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"So what? Who cares?" the battle cries of the apathetic ring out from the young (and not-so-young) people of the UK. It seems today the conversation for winning souls needs to start by convincing people they've got souls in the first place! As Christians, what can we do to stir up spiritual curiosity and show that Jesus really matters for everyone?
Darin and Joy Stevens recently launched Start to Stir, which exists to help Christians share faith in a culture that is largely indifferent towards faith and God. Fuelled by their over twenty years experience working with youth from outside the church, and training youth ministry students at ForMission College, they want to help everyday Christians learn how to stir curiosity in the gospel. Their first tool, the Stir Course, is already being used in over 200 churches and schools across the country.
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Bringing an African perspective to PEP Talk today powerfully reminds us of the spiritual and experiential realities that we often minimise in our Western culture. With wonderful enthusiasm and amazing stories, get inspired by the host of the Inspired podcast as Simon Guillebaud chats with Andy and Kristi.
Check out the Jesus At The Door app here. Or search "Jesus at the door" on your app store.
Simon Guillebaud MBE, spent two decades living in war-torn Central Africa, and speaks out of that context with raw urgency and passion for the last, the lost and the least. He’s the Founder of Great Lakes Outreach, host of the popular ‘Inspired’ podcast, author of the award-winning book Choose Life, and travels widely stirring up the Church for radical discipleship. His wife Lizzie and he live in Bath with their three teenage children.
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Though we might not like to admit it, all of us struggle with doubts in our Christian walk. And for those who don't yet have a faith, doubt can feel like an insurmountable obstacle to truly embracing Christ. So whether we are helping others on their journey, or treading the path ourselves, safely navigating the terrains of doubt can be a challenge.
Our friend Randy Newman recorded this interview with us just before he passed away earlier this year. He wrote about doubts in his final book, Questioning Faith: Indirect Journeys of Belief through Terrains of Doubt.
Randy Newman (1956-2024) was senior fellow for apologetics and evangelism at the C. S. Lewis Institute. He was formerly on staff with Cru, ministering in and near Washington, DC. He authored several books, including Questioning Evangelism, Unlikely Converts and Mere Evangelism. He has contributed a number of articles to the Solas website. Randy went home to be with the Lord in May 2024.
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With a rich Christian heritage, but a bleak spiritual present, Wales is in desperate need of the Gospel right now. God is not unaware of the situation however, and is calling people to pray, share the Word and plant new churches right now. Andy and Gavin chat with a leader of 100 Cyrmu and hear about the vision for 100 new churches in the next 10 years!
Visit 100Cyrmu and sign up to pray for Wales.
Ben Franks planted Hope Church Rhondda with his wife Lois in 2013. The church meets in a converted shop on Tonypandy’s high street and is hoping to launch two new congregations in the next 12 months. Alongside leading the team at Hope, Ben chairs the board of his family’s business while Lois runs a marketing company in Pontypridd.
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Taking an entrepreneur's approach, one man has been challenged by God to start sharing Jesus in his own life, and then expand it to the whole church. Can he do it? He's done before with poverty, so we are audaciously believing it can happen with evangelism!
Check out the Isaiah 61 Movement website and search for "i61" for your mobile app store.
Dr John Kirkby CBE (prefers 'Johnny Boy') is the founder of Isaiah 61 Movement (i61m) and Christians Against Poverty (CAP). John had a tough life after his father died. His marriage ended, with huge debt, he had lost everything. Now with a doctorate & CBE, John was healed and transformed because his friend shared life with him, shared faith with him, then shared Jesus. 30 years on, John has founded i61m to to see every Christian confidently doing the same for their friends, and build Jesus-sharing culture with churches everywhere.
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We recently spotted some adverts on the London Underground asking "Who is this Jesus?" So we checked out the website tell-me-more.org to find a fantastic video series filmed by some of our friends. "Hey, come on PEP Talk and tell our listeners about this great evangelistic tool you've made!" we said. "Of course!" they said, and...here they are.
Chris Sinkinson serves as Associate Minister & Programme Director for the School for Discipleship at Lansdowne Church, Bournemouth. He has previously worked for UCCF and served as a pastor in three local churches. He taught theology for many years at Moorlands College and has a PhD in Theology from Bristol University. Chris has written extensively on archaeology, apologetics and philosophy. He presented the Discovering: Who is this Jesus? series, as well as Sifting the Evidence, explaining what archaeology tells us about the historical accuracy of the Bible.
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It's movie night! Why not invite some friends round to watch a great film together? Did you know it can be a great time to start gospel conversations? Films are one of the biggest pieces of shared popular culture we have, and the good ones tap into themes and passions that we all care about - redemption, good and evil, purpose, justice. Today's guest shares his Movie Night Kit so you can explore them with your friends.
Ted Turnau is Chair of Arts, Culture, and Literature at Anglo-American University, Prague, Czech Republic, where he teaches classes in culture, media, and religion. He is also an author and speaker on Christian cultural engagement. His books include Popologetics: Popular Culture in Christian Worldview, The Pop Culture Parent: Helping Kids Engage their World for Christ (with Stephen Burnett and Jared Moore), and most recently, Oasis of Imagination: Engaging Our World through a Better Creativity and Imagination Manifesto (with Ruth Naomi Floyd).
Find the Movie Night Kit and more resources at tedturnau.com
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We can sometimes think that evangelism is all about getting someone through the front door of the church. But what about those who end up leaving out the back door? Through the busyness of life, personal disappointments, or the disruption of the pandemic, there are many people who need encouragement to re-engage with their faith. On the podcast today, we hear about using the power of video and stories to re-evangelise this group on social media.
Originally from Scotland, David Lochhead consulted for large blue chip companies such as Accenture, Barclays & Sky TV before setting up FINLAY eyewear in 2012. FINLAY has become a prominent independent eyewear brand, with two flagship stores in London and a roster of clients from Prince William to Rihanna. In 2022 David launched Streams Studio: a social media platform designed to encourage believers in their faith - on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook @streams.studio
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Today on PEP Talk we look at some of the cultural and spiritual dimensions of Islam that can often be hidden from our Western perspectives. If you want to share your faith with Muslim friends or colleagues, these insights can be so helpful! Our guest today shares his experience across church planting ministry, working with immigrants and linguistic studies, especially drawing on his book, Liberty to the Captives.
Rev Dr Mark Durie was born in Papua to missionary parents and grew up in Canberra. His PhD in linguistics studied the language of the Acehnese people in Indonesia. Mark spent ten years on the Linguistics faculty at the University of Melbourne, but was ordained in 1999, serving in three Melbourne Anglican parishes over the next two decades. Now at Melbourne School of Theology, Mark teaches in Islamic studies and pastoral theology. The author of many articles and books, which have been translated into numerous languages, Mark’s research interests include missions to Muslims, discipleship, Islamic origins, human rights, religious freedom, and deliverance ministry.
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Steve Osmond chats with a UCCF student worker this week on PEP Talk. She helps explain some of the trends, challenges and opportunities happening right now on university campuses. From awareness of spirituality to ignorance of basic Biblical concepts to a loneliness pandemic, these are the things shaping evangelism and discipleship amongst young adults today.
Amber Nesbitt is a Staff Worker for UCCF based in Edinburgh, where she works alongside Napier and Queen Margaret Christian Unions. She attends Charlotte Chapel Church in Edinburgh and her family are in Surrey. She loves to hang out with friends/family, learn about different cultures and food, explore new places and dance!
Find out how to support Amber at https://www.uccf.org.uk/our-team/amber-nesbitt
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In many ways, the practice of sharing the gospel is the art of conversation. Though some may be more gifted than others, there are many simple ways to start and build great conversations. Today's guest shares his experience starting conversations with strangers and the tools he's developed to help us all gain traction in our evangelistic efforts.
Stephen Caldwell trains people to build and deepen relationships with others. In his program called Traction, he teaches people how to perceptively listen and ask probing questions during conversations that are spiritually or existentially focused. The book for Traction is titled Making Inroads: How to ask questions to better understand others. He has gained his experience by using the Socratic Method teaching English, serving as a chaplain during a year of clinical pastoral education, study of and participation in Ignatian spiritual direction, and both practicing and training others in consultative selling and non-directive coaching. He has developed, practiced, and led Traction since 2002.
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Here at Solas we love partnering with Christian Union groups on university campuses across the UK. Today we speak with a student from Lancaster University where Andy spoke at their mission week this year. So what is a mission week? What sort of topics appeal to students? And how would you convince a history student that Jesus really rose from the dead? All that and more in this episode of PEP Talk.
Lena Dacca is a history student at Lancaster University, and recently served on her Christian Union’s committee as the Mission Week Coordinator. She is an aspiring historian and evangelist, and is especially passionate about sharing the gospel in a way which points people toward both the evidence for Christianity, and the transformative love of Jesus.
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This week we have the return of Clare Williams, who contributed three chapters to our book, Have You Ever Wondered? She explains how contemporary questions around race and social justice so quickly point to the gospel when you take the time to wonder about their importance.
Clare Williams is the founder of Real Questions, a platform which explores the intersection of race and faith within the Black British context. She is also a speaker and tutor at The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. Prior to her work in apologetics, she was an English teacher in London secondary schools for ten years. Clare has a degree in English Language and Literature from Oxford University, and Masters in Leadership (2012) and Culture, Diaspora and Ethnicity (2021) from the University of London. She is now a doctoral student conducting research in Sociology at The University of Westminster.
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In many parts of the UK, we can expect to encounter people from Muslim backgrounds in our communities. Sharing the Gospel with them can be a great opportunity, but can be daunting. There are many assumptions we can make, but how can we approach them in a spirit of humility and friendliness? Today's guest shares with Andy from his experience working with Muslims in the UK and in Pakistan.
For more information on the resources mentioned in this episode, email Matt<at>frontiers.org.uk
For over 20 years, Matt has been with Frontiers, a mission agency dedicated to making disciples and planting churches amongst Muslims. He spent most of his 30s in northern Pakistan, where he had close calls with terrorism, sectarian fighting and a massive earthquake. Now based in the UK, Matt regularly speaks at CUs, churches and conferences on God’s heart for all peoples and how to communicate the gospel to Muslims. He hosts a podcast, called Raw Mission and has just begun volunteering as a prison chaplain.
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On PEP Talk today, Kristi and Steve chat with Matt, one of Kristi's old school friends! He wasn't a Christian at all back then, but over the years, Jesus wonderfully drew him in. Now working on a PhD at Cambridge, he reflects on the amazing ways that a scientific, enquiring mind can find satisfaction in a God-centred worldview. If you or your friends think Christianity is anti-science or anti-intellectual, Matt's testimony is great food for thought!
Matthew Fell is a PhD student in the Divinity Faculty at the University of Cambridge. His thesis considers the implications of evolutionary theory for the Christian understanding of the soul and its creation. Alongside his studies, he is an associate lecturer at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, and the director of a discipleship and church internship programme that serves the Newfrontiers network across Europe. Matthew is a passionate believer that modern science can open theological questions and dialogue with people rather than shut it down.
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In addition to podcasts ;) books and tracts can be great tools for sharing the gospel and helping you learn about evangelism. Our guest today leads a Christian publishing ministry. He shares some top title recommendations, insight into trends in reading, and top tips on getting printed material into the hands of those who need to hear the gospel message.
Along the way, we mention "Scattering Seeds of Hope" by the late Jeremy Marshall and "Have No Fear" by Prof John Lennox. You can find our own "Have You Ever Wondered?" and plenty of tracts to give away on the 10ofThose website.
Jonathan Pountney is the Editorial Director at 10ofThose, responsible for their publishing house 10Publishing. Prior to working in publishing, he taught Literature at the University of Manchester and he holds a PhD in American Studies.
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Steve Osmond and Kristi Mair are delighted to chat with a living legend of the British church, Roger Carswell. Roger reflects on over 40 years of sharing the gospel in different ways, with his trademark warmth and wisdom. HIs insights on the changing world, the consistent gospel, Christian literature and the heart of gospel preaching are so encouraging.
Roger Carswell is a travelling evangelist and author. He leads evangelistic church and university missions as well as speaking at Christian conferences. He has written a number of books including ‘And some evangelists’ and ‘Where is God in a messed-up world?' and publishes numerous gospel tracts and booklets. He is married to Dot, has four children and lives in North Yorkshire
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If you know the life-changing experience of tasting traditional Japanese ramen, you know it is something you want everyone to experience. Is it the same with our Christian experience? Today on PEP Talk, Andy and Kristi speak with our ramen-loving guest about the roles of enthusiasm and duty in our evangelistic life.
Matthew Mittelberg is an experienced Christian teacher and apologist, serving as Director of Content at Apologetics Inc. He has spoken to thousands at universities, churches, conferences and youth events in both the US and the UK and his talks have been seen online hundreds of thousands of times. Matthew completed his MA in Philosophy of Religion at Palm Beach Atlantic University, received his BA from Grand Canyon University, and a certificate in theology from Wycliffe Hall at Oxford University. Find Matthew on YouTube here.
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After the Covid pandemic, we've all had enough of statistics! But sometimes they can reveal amazing surprises about things we take for granted. Today Gavin Matthews learns more about the fascinating "Talking Jesus" report, which tells us so much about the nuances of faith in the UK and the untapped opportunities for sharing Jesus today.
Find out more about the Talking Jesus research here and watch a summary on YouTube here. The Talking Jesus course for churches is here.
Dr Rachel Jordan-Wolf is passionate about sharing the gospel of Jesus and has worked for various churches and mission agencies in places such as London and Amsterdam. She’s involved in a church plant in London and is a adjunct lecturer in mission in the UK. She holds a PhD in Church History, focussing on women in mission in early 20th Century Britain. She has been an advisor for the Church of England on mission. Rachel is the Executive Director of Hope Together - a ministry which works with local churches to share the gospel of Jesus. She also loves chocolate!
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Where does our desire for the supernatural fit in the modern world? With a society built on rationality and technology, do we still have longings for a connection with something transcendent? Steve Osmond sits down with Belle Tindall to identify areas in our friends' lives where we can show how the gospel story meets those longings.
Dr Belle Tindall is a biblical scholar, writer, speaker, and podcaster. Based at the Centre for Cultural Witness, she is the writer in residence at Seen and Unseen. She is also a columnist for Premier’s Woman Alive magazine and co-host of Re-Enchanting, a podcast that ponders whether our disenchanted world can be re-enchanted with the wonder and mystery of the Christian story.
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