What is the deeper meaning behind the headlines?
In this episode of Cross Section, the team do something slightly different. They begin the episode by discussing the biggest news stories of the week. They talk about the impact of the announcement that Andy Burnham will not be allowed to run in the by-election as a Labour candidate. There are tensions around Keir Starmer’s leadership. We are now less than 100 days from Scottish, Welsh and local elections. Are people feeling politically homeless? How do we faithfully think about placing our votes when things feel so chaotic?
They also discuss the banned UKIP ‘Walk with Jesus’ march that was going to take place in Tower Hamlets but has been moved due to it being a highly Muslim community. Meanwhile, ICE in America have also been a prominent feature in the news – how do Christians respond to this? And finally, what has happened with the Bethel scandal that has been a prominent story in the Christian world?
The team then pull back the curtain on all of these stories to discuss this cultural and political moment at the start of 2026. How do we look beyond the noise of these stories? There is a heaviness in these trends, but how do we stay rooted in the hope we have in Christ?
They discuss Mark Sayers’ mega trends podcast and Paul and Sarah Williams’ recent ‘Leadership at the Threshold’ talk for the Gather Movement.
If you enjoyed this episode or want to get involved in the conversation, email us at cross.section@eauk.org.
