Life

Christians and religious nones alike object to AI-generated social media videos
Evangelicals, nones and non-denominational Christians reject AI-generated videos, a new study has found.

What we don’t know about Christmas
Every Christmas people are bombarded with images of the Nativity in Christmas cards, the lyrics of songs and Nativity plays. Yet many of the images embedded in our minds are pure tradition. In fact, there is a lot that we do not know. This is the story …

The mystery of the Wise Men
The carol assures us that “We three kings of Orient are…” and tells us they were “following yonder star”. Can we be sure there were three of them? Were they kings? Where in the Orient were they from? What was the star they followed? In fact, there is a lot that we just do not know. This is the story …

Guinness Book of Records recognises 'the world’s longest serving Sunday School teacher'
Pam Knowles started helping out her church Sunday school in 1951 at the age of 13.

The origins of ‘traditional’ Christmas celebrations
Today in the UK we celebrate Christmas and the period around it with many familiar traditions and activities. There is an understandable assumption that we have always done things this way. However, celebrating Christmas has a long and complex history and things change over time.

Former moderator of Church of Scotland teams up with pop star to release Christmas song
What do you do when you've retired from leading a church?

New study uncovers why some people leave their childhood faith and others stay
A new analysis from the Pew Research Center suggests that decisions about faith are often made early in life — and once made, they tend to last.

Keir Starmer praises faith and church volunteers in Christmas interview
Church volunteers "are the true Britain" and doing the country proud, the Prime Minister said.

The little-known prayers written by Jane Austen
It is now 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen whose books and their many screen adaptations are beloved around the world. Not many people know that she was a devout Christian who also wrote devotional prayers. This is the story …

The Anglican worldview of Jane Austen’s life and novels
16 December 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of novelist Jane Austen, who was born in southern England in 1775. Her novels are steeped in biblical analogy and practical theology. This is the story…

Almost half of UK adults plan to attend church this Christmas, new poll finds
Churches across the UK are expecting fuller pews this Christmas, as new research suggests a significant rise in the number of people planning to attend services and church-run events over the festive season.

The little-known history of the X in Xmas
Many Christians worry that writing “Xmas” crosses Christ out of Christmas, but the story of the X is an ancient, deeply rooted Christian custom. This is the story ….

Who was the historical King Herod?
At Christmas time we read about King Herod who ruled Judea at the time of Jesus’s birth, and he is the villain of many Nativity plays. But King Herod was a real historical character. This is the story …

New report uncovers spiritual priorities for Gen Z
Authenticity is key for Generation Z.

On commitment
Jewish academic and Hebrew scholar Irene Lancaster considers what commitment means in Judaism.

Why Jesus is the true meaning of Christmas
Have we settled for the wrapping paper and missed the gift?