The Profile

Dr Martin Shaw the storyteller and mythographer - someone who studies myths - was well exposed to the ancient tales from an early age. He grew up in a Baptist household in Devon in 1970s with a preacher for a father ad in a house with no television or phone but with access to lots and lots of books.

It is no wonder then, that he became fixated with stories and particularly myths. However by his early adulthood he had grown tired of the way the stories of Jesus were told in church, always with a message and a point that made a "muscular sermon." He came to a point, where, in his own words, he "hit the enough button."

A number of decades later, following a long stretch living in a tent, as well as writing and performing as a musician and oral storyteller, he found himself praying to God in nature and had a profound spiritual encounter. The experience brought him back to Christianity and he is now a practising Orthodox Christian.

Shaw has written a number of books drawing on Celtic, Siberian, Greek myths as well as Christian traditions. His latest title: Liturgies of the Wild released earlier this year is already New York Times bestseller.

In this episode of The Profile with Premier Christianity Editor Sam Hailes he talks about his early life story, how myths and stories provide a link to our ancestors and the incredible story of what brought him back to Christ.

The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Enjoy thought-provoking Christian content, including the latest news, inspiring interviews, and exclusive commentary on all that God is doing in the world today. Grab the next 3 issues for just £6. Subscribe today at premierchristianity.com/subscribe.

Andy Peck chats with one of the directors of Eastgate Church in Gravesend and author of ‘Unwrapping Lazarus: Free to live as God intended’ and ‘Faith: Discovering and using the resources of Heaven’. They discuss his new venture supporting a church in the Netherlands and how particular mindsets might affect a nation.
They also consider developments in a ministry he founded, 'Heaven in Healthcare', which aims to unite those in healthcare to be a heavenly influence where God has placed them
The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Check out the latest offers at premierchristianity.com

As the world waits to see how humanity might be reshaped by artificial intelligence, Al Gordon believes now is the time to protect human creativity. As rector of SAINT Church Hackney in East London, he is passionate about the idea that our creativity comes from our connection with the ultimate creator, and that this divine spark is something worth guarding.

SAINT itself has undergone a remarkable restoration. The church has stood in East London since 1275, but with an injection of £6 million in National Lottery funding, it has been transformed into a landmark building, now serving both its parish and hosting international musicians and world-class artists.

Gordon became a Christian alone in his bedroom while listening to worship music. Raised outside The Church, that moment led to a journey of curiosity as he began asking questions and exploring faith more deeply. In his twenties he worked in film before being drawn to Holy Trinity Brompton in London.

He later became a church leader himself and helped found Renaissance movement, which encourages artists and creative professionals to integrate faith and vocation, while also reimagining cathedrals as centres of culture.

Gordon is also the author of Spark: Ignite Your God-Given Creativity, where he encourages Christians to resist burnout and the algorithm driven culture, instead rediscovering their God given creativity.

In this edition of The Profile, he speaks with Sam Hailes, editor of Premier Christianity, about why he believes technological change may be accompanied by a new spiritual and creative renaissance, much like the one that followed the Middle Ages. He also reflects on his visit to the revival at Asbury University in 2023 and the signs of what he describes as a quiet revival already stirring.

The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Enjoy thought provoking Christian content including the latest news, inspiring interviews and commentary on all that God is doing around the world today. Get your next three issues for just £6 at premierchristianity.com/subscribe.

Andy Peck talks with the Associate Minister, Lansdowne Church and Director of the School for Discipleship about how the importance and assurance of the resurrection of Jesus. They also talk about how the Discipleship School began and is run.The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Check out the latest offers at premierchristianity.com

With a Catholic mother and a Jewish father perhaps Aaron Abrahamson was always set to spend his life bridging two different traditions.

He grew up in America and after his mother converted to Judaism his parents brought him up in the Jewish faith eventually moving to Israel themselves when he was a teenager. There Aaron attended Yeshiva - a traditional Jewish school which focuses on studying the Torah, Talmud and Jewish law.

He completed his mandatory military service in the Israeli army and served in Lebanon 1992-95 which he describes as a "volatile period". During that time a close friend was kidnapped, tortured and killed and the experience shook him. After three years he left the military with a desire to look for answers to life's big questions.

He came back to America and began travelling, encountering people along the way, some of whom introduced him to The Bible and one of whom who directly challenged him to read The Gospels: "I felt drawn to his person of Jesus and I couldn't explain why and a lot of the things he (Jesus) was addressing were questions I had had in the Yeshiva."

Abramson joined Jews for Jesus over 20 years ago, directly evangelising to the Jewish community in places like New York, often on the streets in bald, quite direct ways sometimes garnering criticism for that -but he hasn't looked back.

His new book Mission Design talks through how the organisation deconstructed their approach, figuring out what worked and what didn't and sharing it with people undertaking similar missions of their own.

In this episode of The Profile he talks to Sam Hailes, Premier Christianity magazine editor, about his own search for Christ, the struggles connecting his Jewish heritage with his Christian faith and how unique and important Jews for Jesus mission is.

The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Enjoy thought-provoking Christian content, including the latest news, inspiring interviews, and exclusive commentary on all that God is doing in the world today. Grab the next 3 issues for just £6. Subscribe today at premierchristianity.com/subscribe.