Lausanne Global Analysis on Loneliness and the Great Commission

The latest issue of the Lausanne Global Analysis looks at the topic of holiness:

‘Loneliness is emerging as one of the defining global challenges of our time, affecting 1 in 6 people worldwide and disrupting the relationships people were created to enjoy. This Lausanne Global Analysis briefing explores how loneliness is reshaping mission and how the church can respond through presence, belonging, and gospel-centred community.’

Individual articles are available from here, from where a pdf of the issue can be downloaded.

Centre for Public Christianity (August 2025)

Among other items, the Centre for Public Christianity has posted a ‘Life and Faith’ interview (here) with Sheridan Voysey on ‘the art of friendship’.

The blurb:

‘When Sheridan Voysey was confronted with the question, “Who can you call at 2am when everything goes wrong?”, he realised that friendship was a facet of his life he had neglected for too long. This set him on a path to consider how we cultivate good friendships, and how we can learn the skills required to be a good friend and maintain deep, rich friendships.

‘He now runs the Friendship Lab, a movement and a course to help adults build the skills to create and sustain healthy friendships. Reflecting on ever-increasing loneliness, Sheridan recognised the need to help people develop skills in collecting more “2am friends”. This is an art you can get better at with the right help. Sheridan says that even those who enjoy great friendships can get better at them.

‘What are the factors that help grow close friendships? What things get in the way of healthy, long-lasting friendships? How can we be better friends to those we are close to?’

Patrick Parkinson on Loneliness

Cambridge Papers are published once a quarter and address a wide range of topics, offering ‘Christian reflection on contemporary issues’.

The latest paper is available online here (from where a pdf can be downloaded here):

Patrick Parkinson, ‘The Loneliness of the Digitally Connected’, Cambridge Papers 31, 4 (December 2022).

Here is the summary:

‘Loneliness used to be identified as an issue particularly for the very elderly who have lost partners and friends through death; but now the loneliest age group in our community is the under-30s. These are the digital natives who typically have a large number of connections with people through social media. This paper explores the problem of loneliness in western societies, particularly among young people, and the reasons why digital connections with others are insufficient to satisfy the human need for relationships. Finally, it suggests some of the implications for the work of churches in pastoral care and outreach.’