All Opinion articles – Page 7
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OpinionA cry for freedom from Iran
Iranian Christian, Attieh Fard shares the anguish and hope surrounding Iran’s uprising, calling for urgent action and solidarity with those fighting for freedom.
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OpinionFaithful in the small things: from plumbing to parliament
When Hannah Spencer of the Green Party traded pipe wrenches for a seat in Westminster, it made headlines, but it also echoed a deeper biblical pattern. Writer, Alex Noel explores how God often uses the hidden faithfulness of ordinary work as preparation for extraordinary callings.
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OpinionHow understanding attachment theory helped me to ‘love my neighbour’
Writer Katie Gauden reflects on how our attachment patterns shape the way we see ourselves and others. She explores how growing in security can help us live out Jesus’ call to love more fully.
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OpinionWhat the BAFTA debate has taught me as a Black Christian living with mild Tourette’s
In the wake of controversy at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, writer Tabby Kibugi reflects on what it means to stand at the intersection of racial justice and disability as a Black Christian living with mild Tourette’s Syndrome. Drawing on her own experience, she challenges believers to resist ranking suffering and instead embody a Christ-centred compassion big enough to hold both justice and mercy at once.
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OpinionA question of conscience in the RE classroom
Writer Becky Hunter Kelm reflects on the first Northern Ireland primary teacher in a decade to withdraw from teaching Religious Education, using a conscience clause within the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986. She considers what the decision means for how RE is taught in today’s schools.
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OpinionShame must change sides: Tamar, Gisèle Pelicot, and the courage to bring injustice into the light
Writer Michelle Tant reflects on the courage of women who refuse to carry misplaced shame, drawing a powerful line between ancient Scripture and contemporary calls for justice. In this piece, she weaves together the story of Tamar in Book of Genesis and the public stand of Gisèle Pelicot to argue that, both biblically and today, shame must finally change sides.
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OpinionGo analogue for Lent
Philippa Strachan invites us to consider how an “analogue Lent” might help us slow down and truly prepare our hearts for Easter. With wisdom and gentleness, she challenges us to step back from digital distraction and rediscover the sacred gift of presence — with God, with others, and with our own souls.
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Opinion‘I was devastated when I didn’t get on to Britain’s Next Top Model but maybe my rejection was a blessing in disguise’
Since graduating, Woman Alive editor Tola-Doll Fisher has straddled work as a model and journalist. The recent America’s Next Top Model documentary on Netflix has given her a terrifying view of the life she might have had if her modelling career had taken off the way she once prayed for.
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OpinionThe five spiritual attacks I faced when fasting during Lent
Denise Jelinek shares from personal experience how the struggles of Lent are often signs of spiritual growth, not failure. She helps readers recognize and overcome common spiritual attacks that arise when we draw closer to God.
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OpinionReality Check: America’s Next Top Model and the search for true beauty
In Netflix’s Reality Check, writer Maxine Harrison examines the legacy of America’s Next Top Model, the hit series created by Tyra Banks that promised young women a shot at superstardom but left many grappling with lasting trauma. As former contestants revisit their experiences, the documentary raises deeper questions about identity, worth and what it really means to be beautiful in a culture obsessed with perfection.
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OpinionThe Curfew: When fear becomes law, who saves our souls?
Writer Anna Rees reflects on The Curfew, the Channel 5 adaptation of Jayne Cowie’s dystopian novel, exploring a Britain where men are legally confined indoors after 7pm in the name of women’s safety. As this dark feminist utopia unfolds, Rees probes a deeper moral question: can a society governed by suspicion and control ever deliver the justice and restoration that faith demands?
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OpinionSouth Korea, and the value of every woman amid the birth rate crisis
Becky Hunter Kelm responds to a Korean official’s suggestion to “import foreign women” to address the nation’s declining birth rate, calling it a proposal that contradicts God’s heart for women and families.
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OpinionFaith, truth and the temptation to romanticise in Wuthering Heights
Writer Alex Noel suggests that “Wuthering Heights” gives us what we want, but not what we need. Through a lens of faith, the contrast between Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and Emerald Fennell’s romantic adaptation reveals how easily truth is traded for comfort.
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OpinionGreat Sexpectations: How do I become a Christian?
In our fortnightly column ‘Great Sexpectations’ we answer your questions on sex, faith and intimacy. Drop us an email on womanalive@premier.org.uk and ask us anything. Here, the Woman Alive team responds to someone looking for God.
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Opinion‘I am about to turn 50, and looking back over my life I wish I had worried less, because God has looked after me miraculously’
Writer Samantha Bailie-McMurdock discovers that the very moments she once feared most were often the clearest demonstrations that God was firmly in control all along.
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OpinionMy brother died in the Columbine High School shooting in 1999 and I wrestled with God, but I still trust him
Ashley Glader shares the unimaginable story of losing her brother in the Columbine High School shooting — and how that tragedy shattered her faith before ultimately reshaping it. Through profound loss, unanswered prayers, and years of wrestling with God, she explains why she still chooses to trust him.
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OpinionDuring Lent forget FOMO, it’s all about JOMO
As we start Lent, writer Sophie Sanders reflects on the rise of JOMO – the joy of missing out – as a timely antidote to our culture’s obsession with comparison, busyness, and constant connection. From social expectations to spiritual rhythms, she explores how choosing to miss out can become a life-giving, deeply biblical practice that leads to greater joy and freedom.
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OpinionA Christian reflection on the Chinese New Year
As Chinese New Year begins on 17th February 2026, writer Jenny Sanders reflects on the meaning behind the Year of the Horse through a Christian lens. In the midst of vibrant celebration and ancient tradition, she invites us to consider where our trust truly lies.
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OpinionFrom witchcraft to new life in Jesus
Born into trauma, addiction, and deep spiritual confusion, Charlene Humphrey’s life began marked by pain, loss, and a relentless search for identity, love, and belonging. This is the story of how God met her in the depths of brokenness and transformed her ashes into beauty, leading her from darkness into freedom, purpose, and redemption through Jesus Christ.
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OpinionWhen you reach Lent empty: the quiet power of speaking life anyway
Lent begins on the 18th February, and writer Ayoola Bandele reflects on it not as a spiritual performance, but as a gentle invitation to return to God with honesty and emptiness. Drawing from personal history, faith, and the practice of speaking Scripture aloud, Bandele explores how God meets us not when we are full of strength, but when we have little left to offer.
