All articles by Martin Saunders
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Magazine Features
Wicked: What Christians should know about 2024’s biggest film
Martin Saunders considers the spiritual messages contained in Wicked: Part One
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Magazine Features
Could faith go viral again? Malcolm Gladwell’s new book has the answer
One of the world’s leading non-fiction writers doesn’t write much about his own Christian faith. And yet when you apply Malcolm Gladwell’s Revenge of the Tipping Point to the Church’s evangelism the implications are exciting, says Martin Saunders
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Magazine Features
Witchcraft is trending on TikTok. Here are 5 ways Christians can respond
Millions of young people are diving headfirst into exploring witchcraft, and their main portal is the social media app TikTok. Martin Saunders looks at what’s going on, and suggests how Christians can address this dangerous trend
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Magazine Features
The second coming of Oasis
The fans who thought they’d never see Oasis rise from the dead are desperate to see the band recapture their earlier form. That’s if they get that far. The story of two warring brothers is as old as the scriptures, says Martin Saunders
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Magazine Features
Too much on TV? How Christians should navigate peak content
Netflix, Amazon and other streaming giants have granted us access to entire libraries full of dramas and documentaries, but can any of us really keep up?
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Magazine Features
Why your smartphone might be stopping you from following Jesus
The evidence is clear: mobile phones are turning us into an anxious generation. But they could also be hampering your discipleship
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Magazine Features
Your body is a temple. So should you join the war on Ultra Processed Food?
A lot of our food isn’t really food at all; it’s a mix of increasingly refined and manufactured substances designed to keep costs low and shelf-lives long. As a popular new book takes aim at the food industry, Martin Saunders considers how Christians should respond
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Magazine Features
The Mark of Mr Beast
The world’s biggest YouTuber has more than a quarter of a billion followers and is one of the most influential people on earth. Should Christians be thrilled that he’s putting radical generosity in the spotlight? It’s complicated…
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Magazine Features
The Book of Clarence isn’t blasphemous. It’s brilliant!
It might look like an irreverent comedy, but this film asks some big questions – and paints a picture of Jesus that’s beautifully beguiling, says Martin Saunders
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Magazine Features
The once-supreme Marvel franchise is in trouble. Could it be a metaphor for the Church?
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is struggling to attract audiences. But what does that have to do with Christianity? More than you might think, explains Martin Saunders
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Magazine Features
The Crypto King is a convicted fraudster. But were his motives ethical?
Sam Bankman-Fried was on course to become the world’s first trillionaire, before his virtual empire spectacularly collapsed in scandal. He’s due to be sentenced later this month, but Martin Saunders says there’s a surprising lesson the Church can learn from him
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Magazine Features
The Gospel according to Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift isn’t the light of the world. And she can’t fill our culture’s God-shaped hole. But the biggest pop star on the planet does identify as a Christian
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Magazine Features
Walt Disney was a man of faith. But 100 years on, how should Christians view his legacy?
Walt Disney attributed his success to a daily habit of prayer. But now, as Disney celebrates 100 years of family fun, Christians are divided on the merits of the entertainment giant. Is it still the home of good, clean entertainment or should we be suspicious of its political stances?
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Magazine Features
When God says yes…then no
Have you ever seen a dream die? Been so absolutely sure that something was right – that God himself was behind it – only to see it fail? That’s what happened to Martin Saunders, and it took his faith to the edge
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Archive content
The Rules of Engagement
What does it mean for Christians to be engaged with culture, and why is it so important? Five years on from his first Premier Christianity culture column, Martin Saunders asks if there’s more to it than sermon illustrations and placard-waving.
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Archive content
More TV, vicar?
Vicars are bang on trend in TV land, says Martin Saunders. And they aren’t all cut from the same cloth.
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Archive content
Bingeflix
The way we consume TV is changing: we can now watch what we want, whenever we want. And binge view as much as we like. Martin Saunders unravels the pros and cons of streamed TV.
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Archive content
Grey Matter: 50 Shades, pornography and the shaping of our brains
Fifty Shades of Grey hits UK cinemas this Valentine’s day. Six years on from writing a major feature on porn and the UK Church for Premier Christianity, Martin Saunders explores the growing impact of sexually explicit content on modern culture.
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Opinion
Serial: the killer podcast that swept the world
You’re either in or you’re out. You’re either: completely absorbed; desperately waiting to find out what really happened with Adnan Syed, Jay and the tragic Hae Min Lee; spending your Thursday lunchtimes ritually clicking the refresh button on Apple’s iTunes store…or you have literally no idea what I’m talking about.
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Archive content
A mission to save mankind
Christopher Nolan’s science fiction epic Interstellar envisions a world beyond our own, in which humankind can save itself.