The Profile

How did an atheist professor who wrote articles against evangelical Christians become one? In this week's episode Sam Hailes sits down with Rosaria Butterfield who describes her journey from being a liberal sceptic to becoming a Christian. Rather than a clean or easy process, she describes her conversion as "messy and dangerous." A significant part of Rosaria's journey involves her sexuality. From a young age, she found herself more drawn to women than men. However, it wasn't until the age of 28 that she came out as a lesbian to her friends. Her journey towards Christianity began when she decided to explore the religious right's views and beliefs regarding homosexuality. She wrote an article criticising them for infringing upon the rights of consenting adults. This article gained much attention and resulted in a letter from a pastor named Ken Smith who invited her to his home for a discussion. She accepted the invitation, seeing it as an opportunity to better understand evangelical Christianity for her research. Little did she know that this interaction would play a crucial role in her conversion, as she suddenly found herself absorbed in Bible study for hours each day. Rosaria is now an author and speaker whose books include The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, The Gospel Comes with a House Key and most recently Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age. The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity magazine. Subscribe to receive full access in 2024 for just £24.

Andy talks with Richard Eason who after an early career in IT and technology became involved ‘social action’ including setting up YMCA Ashford, Kent, being chair of Ashford Together, the social action charity of Churches Together in Ashford, and serving as part of the leadership of Pneuma Church, Ashford. They discuss whether social action means missing out on sharing ‘the Gospel’? They also discuss a leadership conference in the United States, where the host church has engaged in some pioneering work in seeing transformation in its community. How should we see our work in the community? The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK's leading Christian magazine Subscribe now from $1/month

Pastor Agu has planted one of the biggest churches in the UK. If we want to see revival come, it’s time we took prayer and fasting seriously, but not religiously, says the Jesus House pastor in this interview with Heather Tomlinson. Recorded at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC), a conference associated with Jordan B Peterson, Pastor Agu comments on broader societal issues, as well as sharing his own testimony and insights from his ministry. You can also read this interview here The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity. Subscribe for just £24 in 2024 here

Andy speaks with Phil Warren Rector of St. Lawrence Parish Church and St. Matthew’s Glass Church, Jersey to discuss about the challenges of building faith, family and community on the island. They look at how tourists to the ‘Glass Church’ have met with God and how he responded when his plans to develop church premises hit the local news, with many complaining at the prospect of change. The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK's leading Christian magazine Subscribe now from $1/month

Scottish-born priest Fr James Mallon wants to unlock 'radical change' in your parish. If we want our churches to grow, evangelism must be put back in the centre, and we must rely on the Holy Spirit to revive us again, he says. It's something he's learned from personal experience. As a child, Fr James assumed that God was distant. It was only when he had an encounter with the Holy Spirit that everything changed and his faith came alive. In this in-depth interview with Tony Wilson, Fr James tells the full story. Now ministering in Nova Scotia, he also unpacks his desire to see every church move "from maintenance to mission". That's the goal of Divine Renovation, the ministry he founded which now works with hundreds of churches across the world. The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity. Subscribe for £24 in 2024 here.

Andy Peck talks with Emmanuel Mbakwe about ‘bi-vocational ministry’. Emmanuel has served as national leader of the Apostolic Church UK London as well as a consultant-leader in a wide variety of industries, sectors and organisations. He explains that he is really ‘uni-vocational’ – serving in both sectors as service to God and looks at how he is able to manage the workloads and challenges of the two sectors. What would he say to someone considering such a broad calling? The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK's leading Christian magazine Subscribe now from $1/month

Joshua Youssef has dedicated his life to serving the persecuted Church around the world. In this in-depth interview with Premier Christianity's Sam Hailes, Joshua shares stories of Muslims in the Middle East who have found faith through dreams and visions. Joshua grew up in a strong Christian family (his father, Dr Michael Yousef, is the founder of Leading the Way and a previous guest on this show). But Joshua tried to "run away" from God as a student, before his friends brush with near-death brought him back to faith. The CEO and President of Help the Persecuted explains how the ministry is able to track and verify genuine conversions to Christianity, gives his view on whether Christians in the West are persecuted, and shares honestly his struggle with "the idol of comfort and safety" which he says is a prevalent temptation for Christians in the West. The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity magazine. Subscribe to enjoy more interviews, features, columnists and reviews at premierchristianity.com/subscribe

The world-renowned tenor Russell Watson never planned to be a recording artist, instead dreaming of football stardom as a young boy. “It was daydreams really. I was never any good,” he confesses. His rise to fame saw him move from imitating crooners in backstreet pubs to performing for the Pope, the late Queen Elizabeth II and two US presidents. Along the way, he's sold more than 7 million albums, won multiple BRIT awards and worked with musical legends including Paul McCartney and Luciano Pavarotti. Yet at the height of his fame, he came close to death. Brain tumours caused the then 40-year-old to suffer a brain hemorrhage while lying in bed one night, resulting in emergency surgery. These events rocked his world – and cemented his faith. He tells Premier Christianity's Emma Fowle the full story.

2023...What a year it's been! We've heard from Boyzone's Shane Lynch, Bridgerton's Adjoa Andoh, Newfrontiers founder Terry Virgo and many more on The Profile podcast. But who would you like us to interview in 2024? In this brief message, our presenter and producer Sam Hailes explains how you can get in touch and recommend future guests.

Andy Peck welcomes John Wyatt (consultant and academic researcher) and Chris Goswami (strategic consultant, chaplain and pastor), men involved in the AI Christian Partnership to discuss what AI is and how it might affect us in the world of work education and church. What are the ethical implications and how can Christians ‘redeem’ this technology and utlise it for good ends? The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK's leading Christian magazine Subscribe now from $1/month