From the Frontline

“Test all things; hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:21–22

As 31 October approaches, millions of people around the world prepare to celebrate Halloween. But should Christians participate in these celebrations, and what does Scripture teach about witchcraft, occult practices and spiritual discernment?

In this episode of From the Frontline, Dr. Peter Hammond examines the historical origins of Halloween, its associations with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, and the development of traditions such as trick-or-treating, costumes and Jack-o'-lanterns. The discussion considers claims about the festival's connections to pagan religious practices and challenges Christians to examine the spiritual significance of the customs they embrace.

Drawing on passages including Deuteronomy 18:9–14, Romans 12:9, Ephesians 5:11 and 1 Corinthians 10:21, the programme explores the Biblical warnings against divination, sorcery, communicating with the dead and participation in occult practices.

But this episode is about more than what Christians should avoid. It presents a positive alternative: celebrating Reformation Day on 31 October.

On this date in 1517, Martin Luther traditionally is said to have posted his 95 Theses in Wittenberg, helping ignite the Protestant Reformation—one of the most significant movements in Christian history. The Reformation's renewed emphasis on the authority of Scripture, salvation by grace through faith, and the importance of making the Bible accessible to ordinary believers continues to challenge and inspire the Church today.

Dr. Hammond encourages Christian families, congregations and youth groups to use 31 October as an opportunity for prayer, Biblical teaching, evangelism and remembering the great Reformers who stood for Biblical truth.

The discussion also highlights the importance of spiritual discernment, equipping children with a Biblical worldview, and responding to darkness not with fear, but with the truth and light of God's Word.

Listeners will also discover resources available through Frontline Fellowship, Christian Liberty Books and the Back to the Bible Reformation movement to help churches and families celebrate their Christian heritage and pursue Reformation and revival.

Ultimately, this episode challenges Christians to consider not merely what they are celebrating, but what they are teaching the next generation to value, believe and follow.

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Romans 12:21

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure... meditate on these things.” – Philippians 4:8

“If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14

England was once one of the great mission-sending nations of the world, sending missionaries, Bibles and Christian literature across the globe. Today, however, profound cultural and spiritual changes have led many Christians to ask whether the country that once sent missionaries now needs missionaries itself.

In this episode of From the Frontline, Dr. Peter Hammond reports back immediately following his mission to England, sharing firsthand observations from his travels, ministry engagements and visits to churches across the country.

The discussion examines some of the serious challenges confronting Christianity in modern Britain and asks: What happened to the nation that gave the world generations of Reformers, preachers, missionaries and Christian leaders? What has changed within British society, and what does the present spiritual condition of the country mean for the Church?

Yet this is not simply a message of decline and discouragement. Dr. Hammond also shares reasons for hope, highlighting faithful churches and Christians who continue to proclaim the Gospel, defend Biblical truth and work for Reformation and revival within the British Isles.

The journey also provides an opportunity to explore England's extraordinary Christian heritage, visiting historically significant sites and remembering the men, women and movements that helped shape not only Britain, but Christian missions throughout the world. Their legacy provides both a challenge and an encouragement to Christians today.

How should we pray for England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland? What can Christians learn from Britain's history? And could the land that once sent missionaries throughout the world experience a renewed movement of repentance, Reformation and revival?

A timely discussion about missions, Christian heritage, cultural decline, faithful churches, prayer and hope for the future of the British Isles.

“If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways… then I will hear from Heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14

“Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already ripe for harvest.” – John 4:35

The Church in Africa is experiencing extraordinary growth—but with that growth comes an equally extraordinary need for Bibles, sound Biblical teaching, discipleship and trained Christian leadership. In this episode of From the Frontline, Dr. Peter Hammond examines both the tremendous opportunities and the serious challenges facing the African mission field today. 

While evangelism has reached millions, the discussion highlights the concern that discipleship has often failed to keep pace. Many pastors have little access to formal theological training, while vast numbers of Christians lack their own Bible or New Testament. The challenge, therefore, is not simply to reach Africa for Christ, but to equip the growing Church to remain firmly rooted in the Word of God.

Dr. Hammond outlines a strategy of “ministries of multiplication”—leadership training, Christian literature, radio, film, school evangelism and Bible distribution. With such a young and rapidly growing population, particular emphasis is placed on reaching young people while equipping pastors, evangelists, teachers and Bible colleges to disciple others.

The programme also looks ahead to an ambitious Africa Overland Mission, responding to ministry opportunities across Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The mission plans to transport and distribute Bibles, Study Bibles and Christian literature, conduct school outreaches, train pastors and evangelists, hold seminars and conferences, and equip local Christian leaders with resources that can continue multiplying long after the mission team has moved on.

An important part of this outreach is the Jesus Messiah Gospel comic book project, with 45,000 full-colour copies prepared in Bemba and Chichewa for distribution, alongside indigenous-language Bibles and other evangelistic resources. Film evangelism, including screenings of the Jesus film in local languages, will also form part of the outreach.

Listeners are challenged to become part of this mission through prayer, practical support and provision, particularly for Bibles in indigenous African languages and resources that can equip Christian leaders throughout the continent.

Ultimately, this episode is a call to recognise that Africa is a vast mission field ripe for harvest. The opportunities are enormous, the needs are urgent, and the Great Commission demands Christians who are willing to pray, give, go, teach and place the Word of God into the hands of those who need it.

“Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already ripe for harvest.” – John 4:35

Remembering and Learning from the Extraordinary Paradise that was Rhodesia

“Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition….” 1 Corinthians 10:11

The Primary Goal of Education should be Character Development

“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7

The Danger of Digital Deception, Distraction and Derailment by AI

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,

that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”   Romans 12:2

“They promise them freedom while they themselves are slaves of depravity.” – 2 Peter 2:19

Where did many of the revolutionary ideas shaping modern Western culture come from, and what happens when those ideas are examined through a Biblical worldview?

In this provocative episode of From the Frontline, we trace the intellectual and ideological roots of Marxism and Communism, and examine the programme's argument that aspects of contemporary “woke” ideology reflect earlier revolutionary ideas concerning private property, the family, religion, education, morality and the power of the State.

We return to the writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, particularly The Communist Manifesto. Marx and Engels explicitly described the abolition of bourgeois private property as a central Communist objective and proposed measures including progressive taxation, abolition of inheritance rights, centralisation of credit and expansion of state control over economic life.

The programme also examines Marx's approach to Christianity and religion. Marx described religion as the “opium of the people” and argued that overcoming what he regarded as the illusion of religion was necessary for human emancipation.

But the discussion goes further, exploring the much more controversial question of Marx's personal spiritual outlook. Drawing particularly on Richard Wurmbrand's Marx and Satan and interpretations of Marx's youthful poetry and drama Oulanem, the programme considers claims that Marx's imagery of darkness, destruction and rebellion against God reveals something deeper than conventional atheism. 

The episode then examines the historical hostility of Communist governments toward Christianity, asking what Christians can learn from the experience of believers who lived under explicitly atheistic Communist regimes. It also considers the dangers of political ideologies becoming substitutes for Biblical truth and of allowing the State, rather than God, to become the ultimate authority over family, property, education and conscience.

We also address contemporary claims involving the World Economic Forum, including the frequently repeated phrase “you'll own nothing and you'll be happy.” 

Finally, we look at books and historical resources for listeners who want to investigate Marxism, Communism, atheism and their relationship with Christianity for themselves.

This is a challenging examination of ideology, history, property, family, faith and freedom—and a call for Christians not simply to accept the political philosophies of their age, but to test competing worldviews against Scripture and historical evidence.

“They promise them freedom while they themselves are slaves of depravity.” – 2 Peter 2:19

“Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.” – Isaiah 58:12

With so much wrong in our world, our nation, our communities and even within our churches and ministries, it can be easy to feel that the problems are simply too large for one person to make any meaningful difference. But history—and Scripture—show us that committed individuals can become catalysts for extraordinary change.

In this episode of From the Frontline, we explore the question: What can one person actually do when confronted with injustice, failure or a situation that desperately needs to change?

The discussion begins with the importance of correctly identifying and defining the problem. Rather than merely complaining about what is wrong, Christians are challenged to seek understanding, establish the facts and prayerfully determine what can practically be done to bring about positive change.

We also examine the essential role of prayer and intercession. Does prayer really change things? And how should prayer lead us beyond passive concern to faithful action? The programme considers how a solid foundation of prayer can be followed by practical steps—taking responsibility, mobilising others, using the opportunities and resources God has provided, and persevering even when the task seems overwhelming.

Through practical examples of individuals who made a difference in their own time and circumstances, we are reminded that significant movements and reforms often begin with someone who refuses to accept that “nothing can be done.” The question is not simply whether the world needs changing, but what God has placed within our reach to change.

We also look at upcoming missionary projects and outreaches where listeners can become directly involved through prayer, participation and practical support, as well as resources and books that tell the stories of men and women whose faith, courage and determination left a lasting legacy.

This episode is both a challenge and an encouragement: Don't underestimate what God can accomplish through one faithful person who is willing to pray, stand up, take responsibility and act. You can make a difference.

“Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.” – Isaiah 58:12

“The harvest truly is plentiful, but the labourers are few.” – Matthew 9:37

What happens when a mission does not go according to plan? After more than 44 years of missionary service, including ministry in restricted-access countries and conflict zones, Dr. Peter Hammond has experienced the unexpected realities of frontline missions—from setbacks and frustrating delays to arrests, imprisonment and circumstances that appeared, at the time, to have gone completely wrong.

In this episode of From the Frontline, we explore how difficult and even traumatic experiences on the mission field can become powerful testimonies of God’s providence. Looking back on decades of ministry, we consider the truth of Romans 8:28 and how God can work even adverse circumstances for good in the lives of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

The discussion becomes particularly relevant as Dr. Hammond prepares to return to Zambia—a country where he was once arrested and imprisoned—this time in response to new opportunities for Christian ministry. We hear about plans for the upcoming Zambia mission, the wider overland outreach into other African countries, and the practical challenges involved in responding to numerous invitations for ministry.

We also look at the continuing need for Bibles in indigenous African languages, the Jesus Messiah Gospel comic book project, and how Christians can support and pray for mission teams taking the Gospel, discipleship resources and Christian literature into communities across Africa.

Above all, this episode is a reminder that missionary work is not about everything going according to our plans—it is about remaining faithful to God's calling when it does not. What may appear to us as an obstacle, failure or even disaster can become an unexpected opportunity through which God opens doors, reaches people and accomplishes purposes we could not have anticipated.

A challenging and encouraging discussion about faith under pressure, perseverance, God's providence and the continuing urgency of the Great Commission.

“All authority has been given to Me in Heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...” – Matthew 28:18–20

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” – John 8:32

In this episode of From the Frontline, we examine the controversy surrounding recent reporting by News24 on AfriForum and allegations concerning the organisation’s finances, spending and management of donor funds.

The discussion presents AfriForum’s response to these allegations and takes a closer look at what the organisation says it accomplishes through the voluntary contributions of approximately 300,000 members, supported by thousands of volunteers across South Africa.

From neighbourhood and farm watches, emergency response networks and community safety initiatives, to pothole repairs, waste removal, emergency water projects and other community services, the episode explores how AfriForum has increasingly stepped into areas where municipalities and other state institutions are perceived to be failing.

We also examine AfriForum’s extensive involvement in litigation and private prosecution, including its role as a civil-society watchdog, and consider its argument that its financial accountability is demonstrated by having received unqualified audits throughout its twenty-year existence.

This raises a much broader question: What happens when voluntary civil-society organisations appear capable of delivering services that citizens already pay government through taxation to provide?

The conversation considers the importance of transparency and accountability—not only for government and civil-society organisations, but also for the media organisations that investigate them. It asks whether journalism is fairly holding all institutions to the same standard and why independent media and citizens should carefully examine evidence rather than simply accepting political or media narratives.

Finally, we consider what these developments could mean for decentralisation, community self-reliance, self-determination and the Cape independence movement, as well as practical ways citizens can become more actively involved in rebuilding and protecting their communities.

A challenging discussion about media accountability, civil society, state failure, community action, truth and the future of South Africa.

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” – John 8:32