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God reveals Himself to humanity in two "books" - the Bible and Creation. We're used to using the Bible to explain the gospel, but is it possible to use the natural world to draw people to Christ? Andy Bannister and Simon Wenham explore this possibility with American biologist Xandra Grieme.
Xandra's book is Forty Answers From Nature: What We Can Learn about God, Life, and Ourselves by Studying the Natural World and her website is Biopologetics.com
Xandra Grieme is a speaker and author. Her scientific research began with studies in parasite behavior. She later worked in a human blood lab developing treatments for blood cancer until finally moving on to conservation of songbirds in New Zealand. Xandra also studied theology at OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, which inspired her to begin writing on the philosophy of science. Xandra has spent extended time living and researching abroad in Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the UK. She is passionate about educating Christians on our role as stewards of God’s natural world. Xandra currently lives in Colorado where hikes through the Rocky Mountains are a constant reminder of God’s power and goodness.
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What does it really mean to live out your faith in the marketplace? In this episode of PEP Talk, Simon and Gavin sit down with Gideon Okoli for a powerful conversation about purpose, leadership, and influence beyond the church walls. Drawing inspiration from Biblical figures like Joseph, Esther, and Daniel, Gideon challenges the idea that spiritual impact only happens in a 'ministry setting' — arguing instead that God positions people strategically in business, government, and everyday work. If you’ve ever wondered how your faith and vocation connect, this episode will inspire you to rethink where and how you can share your faith.
Find our more about workplace evangelism at:
Transform Work UK
The Business Connection (Scotland)Gideon Okoli is a project manager and marketing strategist passionate about helping brands grow with clarity and purpose. Through his work in advertising and media strategy, he helps businesses gain attention and build lasting influence in competitive markets. As a person of faith, Gideon is deeply interested in the intersection of faith, purpose, leadership, and the principles that guide meaningful impact in both business and life.
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Your church might have the best outreach programmes and top-notch facilities, or maybe its struggling to survive on a dying high street in a small market town. Either way, God surprises us with unexpected seekers, especially during this 'odd cultural moment', coming on unconventional journeys to faith. How can we be ready to participate in what God is doing, wherever He's placed us? Simon and Gavin speak with "Two Pastors in a Pub" podcaster Tom Wharin, this time on PEP Talk.
Tom Wharin is the minister of Chipping Sodbury Baptist Church in South Gloucestershire. He participates in various Baptists Together ministerial recognition (recruitment and training) groups and is passionate about mentoring and discipleship (of ministers and of Christians in general). He goes mountain biking whenever the opportunity arises and is one of the pastors in the Two Pastors in a Pub podcast, with Matt Frost and Karen Simson. He is married to Jo and they have four young adult footballing kids.
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What is it that holds you back from sharing the Gospel? For most of us, it boils down to a lack of confidence. We don't have confidence in our knowledge to field difficult questions, we don't have confidence that we won't get 'cancelled' and we might even lack confidence in our own faith itself. So you're not alone! That's why Solas runs 'Confident Christianity' training across the UK to help churches regain their confidence in evangelism. Gavin Matthews and Steve Osmond explain how it works and who it helps.
To find out how Confident Christianity can help your church, visit the Solas website here.
Gavin Matthews is Solas’s Assistant Director (Scotland) and does a wide variety of work for the organisation. He speaks for Solas in churches and at conferences, co-ordinates the website, writes articles and other Solas communications and presents webinars and podcasts. He also loves networking for Solas and speaking with church leaders about our work. Gavin has been married to Elaine since 1996 and they have three adult children. He has been a member of Perth Baptist Church since 1999.
Steve Osmond is a full-time speaker and writer for Solas, focussing primarily on Scotland. He is enthusiastic about evangelism and regularly speaks at universities around the country on the big questions of life and the truth of Christianity from a range of perspectives. He also spends much of his time working with churches and other Christian groups, both to grow their faith and equip them to share their faith in Jesus persuasively.
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Here in the UK, we might encounter Jewish people that range from secular atheists to highly religious. But Christians can be reluctant to engage in gospel conversation for fear of political pitfalls or cultural offence. How can we navigate the issues we might encounter when sharing the message of Jesus with his original ethnic group? In this episode of PEP Talk, we find some great encouragement and wisdom around evangelism to Jewish people.
Rev. Aaron Eime serves as the UK General Director for CMJ, The Church’s Ministry among Jewish People. Aaron studied in the master’s program at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, with a focus on early Jewish and Christian Interpretation of the Bible. He also studied psychology and sociology at Queensland University in Australia. Aaron is a dedicated Bible teacher exploring the Hebraic roots of the Christian faith. He reads Aramaic and ancient Greek and is fluent in German and Hebrew. He has taught internationally, including in Europe, North America, Hong Kong and China. He is married with three children, both he and his wife were born in Australia.
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'A Better Love’ is a new book from Living Out that features a range of people who experience same sex attraction, talking about their experience of encountering God. Today’s guest is one of the contributors, who helps us think through the issues of community, discipleship, acceptance and confusion that we may navigate when sharing our faith with the LGBT+ community.
Adam Curtis is a Curate in Sidcup and oversees evangelism at his church. He loves reading the Bible with non-Christians and Christians alike. He studied his BA in theology at Cardiff University and his MA at Oak Hill College. He is taller than the average door post and enjoys playing the ukulele.
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Research indicates that many people will first consider whether Christianity is something good, before they consider whether or not it is true. But for both these questions, the discipline of philosophy informs how we think about them. Can a stuffy old academic discipline really help much with modern spiritual questions? Steve Osmond and Simon Wenham learn more about what philosophy and apologetics brings to evangelism.
Peter S Williams is a Christian philosopher and apologist based in Southampton, England, He is an “Adjunct Professor in Communication and Worldviews” at NLA University College, in Kristiansand, Norway. Peter’s books include: Stepping Stones to Christianity: Reflections on Intelligent Design, Natural Theology, and the Historical Jesus (Wipf and Stock, 2025), A Faithful Guide to Philosophy: A Christian Introduction to the Love of Wisdom (Wipf & Stock, 2019), and A Sceptic’s Guide to Atheism (Paternoster, 2009).
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In the first few weeks every year, Christian Unions across the country put in a concerted effort to reach their campuses - with around 85 'events weeks' happening recently. For many young people, their time at university is a formative and energetic experience, and it is a great opportunity for students to reach their friends for Christ. UCCF is helping them do this through 3"D" ministry: Delighting in Jesus more deeply, Displaying Him more fully and Declaring Him more boldy. UCCF leader Matt Lillicrap explains more to Gavin and Simon on this week's PEP Talk.
Matt Lillicrap studied Medicine in Newcastle and qualified in 2006. Until 2013 he worked as a junior doctor, alongside a stint as a staff worker for Christian Medical Fellowship. From 2013-2017 he studied theology for pastoral ministry at Oak Hill College in London, then served local churches in Cambridge for seven years. He is now CEO of Universities & Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF), guiding Christian Unions across England, Scotland and Wales. Matt is married to Anika who is a pastoral counsellor.
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Have you ever wondered why music moves us? It transcends culture, yet is an important part of most cultures. Today on PEP Talk, we reflect on how the gift of music speaks to us about God's character. That makes it an excellent medium for communicating God's truth not only within the church, but also with the culture around us.
Greg de Blieck is a Glasgow-based musician and hymn writer. He serves as a Worship Leader at his local church and is involved with the New Scottish Hymns music ministry.
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Many sporting clubs are the largest social group in any given local community. Do the local churches view them as rivals, or mission fields? Today, more clubs are recognising the competitive benefits of caring emotionally and spiritually for their athletes, opening up huge opportunities for Christian ministry. Here on PEP Talk, sport enthusiasts Gavin Matthews and Simon Wenham learn more about the the area of sports chaplaincy.
Mark Fleming has been chaplain to Partick Thistle Football Club since 1989. He now serves as National Director for Scotland at Sports Chaplaincy UK, where he recruits, trains, and mentors chaplains across the nation. He has provided in-house mental health awareness training at a range of football clubs and sporting governing bodies such as the English Football Association, Scottish Football Association, Scottish Rugby Union and the Camanachd Association. He has written a book on his experiences titled "Confessions of a Football Chaplain" available here.
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Is it the dawn of an utopian age? Or will humans be relegated to the Matrix? It certainly seems that recent developments in artificial intelligence will bring profound changes to our world. But right now, profound questions are there to be asked. How can we show that the Christian message gives the best answers, and use AI as a platform for the gospel? Andy Bannister and Simon Wenham chat with Australian author Stephen Driscoll about God, AI and humans.
Stephen Driscoll wrote Made In Our Image: God, Artificial Intelligence and You (2024 Matthias Media). He studied at Moore College, the University of Sydney and the University of NSW. Stephen serves with the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students in Canberra, where he disciples Christian students and shares the gospel with nonbelievers. He is married to Lauren and they have two young children.
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Many Christians will be familiar with the practice of praying for and visiting those from their own church who might be sick in hospital. But the role of the hospital (or hospice) chaplain can allow for ministry to all kinds of people. What are the challenges, joys, and opportunities experienced in this unique role? This time on PEP Talk, we hear from a hospital chaplain who himself spent eight months in hospital after a car crash which left him permanently paraplegic.
Kelvin Burke is the author of "Lake of Tears", a compelling book with a unique application of God’s partaking in the face of suffering. Kelvin is an Anglican minister and Healthcare Chaplain. After his time as Priest-in-charge at St Andrew’s Wakefield Kelvin was called to Minister in Healthcare Chaplaincy, starting out as Honorary Chaplain at Wakefield Hospice and then Pinderfields Hospital where he had been an inpatient for nine months in 1979/80 following a Road Traffic Accident which left him paraplegic.
He was appointed Chaplain at Leeds Teaching Hospital during which time he studied for and attained a Masters in Theology at Cardiff University. In 2010 he moved with his wife Jennie and three teenage daughters (Chloé, Katie and Ellie) to the Isle of Wight, and after a short time as Chaplain at Mountbatten Hospice and St Mary’s Hospital, he was appointed Senior Chaplain of Isle of Wight NHS Trust.
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What happens when Christians truly embrace reaching out to the 'least of these' right here in the UK? Those marginalised even by mainstream society - sex workers on the streets of our cities. While we don't think of it as 'evangelism,' surely being 'the hands and feet of Jesus' is a concrete way of sharing the gospel? It's certainly a challenging one!
Find out about how Embrace is ministering to those selling sex on the streets of Birmingham and Coventry.
Kaeli Murphy is the Project Manager for Embrace in Birmingham and began in post in June 2023 as the services were expanded from Coventry. She has been volunteering and working with Embrace for 6 years alongside working for a community centre as a Youth Worker, and has a Masters in Youth Work and Community Development. Kaeli lives in Birmingham with her husband and leads the youth work at her church. She loves spending time with people, hosting, music and DIY (or anything creative!)
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“When people realise that their questions about faith aren’t brand new in the last two minutes, but have been asked thousands of times with really good answers - that would be how history and apologetics meet.” Gavin and Simon (the resident Solas history buffs) hear about an amazing project to bring the history of Christianity to the world - via animation on YouTube! Check out the results at christianstory.com
Oliver Dürr and Daniel Kim are co-founders of Christian Story.
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Following in the footsteps of Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Donald Trump, today's PEP Talk guest runs a social media platform. It may be a bit smaller than X or Facebook, but it's purpose is much narrower and nobler. As Christians grapple with what it means to live out their faith online, the team at Grow Faith has built a platform just for them. Simon Wenham finds out more...
Richard Matthews is co-founder and COO of Grow Faith, which produces the Grow app.
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Here on PEP Talk, we often think about how each of us can share our faith, perhaps on our own or with our local church. But what about the big picture - the REALLY big picture? On a global scale, in this century, what is happening as Christians everywhere seek to fulfil the Great Commission? Today Simon and Gavin speak with the director of the "State of the Great Commission" report from the Lausanne Movement.
You can access the full report here: https://lausanne.org/report
Matthew Niermann has served the Lausanne Movement since 2010 in a variety of roles including research and operations. He is currently serving as the director of the State of the Great Commission Report for Lausanne 4. In addition, he serves as a dean and professor of architectural design at California Baptist University, where his research partially focuses on the relationship between creativity and Christian witness.
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Youth for Christ has recently produced an incredible two-part report on the recent growth of spirituality amongst Gen Z and Gen Alpha. What can we learn about the experiences of young people, their desires and interests, and their new paths to finding Jesus? Steve Osmond and Simon Wenham chat with the report author and youth worker, Laura Hancock.
Get access to the full report here - https://yfc.co.uk/z-a-growing-spirituality/
Laura Hancock is Senior Lead of Ministry and Research at Youth for Christ, and is also part of the Limitless youth ministry team. She loves volunteering with the church’s youth group, leading a small group and helping people think through how we creatively communicate Jesus to the next generation. She lives in Halesowen with her husband Andy and her two kids where they all attend Lifecentral Church. She loves reading, running, shopping, hanging out with her dog, and never says no to an offer of pick and mix!
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There have been several indications recently that Christianity is on the rise in Britain, particularly in younger demographics. But why and how are people coming to faith? The Finding Jesus report examines those questions. The answers give us encouragement and challenges as we see the different journeys people take to find Jesus.
Phil Knox is an evangelist and missiologist at the Evangelical Alliance. He is passionate about making Jesus known and the power of friendship. He loves learning and has degrees in law and mission and evangelism. Phil is married to Dani and they have two sons, Caleb and Jos. He is an avid runner, enthusiastic waterskier and once broke the world record for the longest five-a-side football match. He is also an award winning performance poet and author of Story Bearer and The Best of Friends.
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If we tell people the fact that Jesus is real and can change your life, they can nod and say "That's great for you, but not for me." But when we tell a story of the amazing impact God has in extraordinary circumstances, it can become absolutely compelling! Simon and Gavin speak today with the host of Compelled, a story-driven podcast seeking to communicate incredible stories of lives transformed by the gospel.
Paul Hastings lives with his wife and four children near Austin, Texas, and attends Redemption Hill Church. As an entrepreneur, he's consulted extensively in the film, marketing and political arenas and is the Host of the Compelled Podcast. His work has been featured by Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk, Christianity Today, World Magazine, American Family Association, and The Gospel Coalition. He is the author of the brand new book, Compelled, a collection of real-life stories about sin, surrender, and the Savior who changes everything.
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Becci Greenfield
Who did you turn to when you had big questions, even doubts, about the Christian faith? Were there individuals or groups in your church that let you explore your questions without shame or dismissal? Today on PEP Talk we discuss creating "Big Questions" small group discussions within a church setting. They could be a key ministry to help your church family too!
Becci Greenfield works in financial services but has also studied postgraduate theology specialising in the Old Testament. She developed a "Big Questions" ministry in her local church and is active on Instagram @thinkingfaithfully. She lives in Coventry with her husband and 18 month old son.
- Visa fler
