In Depth:  discipleship

Samuel Tunnicliffe

James Talarico was not even born the last time Texas elected a Democrat as senator, in 1988. Yet on 3 November 2026, he won 55% of the vote. Sixty-seven per cent of Texans identify as Christian, while 27% are classed as Evangelical Protestants.

Politics is a complicated business, and it would be foolish to reduce an election involving millions of voters to a single cause. But for Christians, there is something about Talarico’s appeal worth noticing.

Karen Soole

The phrase "it does what it says on the tin" suggests transparency and, certainly, no surprises. But if you buy tinned mackerel these days, you might be very surprised.

An investigation by the Financial Times found that many products sold as tinned mackerel don’t actually contain any mackerel, but instead contain a lookalike fish from an entirely different family. It is still fish, but people have complained about its texture and taste.

Dan Steel

There is a reason why Paul reaches for farming when he wants to describe what faithful ministry looks like. Not architecture, not conquest, not business, not a product launch – farming.

"The hardworking farmer," he writes to Timothy, "ought to have the first share of the crops" (1 Timothy 2v6). And to the Corinthians, pushing back on a church already obsessed with cliques and celebrity: "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth" (1 Corinthians 3v6).

Ollie Land

We have just returned from our annual summer holiday in Cornwall. We go back year after year because it’s beautiful – and because we love bodyboarding.

When the waves were good, we were in!

Phil Moon

It’s often just a small "c", but it’s so important…

By which I mean communication.

Dan Steel

Friends, I have some bad news and some good news for you.

The bad news first: there are no silver bullets when it comes to the Christian life, or Christian ministry. No shortcuts. No secret wisdom. No hidden tip or technique. No one conference, book, strategy, leadership tactic, staffing structure, app, discipleship pathway, or productivity system that will suddenly make everything easy.

Rebekah Carter

Who is missing from your church?

Who feels at home in your church? And who doesn’t?

Alistair Chalmers

There was a time when much of British public life at least assumed a broadly Christian moral framework. That did not mean Britain was ever truly a “Christian nation” in the Biblical sense, nor that previous generations were necessarily more godly. But Christian convictions about marriage, family, human dignity, sexuality, the value of life and the place of religion in public life were often understood, even by those who did not personally believe the gospel.

That landscape has changed.

Fran Kirby

After struggling with insomnia for all my adult life, I can tell you with great confidence that there are many different reasons why someone may struggle to sleep. Rest, with which sleep overlaps so much, is obviously the same.

Just as the shepherd calls the sheepdog away so the sheep can settle, resting requires us to safeguard ourselves – for a while and as best we can – from those things which conspire to keep us constantly in physical, mental or spiritual motion.

James Cary

I was born in the mid-1970s when there were three television channels in the UK: BBC1, BBC2 and ITV. That was it. If you wanted to watch TV, you had very little choice about what to watch and no choice about when to watch it.

If your favourite programme was broadcast at 8pm on a Tuesday, you had to be there to watch it at 8pm on a Tuesday. If you missed it, you missed it. And that was that. No video recorders. No internet. No streaming. No catch-up. You missed it.

Seth Lewis

John the Baptist was dead. Beheaded. It was unjust, brutal, and senseless.

On hearing the news, Jesus left what He was doing and went with His disciples to a solitary place. He must have wanted to mourn, and pray, away from the crowds. But when He arrived, there was no solitude: somehow, word had spread about where He was going, and now a large crowd was waiting for Him.

Jonny Pollock

My son does social media for his part-time job. Part of the task is creating posts for the business's social media account.

The hope behind so much online activity is shared by many: that one day a post will "go viral", meaning that a post catches the algorithm, the numbers rise, strangers pass it to other strangers, then suddenly, thousands of people are paying attention (and buying stuff!).

Dan Steel

Have you ever wondered why God brought you… here?

Not them.

the four soils

Graeme Shanks

This is the second of a mini-series of articles looking at the four soils in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13v1-23).

There’s a phrase often used in our culture today. Apparently it derives from life in the American mines in the mid-19th century. Saltpetre (the common name for potassium nitrate) was an ingredient in the gunpowder used by miners to create explosions and make fuses. Dampness or wind often caused the spark to fizzle out before it reached the explosive. That experience became commonly known as “petering out”.

Jason Roach

Biblical hospitality – welcoming strangers – is fading in Western Christian life. Yet, Christine Pohl said “as a way of life, an act of love, an expression of faith, our hospitality reflects and anticipates God's welcome.” Maybe Hollywood can help us recover our sight.

The stories we tell train us in what to expect from strangers. Odysseus’ story paints a picture of what happens when we treat strangers as threats.

Neil Robbie

Four young exiled Hebrew men, Daniel, Hanniah, Mishael and Azariah, had been transported from their homeland of Israel into exile in Babylon, where they were prepared by the powerful ruler to serve the Government of the empire.

King Nebuchadnezzar wanted to fully acculturate the four young Hebrews. So he imposed Babylonian names on them: Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He educated them with Babylonian literature and told them they would now eat from his table.

Niv Lobo

I remember, in an earlier phase of the internet, the sense of being part of a large, ongoing conversation. On Facebook and Twitter, one could be drawn (for better or for worse) into dialogue with all kinds of perceptive people one had never met in real life. Social media these days feels very different.

Between the whims of the algorithm, which seem never to promote the things I want to read or the things I write, and the sheer quantity of trolls, bots and malign presences drenching these platforms with tedium, one feels caught up in a crowd of people shouting at each other, never really feeling heard.

Dave Burke

Steven Jones was working at a university in Siberia when his zest for life fell off a cliff. Everything he used to love had lost its flavour and his motivation had evaporated. A colourless mood descended on him, lasting for months.

Steven’s an expert on the late Middle Ages (1100 AD to 1500 AD). Stuck in a Siberian university in the middle of winter, an ancient pastoral tool came to his rescue.

Daniel McIlhiney

I am a horror fan – I will admit it. I know Christians have mixed views on horror, but there it is, my confession.

Recently, I saw the film Obsession; the story of a shy young man, Bear, who wishes that his attractive, outgoing friend, Nikki, will love him "more than anyone else in the world". In classic horror fashion, she then becomes obsessed with him and increasingly disturbing mayhem follows.

subtle idols

Graeme Shanks

“We surpass the furthest distance humans have ever travelled from planet Earth. We do so in honouring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration. To the next generation, make sure this record is not long-lived.”

Those were the words of one of the Artemis astronauts upon returning to Earth, having broken the Apollo 13 record.

Neil Robbie

This article is a "part two" to the piece of the same title (en online, 13 Sept. 2025) and has been written after comments on the initial article led its writer, Neil, to do some more thinking about Adam and Eve. Read that first article here.

"Misunderstand not sickness, as if it were a greater evil than it is; but observe how great a mercy it is…Our sickness and death are sent by the same love that sent us a Saviour, and sent us the powerful preachers of his word, and sent us his Spirit, and secretly and sweetly changed our hearts, and knit them to himself in love; which gave us a life of precious mercies for our souls and bodies, and has promised to give us life eternal; and shall we think, that he now intends us any harm? Cannot he turn this also to our good, as he has done many an affliction which we have complained about?"

Facing disability

Kay Morgan-Gurr

Disability affects 12 per cent of children, 25 per cent of working-age adults, and 45 per cent of people over State Pension age.

Many people in these figures will have been born with a disability, but the greater proportion of those with a disability have become disabled, due to either illness, a sudden medical event or an accident.

James Burnett

Christians can feel helplessly situated in a world stymied by the embargoed Strait of Hormuz (if it's still closed by the time you're reading this) and Europe’s bleeding gash – the war in Ukraine.

At home, little sign of a let-up in the cost-of-living crisis only enlarges the aurora of neon gloom across British skies.

Phil Moon

What do you think is the opposite of a "control freak"?

I found that question difficult to answer, so I put it into You-Know-What and it came up with lots of suggestions, including "pushover", "soft touch" and "doormat".

Niv Lobo

Having devoured Jonathan Freedland’s The Escape Artist (2022) with fascination, I wasn’t going to miss reading his latest, The Traitors Circle (2025).

The former was a harrowing account of Rudolf Vrba, the eponymous escapee from Auschwitz, and his attempts to testify to the world about the evils being done there. It raised the uncomfortable question: Why did it take the world so long to believe him, and act on it?

John-Edward Funnell

I am sure that many readers of en are rightly concerned about the conflict in Iran and the wider Middle East. I have a vested interest as my eldest son serves our country bravely in the Royal Navy.

I have spent the last few weeks glued to the 24-hour news coverage and have read countless articles and expert opinion pieces on the tensions – all to gain as much of an insight as possible, so that I can pray in an informed way for the needs of our service men and women and for our Christian brothers and sisters in Iran.

Simon Lennox

As Parliament debates whether to ban social media for under 16s, I find myself reflecting on a new TikTok trend: people choosing to “go analogue” - rejecting screens for books, tangible hobbies and time in nature.

I’ve been reading a lot of Jonathan Haidt lately. If anyone thinks we should be spending less time online, it’s him. He writes about how social media saps our energy, attention and focus and it’s also linked to a deterioration in mental health for children and young people. Haidt argues that we are raising an anxious generation – and I find it hard to disagree with him.

Jonny Pollock

Every generation of Christians is tempted by causes. Ours is no different. We long for something to rally around, whether it is a campaign or a crisis. Something that will lift us out of the mundane of ordinary obedience and give us the sense that we are finally "doing something big for God".

It explains why sometimes Christians can mobilise more quickly around political slogans than around the basic command to love our neighbour. Or why our churches get excited about national campaigns rather than meeting a fellow Christian for prayer over a cup of tea.

Karen Soole

How much responsibility do we have to know what is happening around us?

I have a relative in Australia who never listens to the news on TV or the radio and never scrolls through social media. He did not hear about the shooting at Bondi Beach until days after the event. When he did hear, he did not engage or find out more about it. Does it matter?

subtle idols

Graeme Shanks

One of the most loved and longstanding BBC dramas is Death In Paradise.

For those who have never watched it, it’s a very light-hearted murder mystery set in Saint Marie (real-life Guadeloupe) in the Caribbean. A stunning backdrop, a loveable cast and the occasional, "I recognise their face from somewhere" guest actor. It’s been a winning formula for 15 series straight.

Alistair Chalmers

We live in a golden age of Christian content, but at the same time it is a fragile age for Christian community.

Sermons stream instantly. Conferences draw thousands. Podcasts, platforms, and personalities shape how many believers think about faithfulness.

John-Edward Funnell

A sermon clip of Alistair Begg has been repurposed by "influencer" Josh Howerton, who called it “the best 3-minute sermon ever preached.”

The premise is that the thief on the cross who acknowledged Jesus as Lord would that day be in paradise. He was not baptised, did not go to a Bible study, and did not hold any formal membership in a local church. The thief on the cross simply arrived into eternal glory because the “man in the middle said I could come.” Such is the grace of God. Amen.

Daniel McIlhiney

"Why are so many Jews atheists?"

I hear this a lot.

John-Edward Funnell

January is widely recognised as the peak month for job changes, driven by post-holiday career reflection and the "new year, new me" mindset. 

In January, the recruitment market opens as staff churn and new budgets are handed out for the year ahead.

Layo Obembe

Lots of us begin a new year with new resolve, and I want to encourage you using coaching jargon - I hope that is okay, please bear with me - two words summarise what I’d like to see more of around me in 2026: “Growth mindset.”

The Bible teaches a lot about what we set our minds on. Some of my favourites:

subtle idols

Graeme Shanks

I have often had a chuckle at the word "subtle." Truth be told, it’s for rather nerdish reasons.

I love it because there’s a silent b sitting snugly near the middle illustrating perfectly what the word means. It’s there all right but it’s doing its best to remain hidden in plain sight. Ain’t that cool? Look deep enough in the English language and you’ll find it often conjures up little gems for the beholder.

Ziggy Rogoff

I once had a conversation with an Orthodox Jewish man who told me he would not discuss Jesus with me. His words were striking: “Speaking to you is like speaking with a Holocaust denier. Would you listen to a Holocaust denier? For the same reason, I won’t listen to anything you have to say.”

For this man, the resurrection of Jesus seemed to belong in the category of outrageous falsehood, unworthy of consideration.

Jonny Reid

“There is no place for weak men in my dressing room.” That was England captain Ben Stokes’s frustrated verdict after another crushing defeat to Australia in the second Test.

Like many England cricket fans, I’m disillusioned with their performances in Australia this winter. Waking early and checking the score has produced an involuntary groan each time - much to the annoyance of my sleeping wife. Since the Brisbane defeat, the pile-on has been relentless, with every pundit, podcaster and pontificator finding fault in everything from technique and preparation to supposed attitudes and motivations.

Ben Chang

Industrial action has become a regular part of many of our lives in the past few years. The latest in a long run of resident doctor strikes called by the British Medical Association threatens to disrupt NHS care just days before Christmas.

Over the festive period we are also set to see strikes affecting national bus and train services, air travel, and even cinema-going.

Tim Farron

I’ve been reflecting on a moment in Luke 7. A woman comes to Jesus with an alabaster jar of costly perfume. She breaks it and pours it all at His feet. The disciples complain about the “waste,” but she holds nothing back. She doesn’t compartmentalise Jesus; He is everything.

That story has been on my mind as the UK wrestles with a heated immigration debate once again.

Graeme Shanks

“The answer to speech we do not like is more speech.” ^[1] Over recent days, I’ve been reminded of those words from Douglas Murray in light of the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk.

It was one of those world-stopping events when we all tangibly felt the weight of the darkness of evil. If ever there was a "Houston, we have a problem" moment for the West concerning our current inability to do amicable debate and disagreement then this would appear to be it. Our world feels increasingly, and at times aggressively, tribal and disconnected. It’s a heavy thought indeed.