Challenging fake science
<span></span>The Christian Institute
Date posted: 1 Jan 2019
The
founder
of
Transgender
Trend,
Stephanie Davies-Arai, was shortlisted for
the 2018 John Maddox Prize.
The prize is awarded to those who address
misleading
information
about
scientific
issues, bring sound evidence to the public
and help others to make sense of a complicated scientific topic. The prestigious award
seeks to recognise ‘the work of individuals
who promote sound science and evidence on
a matter of public interest, facing difficulty or hostility in doing so’. In her work, Davies-Arai challenged the unquestioning acceptance of transgenderism and addressed the
concerns faced by parents and young people.
USA: out of scouts
crosswalk.com
Date posted: 1 Feb 2019
Christian parents are pulling their children
out from the Boy Scouts of America (BSA)
in exchange for a faith-based organisation,
CBN News reported in December.
Since
the BSA policy change
in 2015
that allowed gay adults to lead boy scout
troops and the 2017 decision to allow girls
and transgender boys to join troops, many
Christian parents have moved away from the organisation that once emphasised the
importance of a nuclear family.
news in brief
Algeria: closure
The official notice that a village pastor in Algeria received on 30 December confirmed that his church had been ordered to close.
Pastor Rabah Messaoudi had won a legal battle in 2017 after local officials in the Muslim country tried to close his church. Those acting for the pastor have said they will appeal again, as the church is affiliated to an organisation of 45 churches through which the national commission confirms their authenticity.
Bishop backtracks
Susie Leafe
Date posted: 1 Feb 2019
‘Gilbert and Sullivan, P.G. Wodehouse and
Alan Ayckbourn in concert couldn’t have
written a better farce’, was how one incumbent expressed his concern over the recent
Pastoral Guidance on trans issues from the
Church of England’s House of Bishops.
The saga began
in 2017, when General
Synod asked the bishops, ‘to consider whether
some nationally commended liturgical materials might be prepared to mark a person’s
gender
transition’. Simultaneously, Synod
rejected the suggestion of considering ‘the substantial theological and pastoral issues raised’.
Hate speech in the Lords
Tim Dieppe
Date posted: 1 Feb 2019
In December, no Government spokesman
in the House of Lords would confirm that a
Christian would be free from arrest if they
proclaimed the uniqueness of Jesus.
In reply to a question by Lord Pearson,
Baroness
Williams
of
Trafford,
the Minister of
State for countering extremism,
replied:‘The definition
[of a hate crime] is: any criminal offence which
is perceived
to be motivated by
hostility or prejudice based
on a person’s actual or perceived disability,
race,
religion, sexual orientation or transgender identity. When
flagged as a hate crime, the
police will be satisfied that an offence has
been committed and will
then
investigate
evidence in support of the appropriate charge,
as well as the aggravated element of hostility.
It would not be appropriate for me, as I have
just said, to confirm whether this [proclaiming the uniqueness of Jesus] is an example
which would constitute a hate crime. That
would be an operational decision both of
the police and the CPS based on the specific circumstances.’
A better story for our schools
Nick Seward
Date posted: 1 Jan 2019
Nick Seward reports on the November conference, at St Ebbes Oxford, of the Christian Coalition for Education
‘You belong, and you matter.’