Show Notes
We discuss the critical role of Christian foster carers and adopters in addressing the growing need for child placement in the UK with Cornerstone UK. In this episode of the Affinity Talks Gospel Podcast, hosts Graham Nicholls and Lizzie Harewood sit down with the Chief Executive of Cornerstone, the UK's only evangelical Christian fostering and adoption service. They explore the current landscape of Christian fostering and adoption in the UK, highlighting the alarming rise in children in care – now over 100,000 – and the urgent need for compassionate, faith-driven foster carers and adopters. The discussion explores the challenges of the adoption process, the societal factors driving the UK adoption crisis, and the biblical call for Christians to care for the fatherless. With a focus on recent trends, such as the rise in unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors and the decline in adoptions, this episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in fostering, adoption, or supporting vulnerable children. It is also a challenge for the UK church to embrace a fostering and adoption church culture, inspired by stories like that of a young woman who found Jesus through her adoptive family's love. Discover how Cornerstone is making a difference and how Christians can get involved in this vital ministry by visiting their website: https://www.cornerstoneuk.org/.
More from Affinity Talks Gospel Podcast
Affinity podcast hosts Graham Nicholls and Lizzie Harewood sit down with Martin Gliniecki from SASRA (The Soldiers' and Aviators' Scripture Readers Association) to talk about: his history with the armed forces and how he became a Christian during his time serving with the army; the different ways human beings can respond to extraordinary evil; what SASRA does and why, as well as its amazing recent growth; growing individualism in Britain and its impact on and contrast with the armed forces; morale in the armed forces and the many spiritual opportunities; how churches can serve veterans as well as those currently in the military; how to find out more about and support SASRA (https://sasra.org.uk/) Read the transcript in full on our website affinity.org.uk/podcast/podcast-seeing-god-at-work-in-our-armed-forces/
Affinity podcast hosts Graham Nicholls and Lizzie Harewood sit down with Collin Hansen from The Gospel Coalition (TGC) to talk about: Collin's current role with TGC, as well as his previous experience and family background; his published works, particularly Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation (2023); his current project (which he'll speak further on at the Affinity Theological Study Conference in March 2027) comparing and contrasting C.S. Lewis and Winston Churchill; the post-Christian era and its connections to the Second World War and its immediate aftermath; the concept of people being either 'somewhere' people or 'anywhere' people; the differences between ministry perspectives at national, regional, local and parish levels; the role of Christianity in Britons' understanding of their own cultural identity; the contrasting impacts of established and independent churches. Tickets for the Affinity Theological Study Conference 2027 are £279 (early bird rates apply until 12 Nov 2026) and £199 for students/concessions. Book on today at https://www.affinity.org.uk/studyconference/ The transcript for this episode is also available at affinity.org.uk/podcast/podcast-understanding-britain-now-with-help-from-britain-then/
In this latest episode of Affinity Talks Gospel Podcast, Graham Nicholls and Lizzie Harewood sit down with CARE's James Mildred to talk about: why Christians should care about politics; the significance of passages such as Genesis 9, Mathew 22 and Romans 13 for helping us to understand what governing involves and how we should relate to our government; the importance of churches being willing to speak about political theology and encourage genuine discussion; the current state of British politics (as of 13 May 2026) and the historical stepping stones that have helped us get here; what Christians can be praying about politics and political leaders; and whether it is appropriate/useful for Christianity to retain the privileged status it's historically had in the UK. You read the transcript in full on our website at affinity.org.uk/uncategorised/podcast-why-being-a-christian-means-being-political/
In this episode of the Affinity Talks Gospel podcast, hosts Graham Nicholls and Lizzie Harewood sit down with Martin Dickson from Wycliffe Bible Translators. They discuss: Martin's role at Wycliffe and his pre-Wycliffe story; the extraordinary number of people who don't yet have the people in their heart language; Wycliffe's approach to translation; Wycliffe's current projects and prayer points. You can also read the transcript in full on our website: affinity.org.uk/podcast/podcast-the-1-5-billion-still-waiting-for-a-bible-with-martin-dickson/
In this episode of Affinity Talks Gospel, host Graham Nicholls sits down with Jim Sayers from Praise Trust and Grace Church Didcot to talk about: the story of Grace Church Didcot and the blessings of being a smaller church; Jim's life-long love of Christian music; the role of Praise Trust and its criteria for including a song in its collection; current trends in Christian music; what makes a Christian song timeless; biblical areas which tend not to feature in Christian music; helps for congregational singing.