There has been a surprising rebirth in belief in God in some quarters formerly dominated by the "New Atheism" of Richard Dawkins and Stephen Fry. It seems to have disappointed many who were left without answers to their purpose or meaning in life. How is the Christian story gaining traction, and how can we show that it is both meaningful and true? Andy and Gavin are joined by Justin Brierley to discuss his observations from his latest book "The Surprising Rebirth of God".

Justin Brierley is a freelance writer, speaker and broadcaster who has become known for creating dialogues between Christians and non-Christians. He has worked in radio, podcast and video for over two decades. Until April 2023 he was Theology & Apologetics Editor for Premier Christian Radio, and hosted the Unbelievable? radio show and podcast as well as the Ask NT Wright Anything podcast. Justin was also editor of Premier Christianity magazine from 2014-2018, for which he continues to contribute articles. Justin's first book 'Unbelievable? Why, after ten years of talking with atheists, I'm still a Christian' (SPCK) was published in 2017. Justin is married to Lucy, a church minister in Surrey, and they have four children.

Everyone knows about the "culture wars" and some champion following Jesus as being "counter-cultural". What precisely is the relationship between the Christian faith and human culture? Reflecting well on that relationship and our own place in it can lead to some great insights into how we live out and share our faith. Helping us do that on PEP Talk today is a minister and academic with experience on both sides of the Atlantic.

Rev Dr Anna Robbins is President of Acadia Divinity College in Nova Scotia, Canada. She has served several churches as an ordained minister of the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada. Near the end of her doctoral studies in Wales (PhD 2001), she was appointed to the faculty of the London School of Theology in the UK where she served for 12 years. In London, she was theological consultant to organisations including Theos, Christians in Politics, Tearfund, and the Evangelical Alliance. She returned to Nova Scotia in 2012, where she lives with her husband and son.

How are the arts effective in sharing the gospel? What are the issues in reaching young adults for Christ? And what does it mean to be pastoral in evangelism? These are just some of the questions covered in a wide-ranging PEP Talk discussion today with Andy Bannister, Gavin Matthews and our guest Callom Harkrader from Southampton.

Callom Hardraker is currently the Young Adult Pastor at Above Bar Church in Southampton, where he has been on the staff team since 2015. Originally from the USA, he has apologetics training from The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. Callom also serves on the steering group for The Mark Drama, an innovative theatre tool for learning the gospel story.

Sometimes on PEP Talk, you just need a pep talk! Our guest today is full of passion, experience and enthusiasm for sharing Jesus that will get you excited to do the same. Have a listen to her amazing stories of how God does unexpected works when we just say yes to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Rowena Cross experienced a dramatic conversion to Christ, along with her husband, when they were in their thirties. While he went on to become a Vicar, she has been a passionate evangelist, working alongside him sharing the gospel in all kinds of ways - street-work, door-to-door, Alpha and organising large-scale evangelistic events. She has recently released a book, which is daringly entitled, "Be Bold Stop Faffing About and Crack On For Jesus"

Also check out "Mission Shaped Grace"  by John McGinley, which was significant in mobilising her church in evangelism. 

Equality, compassion, consent, enlightenment, science, freedom and progress. Beliefs that are the air we breathe as a society and values that most people hold dear. In that sense, nearly everyone we meet is already a believer! But only one Person makes real sense of these beliefs, and it's our privilege to introduce Him to them. Andy and Kristi are here to chat with Glen Scrivener this week on PEP Talk.

Glen Scrivener is an ordained minister and the Director of Speak Life, an organisation that exists to share the love of Jesus through creative communication. An author, speaker and media presenter, his latest project is The Air We Breathe. He has also authored The Gift, 321, The Story of God, the World and You and Long Story Short: The Bible in 12 Phrases. Glen is married to Emma and they have two children.

Gavin Matthews fills in as host this week, so Andy can swap chairs for an interview about his latest book, How to Talk About Jesus Without Looking Like An Idiot. From "crunchy Christians" to comedy footnotes to Master Question-Asker, Gavin finds out what to expect from Andy's book-length version of his highly popular seminar.

Andy Bannister is the Director of Solas and is a highly in-demand speaker, writer, and broadcaster. From universities to churches, cafes to pubs, schools to workplaces, Andy regularly addresses audiences of both Christians and those of all faiths and none on issues relating to faith, culture, politics and society. His previous books include Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God? and The Atheist Who Didn't Exist. He also hosts two podcasts, PEP Talk and Pod of the Gaps and presents the Short Answers video series for Solas.

Today on PEP Talk we hear from a ministry leader helping to train, equip and release other missional leaders across Europe and Central Asia. Although his earliest experience was one of rejection and lack of support, today he has some amazing insight into what coming alongside gospel workers looks like. The lessons learned can help us no matter what our context for sharing Christ is today.

Jason Lane founded Innovista, aged 26, to equip leaders and teams to change their communities with the hope of Jesus. He holds an MDiv in Theology and Leadership from Bethel Seminary having graduated in Business Management. The practical, experiential and insightful training experiences developed by Jason and his team have been translated into ten languages and deployed in more than twenty countries. In his free time Jason enjoys windsurfing (badly) and good coffee. He lives with his wife Rachel, daughter and dog in Oxford, UK.

When most of us think of an "evangelist", it's usually a heroic example like Billy Graham or else a bit of an oddball operating on the fringe of our church. We don't see ourselves as Billy and we don't want others to think we're the oddballs, so we shy away from evangelism altogether. Our guest on PEP Talk today wants us to realise that different types of evangelism can match our unique personality and gifts. It's a liberating idea that means we rely on other members of the Christian body as we support each other in reaching out with the gospel.

Mark Mittelberg is a bestselling author, international speaker, and the Executive Director of the Lee Strobel Center for Evangelism and Applied Apologetics at Colorado Christian University. Mark recently released his all-new book and training course, Contagious Faith: Discover Your Natural Style for Sharing Jesus with Others
He also wrote the leadership-oriented book, Becoming a Contagious Church, which presents an innovative blueprint for church-based evangelism, as well as several
books on apologetics. He lives with his wife Heidi near Denver, Colorado.

This week on PEP Talk, Andy chats with US author and speaker Sean McDowell about reaching students and young people with the gospel. What themes pervade the lives of young people on both sides of the Atlantic? From science to identity to the goodness of God, Sean provides insight into how we can equip our children and young people to respond well to these questions.

Sean McDowell is an Associate Professor in the Christian Apologetics program at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University in California. He is a speaker and author, co-author, or editor of over twenty books including Rebel's Manifesto, Chasing Love, The Fate of the Apostles, So The Next Generation Will Know (with J. Warner Wallace) and Evidence that Demands a Verdict (with Josh McDowell). Find out more at seanmcdowell.org

Sometimes you just need a bit of enthusiasm to get out there and do it! Today on PEP Talk, Andy chats with a couple engaged in old-fashioned street evangelism and tract distribution.  Having seen God work through these in their own lives, Jon and Penny encourage their church family to be actively speaking to others at work, in the community and on the High Street.

Jon & Penny Thorp met through their work driving buses in West London. Penny was saved through an addiction recovery program and Jon came to the Lord in 2019 after knowing Penny for six years. They are now married and active at Feltham Evangelical Church.