These articles were first published in our April edition of the newspaper, click here for more.
Dundonald Church, Raynes Park, London has just officially opened its new purpose-built venue. Thanksgiving services were attended by Anglican bishops and national church leaders, as well as local dignitaries and full congregations of all ages. Made possible from generous donations from within the church family, the building’s construction began in September 2019 and continued throughout the pandemic.
New Welsh language videos offering training in personal evangelism are now available in the principality. Launched on St David’s Day, they are linked with the forthcoming ‘Passion for Life’ series of events. (*Welsh evangelism)
New ‘no-fault’ divorce laws in England and Wales come into force on 6 April, removing the concept of blame from divorce. Commenting ahead of its introduction, Graham Nicholls (photo), director at Affinity, said the new law ‘seems to downgrade marriage to a simple contract with very few commitments on either side’. He added: ‘We recognise that sometimes marriages do break down and can sympathise with the intention of reducing the often lengthy, acrimonious and costly process for those going through a divorce, a practice which heaps further pain and suffering on those who are already hurting. However, as Christians, we also uphold marriage vows as a serious commitment and the change in the law makes it so easy to divorce that it reinforces the idea that marriage is a casual commitment that can be broken without consequence.’
An NHS doctor who gave women unlicensed emergency abortion reversal treatment has had regulatory restrictions on him lifted.
The General Medical Council (GMC) imposed an interim order preventing Dr Dermot Kearney, a Catholic, from providing abortion pill reversal treatment for nearly 18 months after he was referred to the GMC. Dr Kearney was due in the High Court in early March to contest the ban. However, in the face of overwhelming evidence in support of him and no evidence of wrongdoing, GMC caseworkers dismissed all allegations against him and the case was dropped.
Tory MPs and peers have warned that proposed duty of care laws set out in the Online Safety Bill could threaten free speech. If it becomes law, tech giants such as Facebook and Twitter could be required to curb ‘legal but harmful’ content, which could catch Christian views and teachings.
Colin Hart, director of the Christian Institute, said the Bill contains only a ‘very weak and ineffective duty’ to uphold free speech.
Two Labour MPs – both women – have been criticised for being unwilling or unable to publicly define what a woman actually is. When asked by BBC Radio’s Emma Barnett, Anneliese Dodds, shadow minister for women and equalities, said there were ‘different definitions legally’, referred to biological and ‘all kinds of things’ and said it depended on context.
Separately, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper was pressed by Times Radio to define what a woman is. She responded: ‘I’m avoiding going down rabbit holes because I just think this is pointless.’ Meanwhile, a quick check of the Oxford English Dictionary succinctly defines ‘woman’ as: ‘An adult female human.’
NHS Lanarkshire Trust is encouraging underage children to engage in sexual relationships and must be investigated, the Christian Institute said.
On its Sex and the Law web page, the Trust advises children aged 13–15: ‘It’s highly unlikely you will get into trouble with the law as long as there is not a large age difference… The most important thing to remember is that sex should be something you want and feel comfortable with.’ The Institute’s Simon Calvert described this as ‘a serious child protection failure’ and called for an investigation into how the guidance came to be issued.
A new Twitter account is naming and shaming up to 2,500 Christian leaders who signed a letter urging government to exclude normal church activities from the proposed conversion therapy ban.
It warns people not to attend their churches because they are unsafe spaces. Dr Ros Clarke, one of the signatories, said: ‘Two and a half thousand people saying they are willing to be criminalised if what they see as their God-given role in ministry is criminalised – I think that’s a huge encouragement isn’t it? If they want to arrest one of us, are they going to arrest all of us?’