Cross Section

Ep 130: New definition of Islamophobia and Steven Bartlett and Claude AI explore Christianity

In this week's episode of Cross Section, Peter Lynas, Alicia Edmund and Danny Webster sit down to discuss the headlines. They cover Wes Huff's appearance on the Diary of a CEO podcast. He took 9 months to say yes to doing it and his clear articulation of Christianity is a call to us all! Steven Bartlett is beginning to revaluate his atheism and asking important questions. 
Meanwhile, Claude AI was asked about Christianity and it's answer was very interesting!
They also discuss the government's new social cohesion strategy - 'Protect What Matters'. What happened in Alicia's meeting with the Faith Minister? What is the new anti-Muslim hatred definition? What will this mean for free speech?
 
0:00 Introduction1:11 Samuel Leeds buying churches for communities3:30 Steven Bartlett and Wes Huff: Christianity on major podcasts11:54 Government's community cohesion strategy17:11 Anti-Muslim hostility definition and free speech concerns24:35 Claude AI and cultural rapid fire27:14 Wrap up

Bonus episode: Addressing violence against women and girls

Zanna Meynell, David Smyth, Rani Joshi and Damilola Makinde sit down for an honest and nuanced conversation about VAWG, the government’s new strategy to reduce it and what we can be doing in our churches.
They cover what we can do about both our young girls and boys, the nuances involved in people’s experiences coming from different cultures and backgrounds, and how our churches can be safer, more welcoming places for survivors.
Check out the work of Restored
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction and defining VAWG2:08 The state of VAWG in the UK8:52 What the Bible says about violence against women19:42 Government strategy to halve VAWG in a decade25:27 Discipling young people in the church34:51 Creating safe spaces for survivors37:43 Cultural nuances and the gospel41:05 Navigating cultural blind spots43:58 A message to men: help and heal45:47 Closing

Ep 129: Iran conflict and the Greens' victory: Christians react

Peter Lynas, Danny Webster and Zanna Meynell discuss this week’s headlines. The team cover the Green's victory at the Gorton and Denton by-election, the conflict in the Middle East and the assisted suicide bills in Westminster and Scotland. How as Christians should we navigate these situations?
Iran conflict and the Greens' victory: Christians react - Evangelical Alliance
https://www.eauk.org/news-and-views/msps-must-vote-against-the-assisted-dying-for-terminally-ill-adults-bill-at-its-final-stage
https://www.elam.com/
https://www.opendoorsuk.org/news/iran-urgent-prayer/
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction0:20 Brewdog, Reform and student loans3:11 Green Party win in Gorton and Denton5:33 Green Party policies11:17 Political implications and church response16:00 Iran conflict – what's happening?20:50 Global chaos and instability22:50 Trump's foreign policy shift24:10 Navigating chaos as Christians27:20 Opportunity in uncertainty28:00 Assisted suicide updates29:34 Westminster bill progress30:00 Scotland bill – a critical moment32:52 Closing

Ep 128: Tourette's at the BAFTAs and restoring Britain's Christian heritage

In this week’s episode of Cross Section, Peter Lynas, Alicia Edmund and Danny Webster discuss the latest headlines. The episode begins in conversation about the BBC’s failure to bleep out a racial slur said by John Davidson who has Tourette’s in their BAFTAs coverage. They also cover Peter Mandelson’s recent arrest.
Conversation then focuses on both Reform and Restore UK’s use of the Christian value trend as they call for the restoration of British Christian heritage. Who are Restore UK? Why are these parties placing such emphasis on Christian heritage and what are these ‘Christian values’ that people are calling for? What is the significance of the Gorton and Denton by-election?
The episode concludes with a discussion about the BBC's recent coverage of the Quiet Revival stats, the encouragement of Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze’s faith and an encouragement as we step into Lent.
To join the conversation, get in touch with us at cross.section@eauk.org
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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction0:53 BAFTAs controversy4:33 Peter Mandelson arrest10:14 Reform UK and Restore Britain's Christian heritage18:09 Gorton and Denton by-election25:33 The Quiet Revival debate30:24 Faith in football32:28 Lent

Ep 127: Gen Z attitudes to Jesus and the political fallout of the Epstein files

In this week's episode of Cross Section, Danny Webster, Alicia Edmund and Zanna Meynell unpack the spiritual, cultural and political headlines. A recent report from Youthscape has revealed that gen Z see Jesus as having 'a God complex' and mansplaining. How is this reflective of this cultural moment?
The team also discuss the ongoing fallout from Mandelson's relationship with Epstein and what this will mean for Keir Starmer. The episode concludes with a conversation about Trump's controversial speech at the US National Prayer Breakfast last week.
Gen Z attitudes to Jesus and the political fallout of the Epstein files - Evangelical Alliance
Chapters: 0:00 – Introduction 0:27 – Gen Z and spirituality 1:07 – Youthscape report: Troubling Jesus 5:28 – Engaging young people with scripture 8:18 – UK politics: Peter Mandelson and the Epstein files 16:48 – Trust and leadership crisis 19:14 – The church's response: repentance and sin 24:20 – Trump's National Prayer Breakfast speech 26:49 – Faith and politics in America 31:55 – Closing thoughts

Ep 126: Steven Bartlett, religious voting and the rise of the Christian left

The Cross Section team are joined by Jo Frost, director of communications and engagement for the Evangelical Alliance. They begin by discussing some key stories including Jelly Roll's speech at the Grammys, the red pilling Steven Bartlett controversy and the validity of the Quiet Revival stats.
For the majority of the episode, the panel discuss Christians on the left of politics. Who are some of the key UK Christian figures from the left. What are the trends we are seeing on the left domestically and internationally? Does faith-based political identity work differently on the left vs right? They also talk about James Talarico, the Texas state representative. He is the rising voice of progressive Christianity in US politics. Where does he stand on different issues? What makes him so persuasive?
The episode finishes with a discussion about the significance of the Gorton and Denton by-election. How do we navigate the fact that within our churches we have Reform supporters and Green supporters?
0:00 - Introduction2:03 - Grammys and Jesus3:11 - Red pilling and Stephen Bartlett controversy10:00 - The Christian Left in UK politics20:20 - James Talarico31:52 - Gorton & Denton by-election analysis36:02 - Closing remarks

Ep 125: Burnham, Bethel and ICE: what's really going on?

Peter Lynas, Danny Webster and Alicia Edmund unpack this week's headlines. They cover the controversy around Andy Burnham and Keir Starmer - what is happening with the Labour Party? Conversation also covers ICE and Trump and the ongoing conversation around migration and the recent scandal involving Bethel. 
The team then pull back the curtain to look at this cultural and political era - how do we engage and act as people of hope at this significant time?

Ep 124: Social media bans, global chaos and rising abortion numbers: Christians react

This week's biggest news stories are discussed by the Cross Section team. They unpack the rising discussion around banning social media for under 16s - should this happen? What would it look like if it did?
Conversation moves onto the many defections to Reform that we have seen. Last Sunday saw Robert Jenrick, others have followed, who could be next?
The episode concludes in reaction to the alarming rise in abortions as 2023's statistics were released last week. Are we talking about this enough in our churches? How can we respond?
Social media bans, global chaos and rising abortion numbers: Christians react - Evangelical Alliance
0:00 - Introduction1:42 - Conversion therapy and the Traitors3:14 - Trump and Greenland6:46 - Darlington nurses victory11:18 - Social media ban debate21:09 - Political defections32:07 - Abortion statistics and reactions

Ep 123: Trump's new world order, Iran’s protests and the Grok backlash

Cross Section is back for 2026. In this week's episode Peter Lynas, Alicia Edmund and Danny Webster discuss the dominating stories from the first two weeks of the year. This includes all that has been happening across the globe in the US, Venezuela, Greenland and Iran. Discussion moves onto the controversy around Grok AI and other cultural stories and how Christians can engage and respond.
https://www.newstatesman.com/international-politics/2026/01/the-age-of-invasion
https://samf.substack.com/p/interview-with-john-bew-adviser-to?utm_campaign=email-half-post&r=i2ju&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Ep 122: 2025's vibe shift: political extremes, Christian nationalism and The Quiet Revival

In the final episode of Cross Section of 2025, Peter Lynas, Danny Webster, Alicia Edmund and Zanna Meynell sit down to reflect on the key political, cultural and spiritual trends and moments from the year. They discuss the increase in popularity of both Reform and the Green party, the ongoing prevalence of Christian nationalism and The Quiet Revival findings. The team test their knowledge with a competitive quiz and offer some predictions for 2026.