They're like marmite. You either love or hate Coldplay.
Catchy melodies, anthemic songs and emotional lyrics are their staple — the very things that draw in the fans but deter the haters.
But wherever you fall on the divide, Coldplay have had a monumental impact on pop culture. This month marks 20 years since their debut album Parachutes was released…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in July 2020. To read the full piece please click here.
It was a brisk Saturday morning on my local high street some years ago. I was doing outreach with my church. We were gathered together for prayer when a man none of us knew quietly joined us, prayed and offered some timely encouragement. We thanked him and asked his name. “Why do you need to know that?” he replied. He departed and we saw nothing further of him.
I’d forgotten all about this. But recently, having heard increasingly from others who believe they have encountered angels, I’ve returned to it as part of a broader reflection. To what extent can these angelic stories be believed in light of the Bible and good old common sense? Are angels actively involved in ministering to us?
This article was the cover story for the April 2020 edition of Premier Christianity. To read the full piece please contact subscriptions@premier.org.uk to get a copy of the magazine.
To the uninitiated the above photo may look like an album cover for a singing quintet. Five handsome chaps looking rather dapper. All that’s missing are a few vintage mics.
But alas they are not. Instead they are five pastors who have more than Jesus in common. They’re all friends with Justin Bieber.
The above photo was taken at a private celebration last Monday to mark the singer’s marriage to Hailey Baldwin.
Here’s the lowdown on the each of them…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in October 2019. To read the full piece please click here.
BMX bikes, arcade games, walkie-talkies, nods to Stephen King and films such as Jaws and E.T., a playlist featuring the likes of Cyndi Lauper and The Clash. Then there are the likeable kids who bear a close resemblance to The Goonies. It’s little wonder people have been getting all wistful over the 1980s pop-culture phenomenon Stranger Things.
The Netflix original series first aired in 2016; its stunning success surprised even the streaming giant and turned its young cast into global stars. More than 40 million households tuned in to watch the first episode of Stranger Things 3 within days of its release earlier this month, a Netflix record.
There are many facets to the appeal of Stranger Things. Alongside the wonderful nostalgia, the show features an endearing set of relationships, a haunting synth-led score, compelling character development, sacrificial acts of love, geeky bits of science, and an imaginative, if sometimes confusing, plot line. Then there is the stranger side to Stranger Things, the supernatural, which leads to get-behind-your-sofa moments. It is here that the show bears a surprising likeness to the eschatological world view of the Bible.
Christian author Michael S Heiser, whose new book The World Turned Upside Down: Finding the Gospel in Stranger Things (Lexham Press) is released in October, writes: “Stranger Things taps into spiritual questions and crises and addresses them the way the gospel story does – with mystery and transcendent power, justice, and love.”
This article appears in the Culture column of the August 2019 edition of Premier Christianity. To read the full piece please contact subscriptions@premier.org.uk to get a copy of the magazine.
“I think it's an offence to the Lord, it's an offence to say 'give $1,000'. I think it's an offence to the Holy Spirit to place a price on the Gospel.”
This is the charge many Christians would level at the prosperity gospel — the strand of Christianity that teaches health and wealth are promised to those who give financially. So it may surprise you to learn this quote comes from Benny Hinn, a name synonymous with the movement for the best part of 40 years…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in September 2019. To read the full piece please click here.
My initial reaction was: “No” when, last March, a friend asked if I wanted to do the Bible in a year through The Bible Project. I’ve tried reading through the whole Bible before and failed miserably, barely lasting a week. Eventually I accepted, and last Monday — a year to the day that we started — I read the final two chapters of Revelation. Job done, Bible read…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in January 2019. To read the full piece please click here.
I can remember the feeling of quiet dread. The worship band breaks into a song that requires more participation than simply using my vocal cords. “I will dance, I will sing, to be mad for my king…” so Matt Redman’s 'Undignified' goes. This song, which is based on the dancing antics of King David, was a staple of many a Soul Survivor summer during my youth. On the one hand I loved the unbridled enthusiasm of the song (and the conga that sometimes resulted); on the other, the pressure to do some sort of acceptable routine, even a light jump or two, without drawing any kind of attention to myself, was often enough to induce a mild sweat…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in January 2019. To read the full piece please click here.
I haven’t watched ITV’s I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! in years. But when it emerged that football legend Harry Redknapp would be featuring, I couldn’t resist tuning in.
But as I’ve sat through the daily happenings of the celebrity campmates, it’s not just ‘Arry’s cracking anecdotes that have left me returning for more. To my pleasant surprise there has been much that has, dare I say it, warmed my soul — from Nick Knowles choosing a pillow as his luxury item for others to use, to the stirring encouragement offered to each other.
This has got my imagination going…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in November 2018. To read the full piece please click here.
I was excited but also nervous as I sat down to watch The Debt Saviours, on BBC Two last Friday night.
On the one hand I was delighted to see CAP’s tremendous work broadcast on national television. On the other hand I was concerned that the secular lens of the BBC would present the charity in an unfair light, overlooking their good intentions because of their Christian identity.
However, as the documentary got into its stride what struck me was how the pictures and words were being allowed, for the most part, to speak for themselves. There was no running commentary, and while questions could be heard from behind the camera (some more pointed than others, which is to be expected), the impression was that viewers were being left to draw their own conclusions as to the motivation and sincerity behind CAP’s work…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in October 2018. To read the full piece please click here.
“I am going to be honest with you…”
Words that tend to fill us with dread and curiosity.
When Mike Pilavachi uttered them during a talk at this summer’s Naturally Supernatural festival, I wondered what would follow.
What came was a revelation of his frustration at the way he felt the business world was creeping into parts of the Church. And so with urgency and passion - and not without the odd gem of humour - Mike offered a simple challenge: Let’s not lose our identity as the family of God. Here are five highlights from his message…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in September 2018. To read the full piece please click here.
I can remember the feeling of deflation. The effervescent Ronaldinho of Brazil lifts a free kick into the England box during the summer of 2002. It evades everyone including our goalkeeper David Seaman and nestles in the back of the net. The nation’s hopes of a first title since 1966 again in tatters.
Four years later it was Portugal. Wayne Rooney was sent off for a silly kick and Cristiano Ronaldo winked. The game finished 0-0 after extra time and England lost on penalties. Same old story.
As for the 2010 World Cup, the Germans stuffed us. We can’t even hold onto the fact that we had a perfectly good goal disallowed. The Germans still stuffed us…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in June 2018. To read the full piece please click here.
The morning spring air was fresh and the streets a gentle hum of activity: students making their way to lectures, shops and stalls opening, commuters striding to work, tourists warming up their cameras.
Another day in Cambridge had begun.
I am not from the area so I had arrived early to explore the city before meeting with friends later. Walking around looking for somewhere to have breakfast, I prayed. ‘Lord, use me as you wish today,’ I offered (with more than a hint of trepidation), ‘and may there be opportunities to share your love with others’…
This piece was the written reflection for Day 35 of 40acts, an initiative that encourages people to be generous during the 40 days of lent. You can read the full piece here.
As a young, eager, immature Christian, I ate it all up.
For some months, before heading off to school each morning, I spent 30 minutes intently tuned into the GOD Channel for Benny Hinn’s ‘This is Your Day.’ Like countless others, I was drawn to the miraculous stories, triumphant prayers and prophetic calls to healing.
But before long I kept hearing the name Benny Hinn from the pulpit and in conversations - and not in pleasant terms. He was a false teacher whose extravagant lifestyle was a reflection of an erroneous gospel - that a happy, abundant, healthy life is promised to those who give generously to God and have enough faith…
This article appeared in Premier Christianity Magazine in March 2017. To read the full piece please click here.
There is a scene in Iron Man 2 where Elon Musk makes a brief appearance alongside Robert Downey Jr’s superhero character, Tony Stark. “I’ve got an idea for an electric jet,” Musk 16 casually informs Stark, who replies, “You do? Then we’ll make it work.” And they probably would.
The cameo is a nod to the inspiration Musk was to the creation of Tony Stark in the popular Marvel films. Writing for TIME magazine’s ‘100’ issue in 2010, director Jon Favreau stated, “Elon Musk makes no sense — and that’s the reason I know him. When I was trying to bring the character of genius billionaire Tony Stark to the big screen in Iron Man, I had no idea how to make him seem real. Robert Downey Jr said, ‘We need to sit down with Elon Musk.’ He was right.” Favreau continues, “Elon is a paragon of enthusiasm, good humour and curiosity – a Renaissance man in an era that needs them.”
This article appeared in Premier Christianity Magazine in March 2017. To read the full piece please click here.