All articles by Martin Saunders – Page 2

  • 2WKDRGX
    Magazine Features

    Your body is a temple. So should you join the war on Ultra Processed Food?

    2024-06-24T13:24:00Z

    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

  • Mr-Beast-01
    Magazine Features

    The Mark of Mr Beast

    2024-05-22T10:47:00Z

    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…

  • 2RR3H90
    Magazine Features

    The Book of Clarence isn’t blasphemous. It’s brilliant!

    2024-04-26T13:05:00Z

    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 

  • Marvel-01
    Magazine Features

    The once-supreme Marvel franchise is in trouble. Could it be a metaphor for the Church?

    2024-03-21T12:34:00Z

    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?

    2024-03-04T13:15:00Z

    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

    2024-01-31T14:13:00Z

    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

  • Disney-100
    Magazine Features

    Walt Disney was a man of faith. But 100 years on, how should Christians view his legacy?

    2023-09-25T19:29:00Z

    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?

  • satlites-01
    Magazine Features

    When God says yes…then no

    2023-03-27T11:13:00Z

    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

  • rules-of-engagement-main
    Archive content

    The Rules of Engagement

    2015-04-10T00:00:00Z

    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?

    2015-03-12T00:00:00Z

    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

    2015-02-09T00:00:00Z

    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

    2015-01-07T00:00:00Z

    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.

  • Serial-main
    Opinion

    Serial: the killer podcast that swept the world

    2014-12-17T00:00:00Z

    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.

  • interstellar-culture-main
    Archive content

    A mission to save mankind

    2014-12-16T00:00:00Z

    Christopher Nolan’s science fiction epic Interstellar envisions a world beyond our own, in which humankind can save itself.

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    Archive content

    No m'Lord: Why doesn't Downton do God?

    2014-11-12T00:00:00Z

    Downton Abbey is now regularly enjoyed by more than 120 million viewers around the world. But why is a show set in the God-fearing 1920s so reluctant to mention faith?

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    Archive content

    The Leftovers

    2014-09-12T00:00:00Z

    Armageddon is back this autumn. As the Left Behind film hits cinemas, a new American TV show explores what might happen if 140 million people simply disappeared at once. Is this apocalyptic story likely to leave British audiences ‘enraptured’?

  • invisibles-blog-main
    Opinion

    Have you spotted these 'invisibles' in your church?

    2014-09-05T00:00:00Z

    In an age that is centred on platform-building and self-promotion, David Zweig’s book Invisibles claims we can make a significant impact while still maintaining an almost invisible profile.

  • vanishing-act-main
    Archive content

    Vanishing Act

    2014-08-07T00:00:00Z

    A new book written by a secular New Yorker suggests that our self-promotion culture has its values badly wrong. It might just be the most important message the Church could hear in 2014.

  • sound-check-main
    Archive content

    Theology test your worship songs

    2014-08-07T00:00:00Z

    What happens when you put the lyrics of some of our best-known worship songs under the theological microscope?

  • minecraft-main
    Archive content

    The Gospel according to Minecraft

    2014-08-01T00:00:00Z

    Minecraft, a simple construction video game, is sweeping the globe. Why is it so popular, and should we be concerned that millions of people are choosing to spend more time in the game than outside it?