At their annual supporter evening in All Soul’s, Langham Place, Christianity Explored had a heartwarming message of renewed hunger for the gospel and announced several new CE resources coming on stream over the next year or so to cater for this demand.
In his keynote address, evangelist Rico Tice (pictured) said that he was more encouraged than he has been for 35 years by the current desire by many to learn more about Christianity. He pointed to the fact that large numbers of churches are now reporting people simply walking in off the streets to services and events. This trend he largely attributed to what he called the emerging ‘strange coalition of orthodoxy’, driven, for example, by the success of historian Tom Holland’s book Dominion as well as growing concerns about the impact of transgenderism and its attendant ideology, following the publication of the Cass Review last year.
Referencing Isaiah 9:6, Tice said the hope of Christianity gives purpose and peace, so much so that even Richard Dawkins came to a Christmas service at All Souls in 2024 and Elon Musk has stated his belief in Christian principles. But if you want the fruit of Christianity you need its root too, which is Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Above all He offers forgiveness – where none exists in 21st-century secular culture.
CE’s new Director of Product Development, Alasdair Wallace, reported that development of the new edition of Christianity Explored is well under way and is set to launch in Spring 2026, coinciding with a major Passion for Life evangelistic event. Not substantially updated since 2011, this was, he said, the right time to revamp the course as, post Covid, people are asking bigger spiritual questions. The new edition will be hosted by Rico Tice, Emma Scrivener and Efrem Buckle and the visuals will feature all-new animations. Also launching in Spring 2026 will be CE Illustrated, aimed at those for whom English is their second language or those with lower literary skills.
Perhaps the most extraordinary new revelation from Love Live Tell was that CE has been selected to feature on Launchpad, HM Prison Service’s new in-cell training and rehabilitation digital technology programme. This means that 13,000 inmates across 17 UK gaols can now view CE’s Introduction to Christianity, Tough Questions and many other resources, on their laptops, in their own cells. A new edition of CE’s Prisons resource is also being produced, in association with Daylight Christian Prison Trust. Steve James, CE’s director of Prison Ministries, will be filming it inside Shrewsbury prison (now a tourist attraction) – less than 30 years after he served time there for drug offences.
