Cross Section

In the final episode of Season 13, Peter Lynas, Alicia Edmund and Danny Webster unpack the recent news from the Bible Society – that the YouGov data from The Quiet Revival report was invalid and has been discounted. How can we respond to this news?

While this is hard to process, we must remember that the findings haven’t been proven ‘wrong’ but are unreliable. The team point to other surveys, church leader feedback and recurring stories suggesting increased spiritual openness, particularly among younger adults.

The team also discuss the London ‘Together’ rally against the far right, questioning claims of unity, contested crowd sizes and the growing role of religion in public demonstrations. How, in our churches, can we bring unity amidst serious political differences?

They close with reflections on church division, moving from protest to prayerful engagement, and standout news headlines from the last week.

Is the 'Quiet Revival' fake news? - Evangelical Alliance

https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/the-q...

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome

00:29 Quiet Revival report withdrawn

01:08 Why the data failed

04:44 How surveys get skewed

06:18 Church response and hope

18:01 ‘Together’ rally

22:10 Unity, politics and faith

27:28 From protest to prayer

31:07 News picks and Easter

Kay Morgan-Gurr, co-founder of the Additional Needs Alliance, and Alicia Edmund discuss the politics of disability and the attitudes that underly how we approach disability within the church. They also cover how proposed changes to both Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) provision and disability benefits will impact those living with disabilities.

Chapters:

0:00     Welcome

1:04     Kay's faith journey and lived experience with disability

2:52     The Get Britain Working white paper and PIP payments

9:14     Priorities for a government disability plan

11:33   Cultural attitudes and destigmatising disability

16:08   Discipleship and the role of the church for those with disabilities

24:35   Special Educational Needs reform

29:42   Practical advice for churches and closing remarks

Peter Lynas, Danny Webster and Zanna Meynell discuss the row over the Iftar prayer in Trafalgar Square. They talk about Nick Timothy's comment 'mass ritual prayer in public places is an act of domination.' How do we respond to this? What is the line with freedom of religion and speech?

The team also talk about the Evangelical Alliance's new report Confident faith, contested culture and what this shows about how evangelicals' find sharing their faith in this cultural moment. Finally, the team discuss Prince William's comments about having a 'quiet faith'.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction
1:11 - Assisted Suicide and abortion votes
4:36 - Capybara on the loose
5:29 - Muslim prayer in Trafalgar Square
17:06 - Confident faith, contested culture report
25:50 - Prince William's 'Quiet Faith' and new Archbishop
31:33 - Closing thoughts and Easter encouragement

Join Alicia Edmund, Danny Webster and Peter Lynas as they discuss stories at the intersection of faith, news and culture. They discuss Louis Theroux's 'Inside the Manosphere' Netflix documentary. What has it revealed? How does the Bible speak into it and this cultural moment?

The team also talk about the significant vote in the House of Lords regarding the decriminalisation of abortion. There have been some headlines around whether or not the new Archbishop of Canterbury will be there for the vote. This is a conversation Christians need to be speaking into and praying about.

Chapters:

0:00 - Welcome
2:11 – Assisted suicide vote in Scotland
3:20 - Mass wedding at Lakepointe Church
5:34 - Louis Theroux and the manosphere
12:36 – Christian response to the manosphere
20:22 - Abortion and decriminalisation vote
25:09 - Archbishop of Canterbury and the vote
32:51 - Closing thoughts and encouragement

In this week's episode of Cross Section, Peter Lynas, Alicia Edmund and Danny Webster sit down to discuss the headlines. They cover Wes Huff's appearance on the Diary of a CEO podcast. He took 9 months to say yes to doing it and his clear articulation of Christianity is a call to us all! Steven Bartlett is beginning to revaluate his atheism and asking important questions. 

Meanwhile, Claude AI was asked about Christianity and it's answer was very interesting!

They also discuss the government's new social cohesion strategy - 'Protect What Matters'. What happened in Alicia's meeting with the Faith Minister? What is the new anti-Muslim hatred definition? What will this mean for free speech?

 

0:00 Introduction
1:11 Samuel Leeds buying churches for communities
3:30 Steven Bartlett and Wes Huff: Christianity on major podcasts
11:54 Government's community cohesion strategy
17:11 Anti-Muslim hostility definition and free speech concerns
24:35 Claude AI and cultural rapid fire
27:14 Wrap up