On Cross Section this week, Peter Lynas, Alicia Edmund and Danny Webster discuss the theme of division and polarisation that spans across all the trending headlines. The team cover six political, cultural and religious stories, looking at how we can be good news people amidst the chaos.

They cover Meryl Streep playing Aslan, the Ed Sheeran and Macklemore controversy, the village of Piddington wanting to leave the UK, a volunteer for Restore Britain being violently attacked, the Archbishop of Canterbury's u-turn, and the Green party's' thoughts on Zionism. This is an episode not to be missed.

0:00 Intro 1:52 Meryl Streep as Aslan in Narnia 7:13 Ed Sheeran and Macklemore: where politics meets music 14:30 Piddington, the village that voted to leave the UK 20:20 Green Party 'Zionism is racism' motion 24:20 Restore Britain volunteer assaulted 30:12 Archbishop of Canterbury's interfaith award controversy 38:30 Good news people in a polarized world 42:35 Closing

In this week's episode of Cross Section, Peter Lynas, Danny Webster and Alicia Edmund discuss the headlines. They begin with a news review that covers a worship event in a football stadium, the euthanasia of a one year old in the Netherlands and predictions for the upcoming series of Celebrity Traitors.

Conversation then turns to all that is happening in Northern Ireland. Peter helpfully unpacks the context and history of the situation in Drumcree, what has been happening this week and how Christians can be praying.

The episode concludes with a reaction to Andy Burnham's speech at the 2026 Labour party conference. What stood out? What will the implications be? Where will this leave the UK?

This is an episode not to be missed.

Peter Lynas, Alicia Edmund and Zanna Meynell return to Cross Section to discuss this week’s leading headlines. The episode begins with a news review. Peter updates us on the continued tensions in Drumcree, Alicia outlines the Man City controversy, and the team discuss the relaunch of a dating app with a particular focus on marriage. They also briefly reflect on the first week of Celebrity Traitors.

Conversation then turns to the deeply controversial motion from the Green party, “Zionism is racism”. Could this splinter the Green Party? What will this mean for Zack Polanski in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election? How can Christians talk about this with wisdom and compassion?

The team then address the prevalent theme of global instability and the threat of war, addressing calls for the church to be prayerful in this moment.

The episode concludes with a brief review of party conference season and advice on navigating political differences within our church families. This is an episode not to be missed.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome 01:06 Drumcree tensions update 03:35 Man City charges fallout 06:46 Dating apps shift towards marriage 09:31 Celebrity Traitors chat 11:39 Green’s Zionism motion 17:20 Discussing Israel/Palestine in our churches 22:18 Praying against war 32:09 Party conference season 36:15 Encouragements

In this episode of Cross Section, Peter Lynas, Danny Webster and Alicia Edmund record together from the studio. In the news review, the team discuss a French cyber-attack that hacked supermarket fridges, Trump buying large quantities of diesel from Putin, and the proposed ’Celebrity Handcuffed’ pairing of Suella Braverman and Katie Price.

The main conversation explores recent comments by Braverman and Kemi Badenoch on Englishness vs Britishness, and why people may identify as British rather than English. They then unpack Theos Think Tank’s Beyond Christian Nationalism research on how UK adults relate Christianity to national identity, including survey findings on language, economic contribution, race, Christianity and moral decline.

The episode concludes with a debate on the death penalty and live-streaming executions after events in the US – Christa Pike’s failed execution and the proposed livestream of the killing of Nidal Hasan – sparked considerable discussion on the topic. What is the biblical backing for or against it? What are the Cross Section team’s opinions on it?

This week, the Evangelical Alliance has launched a landmark report 'Understanding UK Evangelicals' and in this episode of Cross Section, Peter Lynas, Alicia Edmund and Danny Webster unpack the research. How many evangelical Christians are in the UK? What is the demographic makeup? Can we trust the findings?

The team also reflect on the fall of the assisted suicide bill, St Pauls cathedral being turned into a night club, Trump's comments about a united Ireland and Reform's finances. This is an episode not to be missed.

Understanding UK Evangelicals - Who are they? - Evangelical Alliance

Good news! The UK evangelical Church is growing | Opinion | Premier Christianity

Evangelicals are now 2 in 3 practising Christians across the UK

A deep dive into the evangelical church - Evangelical Alliance

Chapters:

0:00 - Welcome 0:48 - Trump and AI 1:30 - St. Paul's Cathedral turned nightclub 4:08 - Reform UK donations 5:48 - Assisted suicide bill defeated 10:23 - The power of prayer 13:43 - Understanding UK Evangelicals 15:56 - Key findings 19:11 - Broad vs classic evangelicals 21:00 - Demographics: young and diverse 23:33 - Research methodology 27:38 - Why this report matters 31:01 - Phase 2 preview 32:39 - Outro and Tori Kelly encouragement

Peter Lynas, Alicia Edmund and Danny Webster return from the summer break to the same political upheaval as before. The team discuss the recent Channel 4 documentary revealing further questions regarding donations to Reform UK and apparent fractures in Nigel Farage's top team. How will this effect their electorate success and popularity?

They go on to explore the weekend headlines of Patriot Platform and masked men seeking to 'defend the Portsmouth' coastline whilst chanting 'Christ is King' and round up the conversation on the upcoming vote in Westminster on assisted suicide on Friday, 11 September.

The theme of polarisation continues across our news and political stories. How can Christians engage and offer a different way of living and response?

0:00 — Welcome 0:43 — Summer catch-up 1:48 — Katie Taylor's song choice 2:40 — Reform party conference and scandals 6:51 — Are Reform self-destructing? 9:25 — Reform's faith dynamic 12:45 — Patriot Platform protests in Dover 18:32 — Andy Burnham: first six weeks 22:54 — Keir Starmer steps down 26:43 — Will Burnham call a general election? 30:26 — Assisted suicide vote preview 34:33 — Prayer and action

Is Andy Burnham the new ‘TikTok PM’? The Cross Section summer break takes a temporary pause as the team reunite to discuss all that has happened since Andy Burnham became prime minister. The team cover his use of social media, his focus on cost of living and social care, lack of mention of immigration and touch on assisted suicide. What will the coming months look like? What will the challenges be? Most importantly, how can Christians pray effectively?

The team also discuss the upcoming Clacton by-election, the new series of ‘The Chosen’ and ‘The Odyssey’.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro 0:36 - Andy Burnham's first week as PM 2:16 - Cost of living policy focus 8:22 - Immigration as a dividing line 11:48 - Assisted dying and palliative care debate 17:36 - Education reform 20:27 - Outlook for the coming months 24:47 - Challenges ahead for Burnham 26:20 - Prayer points for our leaders 30:01 - Get in touch 30:16 - Clacton by-election (Farage vs. Binface) 31:29 - ‘The Chosen’ and ‘The Odyssey’

For the season finale before the summer break, Peter Lynas, Alicia Edmund and Danny Webster share reflections from the National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast in Westminster, President Trump's influence over a red card, the unfolding story surrounding Nigel Farage's relationship with a cryptocurrency convicted billionaire and the role of the UK church in embodying a message of hope at a time of national instability.

National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast (YouTube link): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPvx1DHTleE

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to Cross Section

00:21 Prayer Breakfast Highlights

01:39 Hope Not Politics

02:39 Westminster Hall Atmosphere

03:09 Andy Burnham Buzz

04:15 Season Wrap and News Picks

04:47 Culture Spotlight Ezra Collective

06:08 Football and Media Frenzy

07:22 Trump vs FIFA Rules

09:46 Reform Party Under Scrutiny

11:30 Farage Donations Explained

13:01 Standards Probe and Recall Risk

14:02 Recall Petition Stakes

15:00 Have Reform Peaked

15:43 Farage Under Pressure

17:04 Electoral System Reality

17:56 Polls Momentum Shifts

19:48 Switching to Burnham

21:12 Burnham Honeymoon Risks

23:55 Devolution Versus Growth

26:00 Praying for Hope

26:56 Church as Stability

29:54 Polarization and Discipleship

32:57 Season Wrap and Farewell