Cross Section

In this week’s episode of Cross Section, the team discuss the stopped assisted suicide bill. How has this happened? Could a similar bill come into the next parliamentary session? The team discuss the likelihood of assisted suicide returning and the fact that even if it doesn't return as a political conversation, it is still a cultural one. They also reflect on the church's role in talking about the value of life.
The conversation then widens to political polarisation, governance and social cohesion. How can Christians engage and speak into our fractured, political climate?
This leads into a chat about street preaching and two cases that have hit the headlines – an abortion buffer zone case in Northern Ireland and the Bread of Life Church in Essex.
The episode ends with a news roundup including Russell Brand’s viral interview with Piers Morgan in which he struggled to find Isaiah and reflections on the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
https://open.substack.com/pub/zannameynell/p/from-the-femosphere-to-raye-navigating?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
https://www.eauk.org/news-and-views/is-the-assisted-suicide-bill-finished
 
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction01:12 Why the bill ran out of time03:12 Democracy and drafting legislation09:00 Will it return?13:17 Church response and cultural impact17:10 Polarisation and political health21:00 Street preaching legal cases28:48 Gospel freedom and wise witness31:19 News roundup35:42 Closing encouragement

In this week’s episode, the Cross Section team discuss integrity in public life. This week we have seen the Peter Mandelson vetting controversy, the sacking and parliamentary testimony of Foreign Office civil servant Olly Robbins, and questions around Starmer’s leadership. Will the prime minister survive? What are the political implications for government authority and the upcoming King’s Speech? Could the assisted suicide bill be reintroduced in the next parliamentary session?  
 
They also discuss the upcoming Scottish, Welsh and English local elections and the expected fragmentation amongst our five‑party politics. Check out our election page for more information on how to engage. 
 
Conversation then turns to the proposed smartphone restrictions in schools and wider concerns about AI chatbots, including Anthropic’s meeting with Christian leaders. They debate how churches and Christians should use AI. Where can it become dangerous and unhelpful? The episode concludes with the encouragement that amongst the global chaos, many are coming to faith. 
 
00:00 Welcome  
01:32 Mandelson scandal 
05:27 Competence versus integrity 
09:19 Will Starmer survive? 
15:16 Assisted suicide update 
16:16 Scotland, Wales and local elections 
19:02 Smartphone ban 
21:13 Can AI have a soul? 
26:41 AI in church life 
33:02 Free speech and immigration 
34:33 Apple CEO  

This special Cross Section episode focuses on the upcoming Scottish Parliament elections on 7 May. Lynne Patterson and Chris Ringland from the Evangelical Alliance Scotland team join Zanna as they discuss their vision for Scotland, the current church and cultural context, and the political landscape. Lynne describes spiritual openness, Church of Scotland closures and mergers, and growing ethnic and cultural diversity alongside Scotland’s distinct national identity and left-leaning political culture.  
Chris explains the Scottish Government’s devolved responsibilities, the role of MSPs and the additional member voting system. They highlight major election issues including the cost of living, health and social care, the economy, immigration, housing and ongoing division over independence, as well as Scotland’s high drug- and alcohol-related death rates.  
They encourage prayerful voting, attending hustings and praying for leaders and the vulnerable. 
Check out our election page for more information and to sign up for the prayer event. 

In the final episode of Season 13, Peter Lynas, Alicia Edmund and Danny Webster unpack the recent news from the Bible Society – that the YouGov data from The Quiet Revival report was invalid and has been discounted. How can we respond to this news?
While this is hard to process, we must remember that the findings haven’t been proven ‘wrong’ but are unreliable. The team point to other surveys, church leader feedback and recurring stories suggesting increased spiritual openness, particularly among younger adults.
The team also discuss the London ‘Together’ rally against the far right, questioning claims of unity, contested crowd sizes and the growing role of religion in public demonstrations. How, in our churches, can we bring unity amidst serious political differences?
They close with reflections on church division, moving from protest to prayerful engagement, and standout news headlines from the last week.
Is the 'Quiet Revival' fake news? - Evangelical Alliance
https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/the-q...
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome
00:29 Quiet Revival report withdrawn
01:08 Why the data failed
04:44 How surveys get skewed
06:18 Church response and hope
18:01 ‘Together’ rally
22:10 Unity, politics and faith
27:28 From protest to prayer
31:07 News picks and Easter
 

Kay Morgan-Gurr, co-founder of the Additional Needs Alliance, and Alicia Edmund discuss the politics of disability and the attitudes that underly how we approach disability within the church. They also cover how proposed changes to both Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) provision and disability benefits will impact those living with disabilities.
Chapters:
0:00     Welcome
1:04     Kay's faith journey and lived experience with disability
2:52     The Get Britain Working white paper and PIP payments
9:14     Priorities for a government disability plan
11:33   Cultural attitudes and destigmatising disability
16:08   Discipleship and the role of the church for those with disabilities
24:35   Special Educational Needs reform
29:42   Practical advice for churches and closing remarks

Peter Lynas, Danny Webster and Zanna Meynell discuss the row over the Iftar prayer in Trafalgar Square. They talk about Nick Timothy's comment 'mass ritual prayer in public places is an act of domination.' How do we respond to this? What is the line with freedom of religion and speech?
The team also talk about the Evangelical Alliance's new report Confident faith, contested culture and what this shows about how evangelicals' find sharing their faith in this cultural moment. Finally, the team discuss Prince William's comments about having a 'quiet faith'.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction1:11 - Assisted Suicide and abortion votes4:36 - Capybara on the loose5:29 - Muslim prayer in Trafalgar Square17:06 - Confident faith, contested culture report25:50 - Prince William's 'Quiet Faith' and new Archbishop31:33 - Closing thoughts and Easter encouragement

Join Alicia Edmund, Danny Webster and Peter Lynas as they discuss stories at the intersection of faith, news and culture. They discuss Louis Theroux's 'Inside the Manosphere' Netflix documentary. What has it revealed? How does the Bible speak into it and this cultural moment?
The team also talk about the significant vote in the House of Lords regarding the decriminalisation of abortion. There have been some headlines around whether or not the new Archbishop of Canterbury will be there for the vote. This is a conversation Christians need to be speaking into and praying about.
Chapters:
0:00 - Welcome2:11 – Assisted suicide vote in Scotland3:20 - Mass wedding at Lakepointe Church5:34 - Louis Theroux and the manosphere12:36 – Christian response to the manosphere20:22 - Abortion and decriminalisation vote25:09 - Archbishop of Canterbury and the vote32:51 - Closing thoughts and encouragement

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

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

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