news in brief
Felix Ngole
Felix Ngole is taking legal action against a health and wellbeing charity after claiming his job offer as a mental health support worker was withdrawn after discovering his Christian beliefs on marriage.
With the support of the Christian Legal Centre, Ngole is suing Touchstone Support Leeds for religious discrimination. The case was being heard at an employment tribunal in Leeds at the start of April. A ruling has yet to be handed down. In 2019, the Court of Appeal allowed Ngole’s appeal against a ruling that his removal from a university social work course was lawful, after comments made on social media in support of traditional Biblical teaching on marriage.
‘Disastrously bad’ messaging, but Christians are protected
Luke Randall
Date posted: 1 May 2024
Messaging from the Scottish Government and Police Scotland concerning the recently implemented Hate Crime and Public Order Act has been ‘disastrously bad,’ but Christian views are protected, according to Christian Institute Deputy Director Simon Calvert.
He stressed that while there are problems with the law, such as the inclusion of ‘stirring up hatred’ offences covering contested areas such as religion and sexuality, Christian views are protected.
news in brief
Church bill 147x higher
Castleton Baptist Church, near Newport, was charged almost £44,000 by SSE for energy usage, despite normally paying around £300 a month. The church had not seen a letter confirming the bill, because the building has no letterbox to receive post.
Church treasurer, Nathan Evans saw that the massive direct debit had been taken when he examined the church accounts, and upon recalculation, SSE admitted the church should have been charged just £304. SSE have apologised for the mistake, and offered £500 compensation.
Now This
Going to the wedding
Bill James
Date posted: 1 Apr 2024
As summer approaches, many of us will receive wedding invitations.
We may be clear that Biblical marriage is between one man and woman, and that sexual intimacy is only appropriate within that context. But how do we respond when a friend or a family member invites us to their gay or transgender wedding? Do we prioritise friendly relationships and accept, or decide on principle that we cannot go?
news in brief
Hope Church Blackwood and Kirkmuirhill celebrates tenth anniversary
Hope Church (Blackwood and Kirkmuirhill) recently celebrated their tenth anniversary as a Free Church of Scotland congregation. Original members of the congregation, along with minister Rev. Ian Watson, had left the Church of Scotland in 2014.
The church’s anniversary weekend featured a meal and ceilidh on the Saturday and a service focused on the anniversary on the Sunday, which included Communion. Rev. Watson said: ‘as we review the past decade the verse that keeps coming back to us is Psalm 118:23: ‘The Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes.’’
Bernard Randall: 'The culture war is far from over'
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Mar 2024
Dr Bernard Randall, the Christian teacher who was sacked and reported to terrorist watchdog Prevent by his school for preaching a moderate sermon on identity politics, has responded to the Charity Commission’s decision to permit the dissolution of Educate and Celebrate (E & C).
E & C was the scandal-hit charity whose extreme gender identity teaching at Trent College, Nottingham led to Dr Randall's dismissal. He has not given a sermon or been able to work in Christian ministry since, a situation he continues to challenge.
Teachers 'won't be forced' to use child's chosen pronoun
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 Jan 2024
Transgender guidance for schools, published this December, does not require teachers or pupils to address a child, who wants to change gender, by their preferred pronoun.
As the guidance was being drafted, The Times said children would be able to socially transition with parental consent, but only in limited circumstances; and teachers would not be forced to use a child’s chosen pronoun if they have a ‘good faith’ exception.
Parents alerted to ‘radical material’ in schools
Luke Randall
Date posted: 1 Dec 2023
Pupils and teachers in UK schools are under
pressure to conform to radical educational
material on sex and relationships because
there is not enough clear guidance from the
Government, according to the Christian
Institute’s (CI) Autumn newsletter.
While Christians
were
given
some
reassurance by Education Secretary Gillian
Keegan’s recent
letter
to English schools,
which said that parents have a ‘fundamental
right’ to know what their children are taught
in health, relationships and sex education,
the
publication
says
there
are
several
challenges ahead.
‘I thought, wow, that is three seismic events in one year...’
John Woods
Date posted: 1 Oct 2023
Andrew Wilson is based in Eastbourne and serves as the Teaching Pastor at King’s Church London.
Andrew will be familiar to many from his books, including The God of All Things and 1 Corinthians for Today, the Think Theology website, and his regular columns in US magazine, Christianity Today. Our Reviews Editor John Woods was pleased to have the opportunity to chat with Andrew about his latest book Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West, which is now hot off the press from Crossway.
This Orwellian bill is almost North Korean
David Robertson
Date posted: 1 Aug 2023
The Australian government is proposing a ‘Combating Misinformation and Disinformation Bill’.
The negative effect of this on society, democracy and the Church could be considerable. The bill requires social media companies to remove any speech that causes harm to Australians' health, to the environment or any economic or financial harm. In other words, the government is giving itself carte blanche to censor any view it does not like, as being harmful. Anyone who is critical of transgender, or government policy on climate, or abortion, or even some religions, could be considered guilty of hate speech and causing harm.
Transgender issues continue to cause debate across UK
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 Dec 2022
‘Distraught’ parents are reportedly contacting campaigning groups every week about the social gender transitioning of children in schools.
This has prompted calls for the new Education Secretary to commission a review into gender identity policies in school, similar to that carried out at the Tavistock Clinic.
Transgender: death of women’s sport?
Jonny Reid
Date posted: 1 May 2022
There is an ongoing conversation about how transgender athletes might take part in women’s sport.
Recently in the UK, this has focused on Emily Bridges, a cyclist who a few weeks ago was racing as a man, and now seeks to race in women’s competitions. Whilst in cycling the question is around fairness, in other sports, such as rugby, the issue of safety also comes into play.
Gender, sexuality and the shape of love
Colin Creighton
Date posted: 1 Jun 2023
Colin is the pastor of Carrickmacross Baptist Church in the Republic of Ireland and a tutor for Crosslands Training. Following an early career as a maths teacher, Colin completed studies at Oak Hill Theological College before moving into paid ministry, and has also studied at the Irish Baptist College. He is married to Tanya and has three daughters.
• The silhouette of the soul
‘The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out’ (Prov.20:5).
news in brief
Iran: pastor’s wife bailed
Anahita Khademi , the wife of a Church of
Iran leader, has been released on bail after
spending over three weeks in prison. She
was released after posting bail equivalent
to about $4,000, but still faces charges
of
‘propaganda against
the system’ and
‘disturbing public opinion’.
Ms Khademi was arrested days after her
husband, Pastor Matthias Haghnejad, was
seized, together with two other Christians.
Haghnejad remains in prison on charges of
‘acting against the security of the country
by
forming
a
group
and
propagating Christianity’.
School video is ‘abusive’
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 Feb 2023
A Christian couple, who took their three children out of a Church of England school in Kent, said the church’s transgender policy document Valuing All God’s Children is being used against Christian parents.
Calvin and Nicola Watts removed their children after it emerged that a video featuring radical gender ideology had been shown to a class of eight-year-olds. However, following several complaints by parents, St Michael’s Cof E Primary School in Tenterden justified its gender ideology teaching, citing the CofE controversial guidance.
‘How do I find out who I am?’
John Woods
Date posted: 1 Mar 2023
en’s reviews editor John Woods speaks to Andrew Bunt, part of King’s Church Hastings and Bexhill.
Andrew is Emerging Generations Director at Living Out and a training and resources consultant for New Ground Churches. He studied theology at Durham University and King’s College London.
Conversion therapy ban proposals are revived
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 Mar 2023
After a short-lived delay, a conversion therapy ban now looks set to be pushed through the commons. The Government confirmed its plans in the wake of a failed attempt to amend the Online Safety Bill, which had raised concerns that online evangelism could be banned.
A draft bill is expected to be published shortly, but pre-legislative scrutiny could be limited. The culture secretary Michelle Donelan said it would be completed by the end of this parliamentary term, despite acknowledging that it is a complex area. The government said a ban would also cover conversion therapy for those who are transgender.
legal eye
A chilling step too far
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 Jan 2023
Bible-believing street preachers are unarguably brave and invariably faithful. It’s not a gift God gives to every Christian and those who exercise it in our secular Western culture must possess a strong constitution to withstand the vitriol they’ll attract.
They are also at greater risk of arrest, though if the last couple of years are anything to go by – it could be harder than police officers may think to secure a conviction.
Mermaids on the rocks?
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Jan 2023
The Charity Commission has instigated a statutory inquiry into transgender youth support charity Mermaids. The regulatory body began investigating Mermaids in September, after reports about the supply of chest-binding devices to teenagers.
A formal inquiry has now been launched because of ‘newly identified issues’ with Mermaids’ governance and management, the Commission says. Mermaids offers support around gender and identity to children and young people up to age 25.
What is ‘reasonable’ in a society losing its head?
Be reasonable! That’s a cry I’ve not heard for some time. Maybe ‘reason’ is out of style in our modern ‘what you feel is what you are society’.
But one aspect of the controversial Scottish Government Hate Crime Act is that it is predicated on what a ‘reasonable person’ would think what has been reported is hateful, likely to stir up hatred and cause ‘fear and alarm’. But there is the rub – what is a ‘reasonable person’?