Sam Hailes

Crystal Palace, England, London

Editor at Christianity Magazine

Editor of @christianitymag, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Editorial Director for Premier. Personal views.

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Articles

Are revival fires spreading again? We asked 18 Christian leaders

4 weeks ago | premierchristianity.com | Sam Hailes

With reports of renewal gathering pace, Christian leaders from a variety of churches and locations across the UK report on what they’re witnessingFor years, almost every study into religious affiliation and church attendance in the UK has told the same story. Fewer people are going to church. Secularisation is on the rise. Young people aren’t interested. Not anymore, it seems.
Zach Meerkreebs on preaching the sermon that (maybe) started a revival

1 month ago | premierchristianity.com | Sam Hailes

The man who had a front row seat to the Asbury Outpouring talks humility, the kindness of God and how the death of his daughter reshaped his relationship with Jesus Zach Meerkreebs had that sinking feeling most preachers can identify with. You’ve prayed, planned and prepared but, for whatever reason, the message you’ve delivered just hasn’t connected the way you hoped it would.
Ray Comfort: The evangelist who “makes sinners tremble” on fear, death and false converts

1 month ago | premierchristianity.com | Sam Hailes

The straight-talking evangelist whose conversations with strangers rack up millions of YouTube views is worried the Church is producing false converts. If you want to see people come to a lasting faith, stop starting with ‘Jesus loves you’, he says Thirty years before the invention of YouTube, Ray Comfort was pioneering a style of videotape evangelism that would take the future internet by storm.
This church leader thinks empathy can be a sin. We asked him to explain himself

2 months ago | premierchristianity.com | Sam Hailes

Joe Rigney has authored a much-discussed new book entitled The Sin of Empathy. He defends his thesis to Sam Hailes If I were to list the fifty biggest problems facing the Church today, I don’t think ‘too much empathy’ would make the cut. But Idaho-based pastor Joe Rigney disagrees. His provocative new book is entitled The Sin of Empathy (Canon Press) and claims empathy is “the greatest rhetorical tool of manipulation in the 21st century”.
Elle Limebear: ‘I want to rebuke this idea of us being an anxious generation’

Mar 27, 2025 | premierchristianity.com | Sam Hailes

After a life-long battle with anxiety, worship leader Elle Limebear is showing fear the door. As she releases her boldest music to date, the daughter of Delirious? frontman Martin Smith opens up about prophetic words, how she accidentally rewrote her father’s classic worship song and what touring the world is really like Elle Limebear was destined to sing – and that isn’t journalistic hyperbole. In 1997, as then-Delirious?
‘We gave away thousands of £10 notes at Spring Harvest’

Mar 26, 2025 | premierchristianity.com | Sam Hailes

Inspired by the parable of the talents, Phil and Wendy Wall MBE distributed free cash at major Christian festivals. Twenty-five years on, they reflect on the many lives changed because of it With a twinkle in his eye, Phil Wall tells me about the life-changing words he said to his wife, Wendy, during a long-distance telephone call in April 1997. “I’ve fallen in love with another woman, can I bring her home, please?” The request wasn’t as offensive as it first appears.
A new report claims UK Christians are antisemitic. Is it accurate?

Feb 28, 2025 | premierchristianity.com | Sam Hailes

A Chosen People Ministries survey has claimed one third of British Christians endorse antisemitic tropes such as “The Jews talk too much about the Holocaust”. Sam Hailes looks at the research Source: REUTERS/Susannah Ireland The news has felt remarkably dark in recent days. Earlier this week a man admitted shooting dead his mother and two siblings in Luton. Last week 1,000 women shared their stories of being raped, abused and harassed while serving in the British military.
'Drink, drugs, sex, career, travel - I’ve tried it all. Nothing satisfies like Jesus Christ'

Feb 27, 2025 | premierchristianity.com | Sam Hailes

Calum Mackenzie grew up in a Christian family, but walked away from faith while at university. During the next 22 years he tried everything the world could offer, but nothing seemed to satisfy him. Until one day, a desperate expletive-laden prayer changed everything My dad was a criminal and football hooligan who spent time in prison. He was a drunk and very verbally abusive. But when I was six years old, a Christian – who was also a former criminal – gave him John’s Gospel.
Conservative Christians are flocking on board the ARC. I went along to find out why

Feb 20, 2025 | premierchristianity.com | Sam Hailes

Political firebrands and Christian apologists shared the stage at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) event in London.
The 4 biggest trends in Church and culture

Jan 31, 2025 | premierchristianity.com | Sam Hailes

Theologians from the UK’s top Bible colleges talk to Sam Hailes about migration, revival, formation and keeping it weird Where do ideas come from? It’s commonly thought that many ideas begin with intellectuals in the academy dreaming them up, before they ‘trickle down’ into popular culture.