People

Luke Randall

Date posted: 1 Jul 2025

Aberdeen FC chairman Dave Cormack gave the glory to God in a pitchside interview at Hampden Park after Aberdeen won the Scottish Cup.

The remarks came as a surprise to many, with no previous public knowledge of a faith held by the American-based businessman.

Lydia Houghton

Date posted: 30 Jun 2025

A former OnlyFans “adult content” creator who reportedly made millions of dollars on the site has publicly declared her faith in Jesus.

Nala Ray grew up in church as a pastor’s daughter, and started her OnlyFans account “out of pure rebellion.” OnlyFans is an online subscription-based platform where creators can share content; it’s known for being popular with sex workers and the production of “adult” material for the site. Ray reportedly used the platform to share pornographic content with her paying subscribers.

Africa Inland Mission (AIM), an evangelical missionary agency, has merged its South Africa Mobilizing Office and Southern Region receiving office, forming a new ministry called AIM Southern Africa Region.

Tshepang Basupi has been appointed Director of AIM Southern Africa Region, consolidating the processes of sending and receiving missionaries, training leaders and sharing the gospel. The merger is intended to “better reflect the current and future realities of global missions” and will “enhance efforts to minister to the unreached peoples of Southern Africa”.

The General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland has appointed Dr Thomas Davis as the next Principal of the Edinburgh Theological Seminary (ETS).

Dr Davis will begin his new role in June 2028 upon the retirement of the current principal, Revd Iver Martin. Until then, he will teach some classes in Systematic Theology.

Nat Johnson is taking over from Stuart Parker as Director of True Freedom Trust (TFT), which offers support for Christians with same-sex attractions and upholds orthodox Biblical teaching on the issue.

Johnson joined TFT in 2018 and is an active member and Voluntary Worker. She leads a TFT women’s book club, and has at various times been part of Barnabas Groups in Leeds, Sheffield and online. She also speaks at TFT events.

Lydia Houghton

Date posted: 25 Jun 2025

A self-confessed former “underboss of the most powerful organised crime family in the country”[US] has been baptised.

Salvatore Gravano – widely known as “Sammy the Bull” Gravano – underwent water baptism, declaring he’s asking for forgiveness “not from a judge or jury, but from God.”

Lydia Houghton

Date posted: 23 Jun 2025

British actress and Christian Carey Mulligan has reportedly joined the cast for Netflix’s adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia.

The casting has caused controversy so far, with Meryl Streep reportedly in talks to play Aslan – the lion character described by Lewis as “an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question ‘What might Christ become like, if there really were a world like Narnia and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours?’.” With Streep being a woman, many have expressed concerns at this potential casting choice.

Luke Randall

Date posted: 22 Jun 2025

Alasdair Macleod is the new Moderator of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland for 2025/26. During the first session of the 2025 General Assembly, he formally replaced Callum Macleod who served throughout the previous year.

Macleod moves into the role having served as Senior Minister of Smithton Church, Inverness since 2016. He has chosen to take the theme “The Uniqueness of Christ” for his year in office and has pledged to speak on this whenever undertaking official engagements for the Assembly.

Luke Randall

Date posted: 21 Jun 2025

Christian golfer Scottie Scheffler has won the PGA Championship. His triumph takes his tally of major titles to three.

The 28-year-old, known for his serene temperament and consistency, is also well-known as a devoted Christian and has spoken about how he owes his success on the golf course to God, from whom he gets his identity. Following his win, he posted on Instagram: “This week was unforgettable! All glory to God”.

Lydia Houghton

Date posted: 20 Jun 2025

Christian author Jonathan Bryan – known for his campaigning for fellow non-verbal children to be taught to read and write – has died at the age of 19.

Written in preparation for this time, a poem, Song of Life, was shared on his Instagram page with the caption concluding: “When you read this I will be in heaven enjoying my new body and all the freedom that comes with it, but most of all I can’t wait to be with Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith.”

John Woods

Date posted: 19 Jun 2025

Walter Brueggemann had a huge impact on both the seminary and the pulpit in the USA and beyond. He died on June 5 at his home in Michigan. He was 92.

He is survived by his wife, Tia, his sons, James and John, and their families.

Samuel Escobar, an influential theologian and missiologist from Peru, has died aged 90.

Escobar was a leading figure in evangelical theology in the second half of the 20th century and the first quarter of the 21st century, website Evangelical Focus reports.

Alastair Bateman, CEO of Church Mission Society (CMS), has resigned from his post and announced he will step down at the end of July 2025 after six years, saying: “I believe the time is right.”

Reflecting on his time at CMS, Alastair said: “Serving in this community – so deeply committed to following Jesus, rooted in prayer, and bearing the fruits of the Spirit – has been the privilege of a lifetime.”

Emily Pollok

Date posted: 27 May 2025

Kim Shin-jo, a North Korean assassin-turned-pastor, has died aged 82.

Undergoing a radical transformation, Kim became a Christian after being captured in South Korea in 1968. In what is known as the “January 21 Incident,” Kim’s special commando unit was shot down during an attempt to assassinate South Korean President Park Chung Hee.

Tributes are being paid to renowned Biblical scholar Gordon Wenham, who has died.

Wenham, born in 1943, was a Reformed British Old Testament theologian and writer, and was once described by US academic Tremper Longman as “one of the finest evangelical commentators today”.

Emily Pollok

Date posted: 24 May 2025

American missionary Josh Sullivan is sharing his testimony of how God rescued him after he was kidnapped in South Africa earlier this year.

“I want to begin by thanking God for delivering me from what was undoubtedly the worst experience of our life,” Sullivan wrote in a post on Facebook. “I also want to thank him for delivering me from my sin 28 years ago when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour. Because of my personal relationship with Jesus, He gave me the peace I needed to get through.”

Rachel Cocksedge has been appointed as new Executive Assistant at Faith in Later Life.

“She’ll be playing a key role in supporting our mission to equip and inspire churches to reach and empower older people. Please pray for wisdom, joy and God’s guidance as she serves with us,” the organisation reports.

The new President of the Bundestag, the German Parliament in Berlin, following recent elections, is Julia Klöckner.

“A senior politician of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Klöckner is considered a confidante of party leader and incoming Chancellor, Friedrich Merz,” Evangelical Focus reports.