Our fourteenth issue of The Big Picture is titled My Town, My City, and focuses on the theme of place. This is an important aspect of Christian theology, studying our calling to shape our places in a God-honouring way and studying the way that places shape us.
Print editions are available for purchase on Amazon (UK and international) and digital articles are hosted on Substack.
Here’s what you’ll find in issue fourteen:
Craig G. Bartholomew
Craig explores how places bear witness to human and divine activity, and calls for conscious shaping of places to reflect God’s glory, resisting the contradictions of distorted development and embodying Christ’s presence in everyday environments.
Genevieve Wedgbury
Genevieve reflects on family pilgrimages to the Welsh coast, emphasizing creation’s worshipful longing for God and the importance of retreating from busyness to hear the Spirit’s voice in sacred, local rhythms.
AJ Calhoun
The city of Charlotte has undergone a journey to improve economic mobility through relational, place-based leadership. Drawing on Wendell Berry’s concept of “membership,” AJ highlights how civic leaders foster community by investing in local culture, shared stories and mutual responsibility.
Eileen Johnston
Eileen shares vivid memories of growing up on a Canadian farm, where nature, neighbors and daily routines shaped her identity. Her beautiful storytelling celebrates the formative power of place, resilience and hospitality.
Charity Gibson
Charity calls us to reconsider the idolisation of travel and not to undervalue the joy of investing more consistently and intentionally in the local. Drawing on Emerson and Teresa of Ávila, she encourages families to embrace everyday beauty, create meaningful memories nearby and find peace in their own communities.
Libbie Weber
Libbie paints an affectionate portrait of Albuquerque, celebrating its cultural quirkiness, natural beauty and spiritual vitality. She reflects on the importance of bearing witness to God’s creativity and engaging deeply with place and people.
Chris Wright
Chris Wright unpacks Hannah’s song in 1 Samuel 2, showing how it reveals God’s justice, reversal of power and caring governance of our world. He encourages Christians to trust in God’s plan of ultimate restoration and to act with compassion.
Megan Greenwood
Megan explores South African artist Sarel Petrus’ bronze sculptures, which elevate ordinary, found objects. Through themes of displacement, replacement and emplacement, she reflects on how art preserves memory, honours place and invites viewers into deeper self-awareness.
Isaiah C. Padgett
Isaiah Padgett examines Daniel 1 as a model for Christian engagement with politics and culture, which opts neither withdrawal nor assimilation. He calls us to wisdom, discernment and faithful presence in places that are both home and exile.
Janice Randall
Janice’s essay offers a historical and spiritual walking tour of Cambridge. She highlights its architecture, Christian heritage and intellectual legacy and celebrates the city’s influence on faith and global mission.
Robert Tatum
Economics editor Robert Tatum critiques modern systems that fragment communities, advocating rather for place-based investment, local ownership and policies that prioritise dignity, care and long-term belonging over mere growth and efficiency.
Sara Osborne
Sara recounts a literary pilgrimage to Willa Cather’s Nebraska, exploring how place shaped Cather’s writing. She reflects on the beauty of the prairie, immigrant stories and the enduring influence of rootedness on identity and creativity.
Ryanne Molinari
Ryanne shares her experience planting a church in Cedar Rapids, a city ranked as one of the least Bible-minded in the United States. She challenges the idea of assessing spiritual soil, emphasising faithfulness in sowing seeds and trusting God to bring growth in unlikely places.
Jenny Taylor
Jenny Taylor argues that journalism has its roots in biblical prophecy and public truth, and she calls for a revival of religiously literate journalism that serves ordinary people and recovers its Christian foundations.
Otto Bam
Otto applies Henri Lefebvre’s method of “rhythmanalysis” to Cambridge, exploring how its paths, rituals and movements shape one’s experience of a place. He reflects on the city’s layered rhythms and how they invite contemplation and embodied engagement.
John de Jong
John De Jong laments the modern veneration of wealth and technology, which isolates us and disconnects us from nature, truth and beauty. He calls for a deeper appreciation of the role of art in enabling us to grasp the mystery and beauty of faith and encounter with God.
Seymour Mac Mahon
Mac Mahon reflects on the Parable of the Good Samaritan and our duty to our neighbour. He argues that loving those near to us is foundational to Christian ethics and counters the disembodied, distracted mode of life in this digital age.
Graham Heslop
Graham Heslop reflects on Robinson’s Gilead, connecting its themes of wonder, memory and mortality to his own experience of home in Durban, South Africa. He celebrates the spiritual richness of place and the longing for a deeper, eternal home.
Jake Lloyd
Jake Lloyd discusses the importance to relationships of taking time. Inspired by Matt and Julie Canlis’s documentary and a Renaissance painting, he critiques superficial church culture and calls for authentic friendships that reflect Jesus’ relational presence and pace.
Jordan Pickering
Jordan presents a series of paintings exploring 1 Corinthians 11 and the communal nature of Communion. He reflects on his attempt though art to capture the diversity, brokenness and beauty of his church’s Easter service.
