Cross Section

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.
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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

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

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

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?

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

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

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. 
 

In the penultimate episode of 2025, Peter Lynas, Alicia Edmund and Zanna Meynell discuss some of the biggest cultural and political conversations through a Biblical lens. How can we be brave and kind when talking about the welfare state and asylum system? The team also discuss rage-baiting – Oxford University Press’s word of the year. 
The welfare state, asylum system and rage baiting - Evangelical Alliance

In this week's episode of Cross Section, Peter Lynas, Danny Webster, Mark Gilmore and Zanna Meynell react to Rachel Reeves' budget, having recorded straight after it finished. The team also talk about the Supreme Court ruling in regards to religious education in Northern Ireland and the announced puberty blockers trial. 
Rachel Reeves' budget: Christians react - Evangelical Alliance

  
Peter Lynas, UK director, and Alicia Edmund, head of public policy, follow up on June’s episode ‘Should we be concerned about Christian nationalism?’ to reflect on how protests, domestic and global politics events continue to divide communities and polarise debate in the UK.  
00:00 - Introduction 08:39 - What is Christian Nationalism? 17:18 - National identity in the UK 25:57 - Immigration and public debate 34:36 - Islam, faith and social cohesion43:15 - The Church’s role