In depth | Evangelicals Now

How a campfire helped bridge cultural divides

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.

Imposter syndrome: Will it exist in heaven?

Andrew Drury

Imposter complex can be debilitating. It can come to the surface when we walk into a gathering and immediately feel that we do not belong. We may tell ourselves that we lack sufficient knowledge, the correct credentials or qualifications, or simply do not have the required skills.

This feeling can arise at work, but it can also surface on a Sunday when we gather with others for worship. We may feel in awe of others’ skills, maturity and abilities, and wonder what, if anything, we have to offer.

The UK's 'spiritual openness' is both an opportunity and a challenge

Peter Lynas

In recent months, I’ve noticed something shifting. Church leaders across the UK tell me that political conversations are becoming more contested, pastoral pressures are continuing to grow, and more people are turning up at church. This doesn’t feel like a passing phase, but part of something bigger.

Some have described the larger cultural moment as a "polycrisis" – not one crisis, but many, colliding at the same time. War in Ukraine and the Middle East; persistent cost of living pressures; a political landscape fracturing in ways that feel genuinely new; and artificial intelligence arriving faster than most of us can process, raising real questions about work, identity and what it means to be human.

In a divided world, what does unity look like?

Jason Roach

One of my cousins was killed by a stray bullet. He was not part of a gang but got caught in the crossfire of gang warfare. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time, in areas where postcodes have a kind of protected status, can be lethal.

The council estates my church serves have similar challenges: one area will be home to some but an exclusion zone to others. One significant factor is an inordinate loyalty to a certain place; when place gives you your ultimate sense of security, you’ll go to surprising lengths to protect it.

Loving country without losing the gospel

Graham Nicholls

Christmas decorations are now up everywhere. For some people, this is a welcome relief from the ongoing proliferation of the various UK flags in all those places and more.

When it comes to the flags, some of us find it tempting to make harsh and hasty judgements about those putting them up, perhaps condemning a caricature of Christian nationalism as we do so.

The pressure of greatness: Guardiola's moment of vulnerability

Graham Daniels

In the high-stakes world of elite sport, winning is often seen as the Holy Grail. Yet, as tennis legend Andre Agassi noted in his autobiography, Open, success can be surprisingly hollow.

Agassi writes, 'Winning changes nothing. A win doesn't feel as good as a loss feels bad'^[1] - an insight that resonates powerfully in professional sport.

Identity: the ultimate excavation project

Emily Lucas

'Innovators, inventors, trailblazers' - these are names which bear gravitas, instil hope, and foster expectation.

They are words encouraging the expectation of a hard work ethic; names promising to satisfy that longing to contribute, to make a difference, to uncover and add something new to the world. These are the occupations of those who have risen, made progress, attempted and achieved the miraculous. These are the descriptions of those often perceived as the greatest and best.

Three’s a crowd?

John Woods

Book Review John Woods reviews Andrew Bunt's latest book: 'Reflections on Polyamory and Consensual Non-monogamy'.

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Growing fears around sex and health education guidance

Nicola Laver

As the Autumn term across England and Wales begins, the Association of Christian Teachers (ACT) has expressed concern about uncertainty around the draft relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) guidance.

The draft guidance, published in May, includes clear age limits for teaching the most sensitive content, and states that the ‘broader concept of gender identity’ should not be taught. If published, the final guidance would be statutory.

Few things could be more important today: what is a human?

Matthew Mason

‘What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?’ (Ps. 8:4).

When you meet another human being, what are you encountering? As you look into the eyes of a friend, or a parent, or a child, what is it that you see? Is an encounter with another human being different from an encounter with a mouse, or a goldfish, or your pet dog? Is it different from an encounter with an AI Chatbot? Intuitively we think it probably is. But why?

Would you be able to spot a narcissist?

John Steley

When we think of the word ‘narcissism’ we may imagine people taking selfies, maintaining an attractive image on social media or something similar. True narcissism, however, is something far more serious.

It destroys communities, churches, marriages, families and individuals. It is not just a case of people showing-off, annoying as that may be. True narcissism is destructive and it needs to be understood. That is why I have written the booklet.* It is a warning for all who work with people – that is all of us.

Who are you in secret – really?

Elizabeth McQuoid

Who You Are When No One’s Looking was one of the books that profoundly influenced me as a new Christian more than 30 years ago. The book spelled out the need to develop a Christlike character so that the godliness we display in public is not a pretence, but an extension of our private devotion.

Given how big an impression the book had on me, I was floored when its author, a high-profile pastor, resigned from his church because of sexual immorality.

helping children find faith

Mum, am I bisexual?

Ed Drew

Lucy was chopping vegetables in the kitchen when her nine-year-old daughter, Holly, said, ‘Mum, I think I might be bisexual.’

Lucy remembers putting down the knife, quietly taking a deep breath and choosing to ignore all the little voices that were screaming in her head. All good so far.

‘A hissing cauldron of illicit loves’ – living in a crazy world

Matthew Mason

‘For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love’ (Gal. 5:6).

If you had to summarise the Christian life in four words, you probably couldn’t do better than ‘faith working through love’. This is what it means to live as a new creation in Christ (Gal.6:15).

‘How do I find out who I am?’

John Woods

en’s reviews editor John Woods speaks to Andrew Bunt, part of King’s Church Hastings and Bexhill.

Andrew is Emerging Generations Director at Living Out and a training and resources consultant for New Ground Churches. He studied theology at Durham University and King’s College London.

Let God decide who you are

Andrew Cornes

Book Review FINDING YOUR BEST IDENTITY: A short Christian introduction to identity, sexuality and gender

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Newfrontiers founder addresses FIEC leaders on identity

Joel Murray

The founder of the Newfrontiers network of charismatic evangelical churches, Terry Virgo, has addressed 100 FIEC church leaders.

He was speaking at the London Leaders’ Gathering of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC).

How to find your identity in a confused culture

Tim Cadoux

We are surrounded by a culture that tells us that we can find our identity in aspects of our experience, such as our sexuality, race, or gender. But our identity, as followers of Jesus, must be informed, and transformed, by Christ – we must learn to understand our identity in the light of this bigger story.

If I asked, ‘Who are you?’, you would probably answer by telling me your name. You might also tell me your job, hobbies or background. But our identity is much more than any of those things. Questions about our identity get to the heart of how our sense of self has been shaped and continues to change throughout our lives.

Gender and The Matrix

Karen Soole

One of this year’s big Christmas films will be The Matrix Resurrections.

The original trilogy released between 1999 and 2003 generated a cult following with many fan theories. What came as news to me was the idea that The Matrix was a metaphor exploring the trans experience and transcending the physical form. Since the original releases, the writers have come out as trans. There is now a whole body of interpretation that views the films through that lens. Lily Wachowski joyfully embraces this, saying that the idea was always present, but the corporate world wasn’t ready for it before.

Sex and self-affirmed gender: a crisis of truth

David Shepherd

If you read the recent Spectator headline, ‘Let’s kick ‘gender identity’ out of school’, you would be forgiven for assuming that it was a guest post written by a staunchly conservative religious leader.

In fact, it was written by Debbie Hayton, a transgender teacher and journalist. Hayton came to national prominence last year as a result of incurring disciplinary action from the LGBT committee of the Trades Union Congress. To Hayton, a trans person, it must have felt like a cruel irony to be denounced as transphobic by so-called ‘cis-gendered’ (ie non-trans) members of that committee for doing little more than to don a T-shirt that bore the slogan: ‘Trans women are men. Get over it!’