Sam Hailes
Sam Hailes is editor of Premier Christianity – the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Before joining Premier he worked as a freelance journalist and social media manager. He’s married to Stacey, lives in London and is a keen traveller, reader and tweeter.
InterviewsRev Les Isaac: ‘I get bored if I’m in church too much. I need to be out there’
As Street Pastors celebrates its 20th anniversary, founder Rev Les Isaac OBE says it’s time for the Church to get up out of the pews and work together
- Interviews
Matt Redman: ‘Reverence in worship has become my lifelong pursuit’
The writer of some of the world’s most popular worship songs explains why we need to be singing more about the holiness of God
- Interviews
Phil Moore: 'If I'd thought about how long it takes to write a commentary on the Bible I never would have started!'
The London based pastor Phil Moore has spent the past decade writing a commentary on every book of the Bible. Having just completed the mammoth project, he tells Sam Hailes what he's learned through studying the scriptures in their original languages, and why those struggling to read the Bible in a year should be less hard on themselves
- Testimonies
‘I went to Mallorca to party. But then I met Jesus’
Jonas Ris was 17 years old when his life was radically changed through an encounter with the gospel in a very unexpected location
- Opinion
Can Chat GPT lead someone to Christ? We put the machine through its spiritual paces…
It’s the AI software everyone is talking about. It can write essays, impersonate famous people and even give you personalised poetry. But can Chat GPT offer any of its millions of users spiritual wisdom? Our editor put the machine to the test
- Testimonies
The power of the Christian camp
Lee Musson found God on a Christian holiday as a child. Little did he know that one day he’d work for Rock UK, the organisation that owned the campsite where he first said yes to Jesus
- Interviews
Megachurch leader Jack Graham: ‘Being a pastor is the world’s worst profession…but the greatest calling’
Sam Hailes meets the pastor of one of America’s largest churches to talk Trump, trauma and how he guards himself from temptation
- Real Life
‘God told me to build a business worth millions’
Megan Landreth-Smith explains how a vision from God prompted her to start a soft drinks company that is helping to end sexual slavery
- Interviews
Anthony Ray Hinton: ‘I spent 30 years on death row for a crime I didn’t commit. But God had a plan’
Sentenced to death for a crime he didn’t commit, Anthony Ray Hinton spent 30 years inside an Alabamian prison waiting to be executed
- Interviews
Calvin Robinson: ‘I’ve always struggled with organised religion…maybe that’s why I got kicked out of one’
The GB News presenter says ordination in the Church of England was “snatched away” from him because of his conservative views
- Reviews
7 things we learned about Stormzy’s faith from his Louis Theroux interview
The chart topping rapper is hosting Bible studies in his home, rediscovering the power of grace and praying that God will bring him a wife. Sam Hailes reports
- Magazine Features
The Chosen exclusive: Behind the scenes of the TV show aiming to reach one billion for Christ
Ahead of the launch of Season 3 of the largest crowdfunded TV show of all time, our editor was invited to Texas to meet the cast and crew of The Chosen. Here’s what he discovered
- Interviews
Rev Richard Coles on grief, death and what heaven looks like
Having lost his husband David to alcoholic liver disease, Rev Richard Coles is set to explore grief in a new Channel 4 documentary. He tells Sam Hailes that bereavement never caused him to doubt his faith and argues it's a mistake to hold funerals that celebrate a person's life
- Reviews
Why Christian leaders need friends, not fans
The number of well-known evangelical pastors exposed for committing ministry-ending sins has reached such a level that entire books are now being written on the subject. Here’s our review of Katelyn Beaty’s offering, Celebrities for Jesus
- Interviews
William Adoasi: The faith of the entrepreneur who is making millions and funding education in Africa
The British-Ghanaian entrepreneur explains how his faith inspired him to build a £1m watch company
- Interviews
‘God’s presence was irresistible’ - Andy Flannagan on the 'holy moments' at Parliament prayer breakfast
Hours after Andy Flannagan led parliamentarians in singing about integrity, truth and justice, a spate of government ministerial resignations took place, with Sajid Javid referencing the prayer breakfast in his speech. As Boris Johnson confirms he will stand down this autumn, Sam Hailes speaks to Flannagan, who also heads Christians in Politics, to ask what we should make of claims that a prayer meeting led to the highest number of ministerial resignations in history.
- Interviews
Jendella Benson: ‘When I was charged with money laundering I thought God would deliver me’
In this exclusive interview, the British-Nigerian novelist opens up about the unexpected conviction for money laundering which radically changed her theology and how the love and support of her church family helped keep her faith alive while her husband was in prison
- Reviews
Hillsong: A megachurch exposed
At its best, this three-part documentary on Hillsong Church exposes serious wrongdoing that should bring about repentance, reflection and change. But in dipping into sensationalism and dialling the cynicism up to 11, it becomes its own undoing, says Sam Hailes
- Reviews
The memoirs of Christian publishing legend Tony Collins
Our editor reviews They’ll Never Read That
- Interviews
Graham Kendrick: ‘When you put the Word and the Spirit together, it’s absolute dynamite’
The father of modern worship music might be best known for penning ‘Shine, Jesus, shine’, but 50 years since the release of his first album, the singer-songwriter is going back to his storytelling roots
