Kristi and Andy chat with pastor and author Sam Allberry about the primacy of Jesus in our gospel conversations. Sam offers his thoughts on evangelism with LGBT friends, the balance of truth and narrative, and the importance of deep Christian community.

Sam Allberry is a pastor based at Immanuel Nashville and Fellow at the Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. He is the author of a number of books, including Is God Anti-Gay? and 7 Myths about Singleness. Find out more at samallberry.com

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This week on PEP Talk, Andy and Kristi chat with Kiri from British Columbia. She shares her story of conversion from a non-Christian household and journey through different cultural landscapes ministering to young people. An emphasis on discipleship shows how the gospel touches our deepest longings, sufferings and hopes.

Having Co-Lead Soul Edge Ministries (Canada) for over 12 years, Kiri Jane Erb has had the privilege of investing into hundreds of young Christian leaders, equipping them for resilient church leadership. With a multidisciplinary approach to apologetics, she is passionate about the clarity, beauty and relevance of the Gospel message gaining traction in human hearts. Her upcoming novel carries this same heartbeat, nestled in historical fiction. She is currently completing her MA Systematic and Philosophical Theology at the University of Nottingham and is also an adjunct speaker for Apologetics Canada.

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Today on PEP Talk we're all about workplace ministry. The opportunities, resources and support are extensive for Christians who want to connect with other believers in their places of employment. And stories of the creative ways employees find to share their faith at work are surprising and encouraging. 

Download the Starting A Christian Workplace Group booklet from the Transform Work UK website. In Scotland, have a look at the Thrive Scotland website.

Ros Loaker is the CEO of Transform Work UK. She has been involved with workplace ministry since 2003, supporting and growing leaders of Christian Workplace Groups across the professions, industry and commerce.

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Looking at the state of the church in the UK today, it can be quite discouraging. Although there are areas of growth and dynamism, there can be quite challenging situations in rural areas or even cities with disconnected communities. What are some effective strategies for sharing the gospel and developing healthy churches in these "spiritual deserts"?

Stephen McQuoid spent the first twelve years of his life in Ethiopia where his parents were missionaries.  He then lived in Ireland where he qualified as a nurse before going on to study theology.  He was the Principal of Tilsley College for ten years, and is currently the General Director of GLO Europe where he has overall responsibility for the running of the organisation.  Stephen is married to Debbie and they have three children.  Stephen has a preaching ministry that takes him throughout the UK and abroad and is the author of several books.  He has a passion for evangelism and mission and helping churches to reach out relevantly to their community. 

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In today's PEP Talk, Andy chats with a church pastor with a passion for evangelism through the local church. What are the challenges for developing a culture of evangelism, whether your church is rooted locally or a "commuter" congregation? What is pre-evangelism? And how can pastors "lower the bar" on evangelism so that everyone feels confident to do it?

Tom Heasman currently serves as Co-Pastor at Widcombe Baptist Church, in Bath, having moved there recently from a church in SW London. His biggest passions in life are telling people about Jesus, making nice coffee, and spending as much time outdoors as possible with his wife, Josie, and three young children. For an idea of the various evangelism tools Tom has worked on, visit somethingbetter.org.uk

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In today's culture, sexuality and gender are the embodiment of happiness, fulfilment and our sense of self. It's no surprise that especially young people can find a God-centred view of sex to be oppressive, unfair or even hateful.  No wonder Christians can find this area such a stumbling block to presenting the gospel. How can we help our friends and family discover a deeper and more satisfying view of Christ, His calling and our identity in Him?

Andrew Bunt is a writer and speaker who studied theology at Durham University and King’s College London. He is the Emerging Generations director at Living Out and the author of People Not Pronouns: Reflections on Transgender Experience (Grove Books, 2021) and Finding Your Best Identity: A Short Christian Introduction to Identity, Sexuality and Gender (IVP, 2022)

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Have you ever heard someone dismiss the Bible "because it's just a fairy tale"? Or maybe that it was basically invented by the early Church to peddle their religious fiction? But if either of those were true, would the Bible be what it is today? Today's guest on PEP Talk introduces us to the myriad reasons why the Bible would be impossible to invent.

Mike D'Virgilio's latest book is Uninvented: Why The Bible Could Not Be Made Up, and The Evidence That Proves It. He has a B.S. in Communication from Arizona State University and an M.A. in Systematic Theology from Westminster Theological Seminary Philadelphia. He has worked in public relations, sales, and marketing for over three decades. His first book was an exploration of apologetics for parents called, The Persuasive Christian Parent: Building an Enduring Faith in You and Your Children. He also blogs on apologetics and a variety of topics at mikedvirgilio.com.

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If you have friends, colleagues or neighbours from Muslim backgrounds, this episode is for you! There are incredible opportunities in our own diverse society to interact with followers of Islam. What are some of the best ways to introduce them to Jesus? Andy and Kristi have a guest from Australia with some helpful advice.

Richard Shumack is a philosopher of religion who is fascinated by how and why people hold their religious beliefs. He is the Director of the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam, at Melbourne School of Theology and, with his wife Judy, is on the pastoral team at Springwood Presbyterian Church in the NSW Blue Mountains. His research specialty is certainty and doubt in religious belief, and he is the author of “Jesus Through Muslim Eyes”, and the philosophical apologetic “The Wisdom of Islam and the Foolishness of Christianity”. He loves Australian football, golf, eating curries, and making and playing acoustic guitars.

 

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Solas is often involved helping Christian Union groups at universities across the UK, as they put on evangelistic events and missions. It is a privilege to answer questions from students and help them think through aspects of the gospel message. Today we're joined by someone involved full-time in student ministry, to hear about the questions, opportunities and priorities found in the student world.

Naomi Brehm is a UCCF Staff Worker in the North East of England, supporting the Christian Unions in Durham and Hartlepool. She studied a Physics Masters degree at Durham University, trained with OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and now loves helping students to discuss big questions and explore faith for the first time. 

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From a cross-cultural guest, today's episode picks up two different strands to sharing faith. First, how do we respond to those who reject their experience of church, even those who have suffered spiritual abuse? As well, what can the contrast between "Christian" and "secular" cultures teach us about conversations centred on Jesus? In both areas, it can be tricky to unpack the individual's experience from the true gospel.

Inonge Siluka grew up in Zambia and moved to Scotland with her family when she was 14. She studied law at university after which she did some student ministry with UCCF and training with Cornhill Scotland. She works full time for a Cancer charity, and is also the founder of Restored Hope Zambia, a Charity that supports Church abuse survivors in Zambia. She is passionate about evangelism and theology and runs Overflow Chat, a blog and YouTube channel aimed at encouraging women and girls in their evangelism and faith. Inonge is a member of Greenview Church in Glasgow where is part of a community group and serves in the youth ministry.

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