The Profile

Kojo Anim talks to LadyT about his time on Britain’s Got Talent, why he did the show, getting the golden buzzer from Simon Cowell and why that moment changed everything. He also talks about being broke, homeless, in foster care and the impact that had on his life growing up.

Kojo will be on a national tour from 6th Feb 2020. Tickets available here - http://www.kojoanim.co.uk/

Follow Kojo on IG & Twitter @kojoanimlive

The Profile is brought to you in association with Premier Christianity magazine. To request a free sample copy of the latest print issue visit premierchristianity.com/freesample

Natalie Collins is a Gender Justice Specialist who works with Christian organisations and others to educate them on gender equality and the abuse of women. Collins was in an abusive marriage herself and gave birth to her second child prematurely after her ex-husband attacked her.

In this in-depth interview with Premier Christianity’s Megan Cornwell she explains how Christian purity culture led to her marrying her abuser.

Collins shares her thoughts on the barriers to gender equality in churches and describes how it’s possible to be a Christian and a feminist when it comes to complex ethical issues such as abortion.

Collins’ new book Out of Control: Couples, Conflict and the Capacity for Change (SPCK) is out now.

The Profile is brought to you in association with Premier Christianitymagazine. To request a free sample copy of the latest print issue visit premierchristianity.com/freesample

Pete Portal tells Justin Brierley his conversion story (involving a fight in a takeaway restaurant) and what that led him to establish a Christian rehab community in one of South Africa’s most infamous ghettoes. Pete shares the joys, struggles, miracles and heartache of ministering to and living with Muslim gang members and drug addicts. Pete’s book No Neutral Ground (Hodder & Stoughton) is out now .

Folow Pete on Twitter @Pete_Portal

The Profile is brought to you in association with Premier Christianity magazine. To request a free sample copy of the latest print issue visit premierchristianity.com/freesample

The Rev Dr Clifford Hill is a sociologist, theologian and founder of the magazine Prophecy Today. In this in-depth interview with Premier Christianity’s Sam Hailes, Dr Hill recalls his early life and explains how he was called to ministry at the tender age of 12, with his preaching ministry beginning soon afterwards. “What I preached in those day I don’t know, I shudder to think!” he quips. The founder of Issachar Ministries also opens up about his work in the inner-city areas of London, and explains why prophecy should focus on “forthtelling” the Word of God rather than “foretelling” the future. In commenting on some of the biggest issues facing us today (including Brexit and family breakdown) he says it is “not sufficient” for church leaders to “just teach the Bible, or to speak about the love of God. We have to understand what’s happening in society today in order to be really effective with the gospel”.  Dr Hill is the author of over 30 books on a range of subjects. His most recent work is entitled The Reshaping of Britain (Wilberforce Publications) and is out now.

The Profile is brought to you in association with Premier Christianity magazine. To request a free sample copy of the latest print issue visit premierchristianity.com/freesample

Long before Rachel Treweek shattered the so-called stained-glass ceiling by becoming the first female diocesan bishop in the Church of England, she was challenging the status quo. As a young girl growing up in leafy Hertfordshire, the church she attended – a local traditional Anglican parish – had an all-male robed choir. With a keen sense of her own worth and talents, she asked the priest if she could join, and the rest, as they say, is history. Quite literally, in the bishop’s case, as she went on to become the first woman clergy to sit in the House of Lords years later. In this in-depth interview with Premier Christianity’s deputy editor Megan Cornwell, Bishop Rachel explains how she became a Christian, and what a calling to ministry looked like for her. She also comments on some of the more tricky issues facing the Church of England including divisions over gay marriage and how to handle transgender issues.

You can also read this interview in the latest issue of Premier Christianity magazine. To request a free sample copy of the latest print issue visit premierchristianity.com/freesample

Rev Dr David Hilborn has spent most of his career working in theological education. The current principal of Moorlands college was previously principal of St John’s College, Nottingham and also played an influential role in the beginnings of St Mellitus College, now one of the largest training colleges in the Anglican Church worldwide.  In this in-depth interview with Premier Christianity’s Sam Hailes, David shares his life story, which has included pastoral ministry in local churches, working for the Evangelical Alliance and switching denominations from the United Reformed Church to the Church of England. He also comments on the current Brexit divisions, and expresses his “frustration” with Christian leaders who preach sermons which are disconnected from the scriptures.

The Profile is brought to you in association with Premier Christianity magazine. To request a free sample copy of the latest print issue visit premierchristianity.com/freesample

Jonathon Douglass (aka ‘JD’) has been making music with Hillsong United since the very beginning. What began as a church youth band based in Sydney, Australia has become a global phenomenon. Hillsong United have led worship in some of the world’s biggest stadiums, and their songs (‘Oceans’, ‘So Will I’, ‘Hosanna’) are sung by churches on every continent. At the end of May, the band released their 14th live album, entitled People. In this interview with Premier Christianity’s Sam Hailes, JD explains how the release was inspired in part by a sense of nostalgia as the band reflected on the early days of making music. JD also claims that despite Australia being a “secular nation”, the church is “on the rise” and suggests he’s witnessing “the early days of a fresh revival”.

The Profile is brought to you in association with Premier Christianity magazine. To request a free sample copy of the latest print issue visit premierchristianity.com/freesample

In November 2015, RC Sproul Jr woke up in a hospital bed and discovered he’d been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Not only was it the worst day of his life, but it was also, paradoxically, one of the best. “It shattered any façade or capacity to pretend I’m better than I really was” he explains. But it wasn’t the first time he’d found himself in the Christian press for all the wrong reasons. A year earlier, it was revealed RC had accessed a website dedicated to promoting extra-marital affairs. At the time, he released a statement explaining he’d signed up in “a moment of weakness”, but hadn’t committed adultery. Nevertheless, these moral failings begged the question: should RC step back from writing Christian books, leading Bible studies or even tweeting? Many have answered ‘yes’, and RC has a large number of critics, especially online. In this in depth interview with Premier Christianity’s Sam Hailes, RC opens up about his sin and takes full responsibility for his mistakes. He also answers tough questions on what (if anything) should disqualify a person from ministry and what repentance and restoration really look like. 

The Profile is brought to you in association with Premier Christianity magazine. To request a free sample copy of the latest print issue visit premierchristianity.com/freesample

Andrea Williams, 53, is intense, driven and uncompromising. She often refers to Jesus as “the Lord Jesus Christ” and believes Christians have been “ashamed of the gospel” for too long. In this in-depth interview with Premier Christianity’s editor Sam Hailes, she does not mince her words, as she challenges Christians to be bolder in speaking up for the truth. The founder of Christian Concern also defends her political and legal work and opens up about her recent battle with cancer. Williams believes Christians have become too worried about how the world views us. “We are so concerned about our Twitter feeds”, she says. “You know we are so concerned about appearing to welcome, to reflect the culture, as opposed to contend and set the culture, which is what of our forefathers did when they took the Gospel to other nations.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTyg5QlijIM 

The Profile is brought to you in association with Premier Christianity magazine. Click here to read the online version of this interview, or to request a free sample copy of the latest print issue visit premierchristianity.com/freesample

Is there such a thing as a Calvinist comedy writer? Yes, there is! And his name is James Cary. The 42 year old self professing sit-com geek has worked on the BBC’s Miranda, My Family and Bluestone 42. He’s written plays including A Monk’s Tale and most recently A Turbulent Priest. He is also member of the Church of England’s general synod. In this in-depth conversation with Premier Christianity’s Sam Hailes, James opens up about his early life, gives his view on whether Jesus was funny and challenges Christians to put more effort into the public reading of scripture. “We’re not firing blanks here, when we’re reading the scriptures. It is a sharp sword” he says. He also comments on issues relating to free speech and wades into the ‘should Christians watch Game of Thrones’ controversy.

Follow James on Twitter @sitcomgeek

The Profile is brought to you in association with Premier Christianity magazine. For a free sample copy of the latest issue visit premierchristianity.com/freesample