Witness which omits the inconvenient truth

Oct 22, 2019 by

by Andrew Symes, Anglican Mainstream: Religion is increasingly irrelevant for many people, but the Church still has opportunities to engage with large audiences outside its walls. Are those who speak for it making the best use of these openings? Sociologists of religion tell us that ‘secularisation’ does not tell the whole story as far as the decline of organised religion in Western culture is concerned. Yes there is a downturn in churchgoing and belief in the Christian God, but a rise in...

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Norway’s Barnevernet and The Future of Parental Rights

Oct 22, 2019 by

Norway’s Barnevernet and The Future of Parental Rights

by Robert Clarke, Public Discourse: Those who undermine the family attack the foundation of our societies and the source of great richness and diversity. The most generous interpretation of these attacks is that some of the policies, ostensibly aimed at protecting children, are well-intentioned, but misguided. Yet we must also be on guard for those for whom the temptation of power affords the opportunity to force their utopian vision on a future generation by sidelining parents and,...

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Why Chick-fil-A is NOT anti-gay

Oct 22, 2019 by

Why Chick-fil-A is NOT anti-gay

by Tom Creedy, Premier Christianity: The Christian owned Chick-fil-A restaurant is set to close, following a backlash over its owner’s stance on gay marriage. Tom Creedy explains why he believes the chain is not “anti gay” As a chicken fan, I was sad to miss the opening of the UK’s first Chick-fil-A earlier this month. But it seems the people of Reading won’t have long to sample the American chain’s tasty delights, as its been announced the restaurant will soon...

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Regular church attendance aids mental health among millennials

Oct 22, 2019 by

Regular church attendance aids mental health among millennials

By Heather Preston, Premier: A new study has revealed that young adults who regularly attend church have better mental health than those who don’t. A survey conducted by the Barna Group of 15,000 18-35 year olds found that those who weekly attended a place of worship were 10% less likely to struggle with anxiety than those who did not. The Connected Generation study, examined the relationship between faith and mental health in millennials and generation Z across 25 different countries....

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Northern Ireland’s abortion law change is a travesty for devolution

Oct 22, 2019 by

Northern Ireland’s abortion law change is a travesty for devolution

by Melanie McDonagh, Spectator: Short of a miracle, abortion will become legal in Northern Ireland tomorrow [21 October]. It’s a result of a shabby legislative deal back in July, when English parliamentarians amended the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) bill, to override the entire principle of devolution. In other words, the abortion laws of the north of Ireland will be annulled at the say-so of the Westminster parliament and – without a single vote in its assembly or any...

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‘Bully-boy progressives need to stop silencing free speech’

Oct 22, 2019 by

‘Bully-boy progressives need to stop silencing free speech’

from Christian Institute: Illiberal ‘progressives’ should lose their “God complex” and stop trying to shut down freedom of speech and expression, a columnist has said. Writing for The Sunday Telegraph, Zoe Strimpel said she was recently castigated by a colleague and two “extremely right-on” PhD students after she criticised ‘gender awareness’ workshops designed “to boost our handling of transgender issues”. When she stated she did not feel such workshops would improve her work, and that she...

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Joker and the Need for Family

Oct 22, 2019 by

Joker and the Need for Family

by Kody Wayne Cooper, Public Discourse: Setting the box office record for an October release, the new film Joker is a worldwide phenomenon. Before its release and since, discussion of the film has been obsessed with the debate over whether the portrayal of a disaffected white man violently lashing out at society might bleed over into real life by breeding copycats or if such suggestions are the overreach of woke culture. Major reviewers have judged the film to be “empty,” “foggy,” and a “bad...

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Algerian authorities’ church building closure campaign escalates after peaceful protest

Oct 22, 2019 by

Algerian authorities’ church building closure campaign escalates after peaceful protest

From Barnabas Fund: Algerian authorities have escalated church closures with three churches sealed on 15 October – just days after the Algerian Protestant Church Association (EPA) on 9 October held a peaceful protest outside the provincial government offices. Church leaders and Christians from across the country gathered for the public demonstration, an unusual event for Christians in Algeria, with hand painted protest banners in French and Arabic asking for unfair church sealing to end....

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When the Ideologues Come for the Kids

Oct 21, 2019 by

When the Ideologues Come for the Kids

by Andrew Sullivan, Intelligencer: Like any religion, wokeness understands the need to convert children. The old Jesuit motto (sometimes attributed to Voltaire) was, after all, “Give me the child for the first seven years and I will give you the man.” And so I was moved but not particularly surprised by George Packer’s tale of a progressive school banishing separate restrooms for boys and girls because this reinforces the gender binary. The school did not inform parents of this, of course:...

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Sri Lanka bombings: Forgiving, and fighting to recover

Oct 21, 2019 by

Sri Lanka bombings: Forgiving, and fighting to recover

From BBC: Six months ago, on Easter Sunday, Sri Lanka was hit by one of the world’s worst terrorist attacks this century. The town of Negombo suffered the deadliest bombing, when 115 people died while attending mass. Hasaru Jayakody lost his mother in the explosion – and spent his 17th birthday recovering from shrapnel injuries in hospital. He is now learning to forgive and not to hate, and is volunteering as a Sunday School teacher. This short video shows how ordinary Christians are taking...

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