Life & Ministry

Can we find the gospel in our culture?

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How can we make connections between what we see in our world around us, and the good news of what God has done for us in Jesus? How can we build bridges of understanding from the things that engage the time and attention of those around us, within but especially outside the church, and into the good news which an increasing number in Britain today have no understanding, no folk memory from school days?

I was recently passed this example, written for a local magazine, which takes the popularity of The Traitors television series, and draws out a key idea that connects with the gospel.

Faithful in a World of Traitors

If you’ve watched The Traitors, you’ll know the tension that runs through every episode. Contestants live together, talk together, share meals and laughter—yet all the while, a few of them are secretly plotting the others’ downfall. The rest are left to guess who’s genuine and who’s faking it.

It’s clever television because it taps into something deeply human: our fascination—and our fear—of betrayal. We want to trust people, but we also know that trust can be broken. And when it is, the damage can cut deep.

The Game and the Heart

In The Traitors, suspicion becomes a survival skill. Every conversation is loaded, every smile analysed. Even acts of kindness can be doubted. It’s a world built on paranoia, where self-preservation trumps relationship.

It makes for great drama—but it’s a miserable way to live.

Is the Church of England growing—again?

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Marginally later than in some previous years, the full details of the annual returns on attendance for the Church of England has been published (‘Statistics for Mission’). This is in two parts, both linked here: a report, giving the main statistics and trends, helpfully illustrated with graphs; and the detailed breakdown by diocese in a … Continue Reading

Can pastoral ministry be re-united with theological thinking?

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One of the perennial features of theological study and preparation for Christian ministry has been the yawning chasm between scholarship and church leadership over the last century or two. The evidence for this varies from the comment to young Christians: ‘Don’t study theology at university; you will lose your faith’, to a sense that theological … Continue Reading

Is the Archbishop of Canterbury head of the Church and the Communion?

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Martin Davie writes: The announcement of the choice of the Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally, to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury has been accompanied by frequent references to the Archbishop of Canterbury as the ‘head of the Church of England’ or the ‘head of the Anglican Communion.’  In this post I shall explain … Continue Reading

Is ‘Christian nationalism’ a contradiction in terms?

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Martyn Whittock writes: Where should we stand on the subject of ‘Christian nationalism’? As a Christian historian (with a very eclectic set of interests, and having written about early-medieval national origins, attempts at theocracy in the 17th century, and modern European dictatorships) I am very conflicted about the combination of faith and nation. And I … Continue Reading

Is there a case for slavery reparations?

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  Lord Nigel Biggar is Regius Professor Emeritus of Moral Theology at the University of Oxford, and a well-known author on moral and ethical issues. He has just published Reparations: Slavery and the Tyranny of Imaginary Guilt (Swift, 2025), challenging the current narrative within and beyond the Church of England about the need for reparations … Continue Reading

Money, sex, and power: Will the next archbishop save the Church of England?

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Tim Wyatt is an interesting and often astute commentator on things Church of England. Ten days ago he expanded an article he had written in the New Statesman, setting out the challenges facing whoever will be appointed next Archbishop of Canterbury, in a much longer piece on his substack. Tim has interviewed a number of … Continue Reading