In Depth:  culture

Cassie Martin

Last weekend, I had the privilege of seeing one of my former students perform in her first professional role out of acting school, in the cast of High School Musical at Salford's Lowry theatre.

It was an infectiously enjoyable couple of hours with an audience made up of all ages, many sporting fan-made t-shirts and costumes. There was a clever, immersive set, a high-energy cast, and cameos by original cast member Kaycee Stroh (originally Martha, now playing Ms Darbus). Parent-age pop sensations Jason Donovan and Harry Judd only added to its appeal.

Jason Roach

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.

Rebekah Carter

Who is missing from your church?

Who feels at home in your church? And who doesn’t?

David Shepherd

In 1898, the young Winston Churchill rode with the 21st Lancers at Omdurman, later describing the charge as a desperate struggle for survival in a "whirling melee of death".

In My Early Life (1930), he portrayed himself as a fearless cavalry officer cutting through enemy ranks while bullets flew around him. He painted a similar picture of his service on the North-West Frontier of India, presenting himself as a calm and decisive officer, while under intense enemy fire.

James Cary

I was born in the mid-1970s when there were three television channels in the UK: BBC1, BBC2 and ITV. That was it. If you wanted to watch TV, you had very little choice about what to watch and no choice about when to watch it.

If your favourite programme was broadcast at 8pm on a Tuesday, you had to be there to watch it at 8pm on a Tuesday. If you missed it, you missed it. And that was that. No video recorders. No internet. No streaming. No catch-up. You missed it.

Rick Raja

Britain is becoming more culturally and ethnically diverse.

Hard data from numerous sources demonstrates this trend. ¹ In addition, soft data from numerous church leaders and Christians backs this up. This is how the conversation goes: “Our communities are becoming more diverse, as people from other parts of the world and other parts of the UK move and settle here”. ²

Jonny Reid

“This is a World Cup swimming in star names...”

Jonathan Liew in The Guardian ¹ has argued that the 2026 tournament has become the "cult of the individual". Messi and Ronaldo are more popular than Argentina and Spain. The race for the Golden Boot, in some circles, has overtaken commentary about the actual tournament itself.

Neil Robbie

Four young exiled Hebrew men, Daniel, Hanniah, Mishael and Azariah, had been transported from their homeland of Israel into exile in Babylon, where they were prepared by the powerful ruler to serve the Government of the empire.

King Nebuchadnezzar wanted to fully acculturate the four young Hebrews. So he imposed Babylonian names on them: Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He educated them with Babylonian literature and told them they would now eat from his table.

John-Edward Funnell

Some of my most precious times as a father are when I get to share cultural moments that shaped me, with my children – blasts from the past. For example, when the radio plays an Oasis song and, to my surprise, my teenagers sing along to every word with me.

In these moments of shared cultural experience, our generational divide vanishes. To them, the song is “retro” – to me it is “nostalgic”. But we are united in that moment.

Daniel McIlhiney

I am a horror fan – I will admit it. I know Christians have mixed views on horror, but there it is, my confession.

Recently, I saw the film Obsession; the story of a shy young man, Bear, who wishes that his attractive, outgoing friend, Nikki, will love him "more than anyone else in the world". In classic horror fashion, she then becomes obsessed with him and increasingly disturbing mayhem follows.

subtle idols

Graeme Shanks

One of the most loved and longstanding BBC dramas is Death In Paradise.

For those who have never watched it, it’s a very light-hearted murder mystery set in Saint Marie (real-life Guadeloupe) in the Caribbean. A stunning backdrop, a loveable cast and the occasional, "I recognise their face from somewhere" guest actor. It’s been a winning formula for 15 series straight.

Kay Morgan-Gurr

Culture – in the evangelical church, we often talk about this in the context of mission and those of different cultures to the majority in our churches. We talk about being multicultural churches, referring mainly to race and sometimes to age-related "culture" such as youth.

In a country full of different cultures, many churches are working hard in their outreach to connect with many of them.

Niv Lobo

Pornocracy (2025), by Jo Bartosch and Robert Jessel, is a clarion call for a legislative and cultural revolution, one in which the depravity of pornography is recognised, its façade of respectability is pulled down, and the entire industry which profits from it is overthrown.

Their provocative title refers to the "system where our minds, relationships and laws are shaped by global-scale sexual exploitation." It is this which they seek to expose (which Pornocracy does comprehensively) and then dismantle (here, the results are more mixed).

Jason Roach

It's sometimes said that culture is like a river. To fully appreciate its flow, you need to get in it. I had the privilege of putting this into practice recently when I visited a church with a predominantly Nigerian membership.

Rather than observing from a distance, I got to swim in the stream of their worship. It highlighted several ways in which my own multi-ethnic church values certain things differently. This doesn't automatically mean either set of practices is better or worse. But the customs reveal the creeds underneath. Experiencing the differences first-hand helped me sense what was going on under the surface.

John-Edward Funnell

I am not a social scientist, statistician, or expert in trend analysis. I have no qualifications in psychology or anthropology. I am a simple pastor in the Welsh Valleys who has made a cultural observation, from my own experience, that has captured some attention.

There are three lies that British culture promotes, all of which sound lovely, and we all wish they were true.

John-Edward Funnell

Most people born in the 1980s will be familiar with the character Thomas the Tank Engine. First published in a book in 1945, his adventures were later adapted into a TV show Thomas and Friends which ran from 1984 until 2021.

To celebrate the 80th anniversary of this British classic, an unseen version of the pilot episode, discovered in the Mattel archives, filmed back in 1983, has been made available on YouTube.^[1]

bridging cultural divides

Jason Roach

I still remember the weight of that brown envelope in my hands. My entire future seemed contained within those folded A-level results. With trembling fingers, I opened it, and my heart sank. The grades weren't enough for medical school.

In that moment, I hadn't broken any moral code. There were even mitigating circumstances that had affected my performance. Yet what overwhelmed me wasn't guilt - it was shame.

Graham Nicholls

We greatly appreciate the blessing of being brought up in a Christian home, but does this guarantee children from Christian families will all be converted?

A recent study by Pew Research Center conducted across the world showed that Christianity and Buddhism don’t have a very high success rate of passing on faith through the generations.

politics & policy

Tim Farron

Do you ever feel like switching off the news? I know I do. Another alert flashes up on your phone, another crisis, and you sigh, “again,” before setting it aside.

And then come the questions: is that wrong? Am I tuning out when the world needs more compassion? Maybe, like me, you’ve seen so much bad news that your heart feels a bit worn out. You scroll past a tragic story not because you don’t care, but because, honestly, constantly caring can feel exhausting.

sport watch

Rosie Woodbridge

As an avid watcher of the original series of Gladiators in the 90s, I am thrilled that the show has returned to our screens!

Each week I look forward to the next episode, to see how the contenders fare against the Gladiators. Who can hold their ground against Giant on Duel? Who can sprint fast enough to escape Fire when she is Unleashed? Who can dodge a tackle from Fury? Who is talented enough to put Legend in his place? How will they fare on the eliminator - will they make it up the travelator first time?

Paul Yeulett

The gripping Netflix mini-series Adolescence screened last week. Some are suggesting it might be as influential as Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which aired at the beginning of last year.

It’s all about teenage boys, emerging sexuality, social media, Andrew Tate, online bullying, misogyny and knife crime.

Niv Lobo

One should never watch anything that wounds one’s conscience; Romans 14:23 tells us there are terrible consequences of acting against our conscience.

I don’t often, therefore, speak about my fascination with the horror genre in cinema. And yet, the popularity of horror films is worth pondering. Rather than engage at any length with the film which prompted these reflections — Robert Eggers’s 2024 remake, Nosferatu — what might its success teach us?

Milla Ling-Davies

What do you do when a friendship goes wrong? Do you call them up and explain how you were hurt - or do you stop replying to messages and remove them from your life entirely?

If you are a part of Gen Z, you might do the latter. Sociologist Jenny van Hooff recently published a paper exploring how our culture views ‘toxic friendships’^[1] and found ‘dispiriting’ results. Toxic behaviour was described as anything ‘unsympathetic or simply negative’ and ending a friendship like this was seen as a ‘desirable… even courageous’^[2].

Rebecca Chapman

Advent is finally upon us. In just a few weeks we will celebrate Christmas, with all the fun and feasting that entails. 

But before any of us get too enthusiastic about menu-planning for the big day or the hospitality we hope to extend following carols or crib services, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson would apparently like us all to know that the church is to blame for the obesity crisis.

Rebecca Chapman

How often do you hear the conversation happening around you, and wish that you could think of the perfect riposte? Not spiteful or cutting, not designed to trip the other person up, but to have the words to make your point in a way that feels modest yet memorable. 

Towards the end of October, the Irish-American actress Saoirse Ronan appeared on the BBC’s Graham Norton show, on the sofa alongside fellow actors Eddie Redmayne, Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington, each promoting various new projects.  So far, so Friday night chat-show – some good-natured banter between colleagues and friends.  Conversation turned to training for the preparation Redmayne had been taken through for his recently released remake of The Day of the Jackal, including being taught how to use his phone as a weapon if he was attacked.

Kirsten Birkett

If you have been at all aware of popular thinking about wealth over the past 20 years or so, you have probably come across the phenomenon of manifesting. Apparently it’s very popular on TikTok at the moment; it was beloved of the New Age teachers long before that.

'To manifest something means to make your dreams, goals, and aspirations a reality by believing you can achieve them' says one popular website. It is based on a so-called 'law of attraction', positing that if you think about something often enough, hard enough and positively enough, you can make it happen by the power of your thought alone. It focuses your 'energy' to affect future events out there in the universe.

John Woods

One of my favourite psalms is Psalm 133 which begins: 'How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!'

The 2011 NIV obscures the original word 'brothers', choosing to translate it with the more inclusive 'God's people'.

Graeme Shanks

Working nine to five? What a way to make a living. Working life has moved on a lot since Dolly Parton first released her catchy and timeless 1980s hit, 9 To 5. Indeed, fast forward a few generations and it would appear that flexibility has trumped security as the key thing that Gen Z’ers are prioritising when it comes to employment.^[1]

Have you noticed that recruitment firms are now fronting their adverts with their ability to perfectly match people to a job that fits with their lifestyle? Have you read about the companies experimenting with a four-day week, complete with flexible start and finish times, a nine-day fortnight, and compressed hours?^[2] The desire for flexibility with our employment, it would seem, is here to stay.

John-Edward Funnell

The running debate over transgenderism has revealed the obvious conflict between two ideologies that the Olympics are attempting to unite.

The controversy around boxer Imane Khelif has been one of the many at this year’s Paris Olympics. Viewers were horrified to see Italian hopeful Angelina Carini pull out of the fight in just 46 seconds to 'save her life.'

JK Rowling tweeted: 'Explain why you're OK with a man beating a woman in public for your entertainment.' However it was intended, this comment from such a public figure turned a single boxing match into a global debate about transgender issues.