Gareth Southgate’s lecture had echoes of a sermon. Here’s what Christians can learn from it

Sir Gareth Southgate’s lecture on identity, redemption and the state of the youth had all the makings of a sermon – a sermon that Christians should be paying attention to, says Tim Bechervaise

The joke was always made that Gareth Southgate would make a better Prime Minister than football manager. A recent talk for the BBC’s annual Richard Dimbleby Lecture only confirms this – and might even suggest a career as a preacher. Okay, that last bit is perhaps a tad far-fetched (Southgate is not known to be religious), but as I watched snippets of the speech and read its transcript, I said to my wife (a vicar) that it has echoes of a sermon. 

Before you jump on me – yes, I know, Jesus isn’t mentioned and he must be the heartbeat of any decent sermon. But as Sir Gareth drew from personal experiences to unpack the importance of identity, community and culture – and specifically their importance for young men – he touched on buzzwords and truths, including redemption (yes, that penalty), that feature in sermons across the country weekly.