In this week’s Brief: We take a wide-angle look at 2025, what we thought the year would hold, what actually happened, and what surprised us along the way, starting with a revisit to our predictions from January.

Then we talk about the most influential people of 2025 followed by the biggest stories in fashion, food, pop-culture, sports, travel, nature, tech, global news, politics before landing on what we thought was the most defining story of the year.

Plus the biggest biggest flops, most bizarre headlines,the best spiritual moments of 2025, and the lessons, both personal and collective, that emerged as the year unfolded.

And as always, we zoom out to consider how Christians can look back honestly, discern wisely, and move forward with clarity and hope as culture continues to shift.

Topics

(00:00): Introduction
(02:10): 2025 Predictions recap
(06:42): Fun stats and tidbits from 2025
(10:56): Most influential people of 2025
(22:33): Prominent deaths in 2025
(24:05): Biggest flops of 2025
(28:48): Bizarre stories of the year
(31:31): Pop culture highlights
(34:24): Favorite movies of the year
(35:47): Major sports stories
(38:15): Travel disasters and aviation incidents
(39:22): Natural disasters and government failures
(41:58): Global headlines
(43:08): Political shifts and controversies
(45:53): Biggest story of the year
(48:41): Reflections and lessons from 2025
(51:45): Looking forward to 2026

Resources

Send us your thoughts, questions, and topic ideas: culturebrief@denisonforum.org
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Articles on this week’s top headlines:

Prediction: The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Bubble Will Burst in 2025. Here's Why. | The Motley Fool

About Conner Jones

Conner Jones is the Director of Performance Marketing at Denison Ministries and Co-Hosts Denison Forum's "Culture Brief" podcast. He graduated from Dallas Baptist University in 2019 with a degree in Business Management. Conner passionately follows politics, sports, pop-culture, entertainment, and current events. He enjoys fishing, movie-going, and traveling the world with his wife and son.

About Micah Tomasella

Micah Tomasella is the Director of Advancement at Denison Ministries and co-hosts Denison Forum's "Culture Brief" podcast. A graduate of Dallas Baptist University, Micah is married to Emily, and together they are the proud parents of two daughters. With an extensive background in nonprofit work, finance, and real estate, Micah also brings experience from his years in pastoral church ministry.

About Denison Forum

Denison Forum exists to thoughtfully engage the issues of the day from a biblical perspective through The Daily Article email newsletter and podcast, the Faith & Clarity podcast, as well as many books and additional resources.