The Profile

In this week's edition of the Profile we celebrate Professor John Lennox, one of the most compelling voices at the intersection of Christian faith and modern science. Born in Northern Ireland in 1943, he was raised in a family of deep faith and went on to earn doctorates from both Cambridge and Oxford universities, specialising in mathematics and the philosophy of science. He served for many years as Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford, where he remains Emeritus Fellow in Mathematics and Philosophy of Science at Green Templeton College.

Lennox is a gifted mathematician, philosopher, and apologist who has authored more than a dozen books exploring the relationship between science, reason, and Christian belief. Works such as God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?, Gunning for God, and 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity have found audiences far beyond the academy.

He is perhaps best known internationally for his public debates with prominent atheists including Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, in which he made the case with wit and warmth that science and Scripture are not enemies but allies.

As President of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, he has lectured in universities and churches across more than sixty countries. During the Cold War he made repeated visits numerous communist countries behind the Iron Curtain sharing Bibles and his faith meeting believers living under atheist regimes, details of whch are included in his 2026 autobiography, My Story.

In this episode of The Profile he talks to Premier Christianity editor Sam Hailes about his extraordinary life sharing The Gospel with people of wildly different backgrounds and the privilege it has been.

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 the Learning and Partnership Development lead for the
Gregory Centre for Church multiplication about her call to serve in the church, as a mum and as one keen to see the church engage in culture.
Do we still have a sacred-secular divide and how easy is it combining running a home of small children with work in a charity?
The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Check out the latest offers at premierchristianity.com

The theologian Andrew Ollerton is probably best known for presenting Christian theology in an accessible and engaging way and his work as a pastor and author centres on making the Bible accessible to modern audiences without sacrificing intellectual rigour.

He grew up in a Christian home where The Bible was 'part of the furniture' but when he hit his teens, he pushed back, sometimes, like Peter, publicly, despite having a father who worked at the nearby church.

But from around eighteen he began to show a renewed interest in Christ's teaching, going on to study Geography then moving onto Theology, and completing a PhD in Historical Theology.

Despite his academic credentials, Ollerton has intentionally focused on communicating theology in clear and practical ways for churches and the general public and his most significant contribution to this is “The Bible Course” an eight-session guide to the whole story of Scripture, developed in partnership with Bible Society.

Ollerton has also written several books aimed at making The Bible understandable to modern audiences, including The Bible: A Story That Makes Sense of Life, Romans: A Letter That Makes Sense of Life, and God’s Book: An Honest Look at the Bible’s 7 Toughest Topics.

In this episode of The Profile he talks to Premier Christianity magazine editor Sam Hailes about making Scripture as clear as you can and how companionship is transformational when it comes to understanding it.

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 editors of The Oxford Handbook of Digital Theology about how we lead differently when we are conscious of the changes in technology that are transforming our world.
What does this mean for our discipleship? Is AI an enemy to be aware of or a tool to embrace? How might we engage with The Global Network for Digital Theology conference coming up soon?
The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Check out the latest offers at premierchristianity.com

Rich Johnson wears two hats quite comfortably. On the one hand he's an archetypal parish vicar working out of a parish in Worcestershire, and, on the other, he is the leader of New Wine England a non-denominational charity supporting Christian leaders in their everyday work.

Johnson grew up in Manchester and moved abroad with his family where he was educated in Belgium and Hamburg. He went on to study Geography at Cambridge and through a college chaplain was introduced to Jesus.

He describes his conversion as 'intellectual' with the Holy Spirit coming in later and he realised quite quickly that he wanted to become a vicar. He now ministers at the 'dreamy church' of All Saints in Worcester which he took over in 2009, a place for and by families.

Stewardship of New Wine came later. The organisation has made a name for itself primarily through its summer festival in Bath - a hit for those who like loud worship and family focussed seminars. "What is new wine?" he answers, "it's about renewal."

In his latest book Holy, Healthy Humble he invites the reader to a smaller more authentic vision of Christian leadership in a world saturated with look-at-me celebrity and explores the idea of what the Lord is doing in the Church right now.

In this edition of The Profile he talks to Premier Christianity Editor Sam Hailes about his happy but non-Christian upbringing, how everyone needs therapy and how to keep new wine 'new.'

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.