadership tactic, staffing structure, app, discipleship pathway, or productivity system that will suddenly make everything easy.
Whirlwind or flat calm? Who is shaping your plans?
Just over two years ago, on 4 July 2024, Sir Keir Starmer led the Labour Party to a decisive general election victory. After 14 years in opposition, the party won 411 seats and a large parliamentary majority, giving him a clear mandate to govern. Yet the honeymoon period was incredibly brief. By the autumn, pressure was already building, and by the summer of 2026 he had stepped aside as Prime Minister.
During much of that same period, Andy Burnham appeared to be flourishing away from Westminster. As Mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017, he had built a strong profile, not least during the pandemic, when he was widely dubbed the “King of the North”. A former MP and minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, he had seemed to find a different kind of political voice outside the Westminster bubble.
Churches, do you really know your communities?
Who is missing from your church?
Who feels at home in your church? And who doesn’t?
Unholy hubbub?
What is your church like shortly before a Sunday service starts? In the September issue of en, John Brand raises the important question of whether most church families are, to put it bluntly, too noisy as corporate worship begins.
It’s not that fellowship isn’t important, of course. As Jesus puts it: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13v35). So there is a place for catching up with each other – it is part of how we show we care.
Does Jesus hate people because of their ancestry?
I have been involved in reaching out to Muslim people for over 35 years and, surprisingly often, I hear Christians talk as if descendants of Ishmael are cursed by God.
Few Muslims are actually descended from Ishmael, but I have often had to confront the idea that certain ancestries are less likely to be Christian – as if there is a genetic favouritism from the living God. I have even heard modern conflicts between Israel and Palestine framed as if one DNA is blessed by God whereas another is not.
Have we forgotten about Israel?
Freshly revived from another invigorating experience at Keswick – the Galilee of England as I coined it last year – I am stirred anew by the glorious gospel which alone can heal our sick society.
Repeatedly urged to drink of the living waters Jesus promised to those who are spiritually thirsty, I know of no other Christian convention that is more Christ-centred.