C of E college apologises for students’ attempt to ‘queer evening prayer’

Feb 3, 2017 by

by Harriet Sherwood, Guardian: Westcott House in Cambridge says LGBT service liturgy that referred to God as ‘the Duchess’ was hugely regrettable. A leading theological college that trains priests for the Church of England has apologised after it hosted a service to mark LGBT history month that referred to God as “the Duchess”. Student priests at Westcott House in Cambridge organised the evensong service on Tuesday in the college chapel. Advertised as a “Polari evening prayer in anticipation...

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“Stepping into Safety” – how Syrian refugees are faring in Oxfordshire.

Feb 2, 2017 by

“Stepping into Safety” – how Syrian refugees are faring in Oxfordshire.

by Chris Sugden, CEN How is the programme of settling 20,000 refugees from Syria in the United Kingdom faring? Some flown in by the UN from the refugee camps fleeing Isis are living in communities throughout Oxfordshire for example in Oxford, Witney and Eynsham..Twenty muslims with their young children met with sixty members of the Eynsham community including from the Anglican, Baptist and Catholic Churches on Friday January 20th. The clue to ‘success’ appears to be proper...

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Barnabas Fund challenges BBC to correct “wholly wrong” statement on Christian refugees in the USA

Feb 2, 2017 by

Barnabas Fund challenges BBC to correct “wholly wrong” statement on Christian refugees in the USA

from Barnabas Fund: Barnabas Fund has challenged the BBC to correct a wholly false claim made last Sunday on prime time TV news about Christian refugees in the USA. In an interview with a Christian TV network President Trump defended the executive order he issued on 27 January by saying that the policy was about prioritising religious minorities. When specifically asked if persecuted Christians would be a priority he replied: “Yes, they have been horribly treated. Do you know if you were a...

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‘Hate crime’ laws mean some victims are more equal than others

Feb 2, 2017 by

‘Hate crime’ laws mean some victims are more equal than others

By Andrew Tettenborn, TCW: How can equality laws create inequality, protective laws put people in peril and high-minded motives spawn deep cynicism? Easy, once you factor in the law of unintended consequences. Thoughtful people will have been reminded of this a few days ago when the otherwise excellent Sajid Javid proudly released £375,000 to organisations aimed at reporting hate crime and promised more backing for National Hate Crime Awareness Week. The idea of hate crime as some sort of...

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Archbishop of Canterbury sets out vision for 2017 Primates Meeting

Feb 1, 2017 by

Archbishop of Canterbury sets out vision for 2017 Primates Meeting

from ACNS: The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has written to every primate in the Anglican Communion to set out his hopes for the next Primates’ Meeting, which will take place in Canterbury in October.  He also gave details of last week’s report by the Church of England’s House of Bishops on human sexuality. In the letter, Archbishop Justin sets out his vision for the meeting in Canterbury as an opportunity for relaxed fellowship and mutual consultation. He invites the primates to...

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500 years on – does the reformation still matter?

Feb 1, 2017 by

by Peter Jensen, GAFCON: When all is said and done, the fundamental question for every human being is, ‘How can a sinner like me stand before God on the Day of Judgement?’ Does this still matter? There is only one answer. This year we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. The Christian faith and the Church appeared early in Britain. But over the years, the teaching of the Church obscured the good news of the Gospel of Jesus.  By embracing the doctrine of the Protestant...

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