evangelicals & catholics
Are we all ‘Children of Abraham’?
Leonardo De Chirico
Date posted: 1 Jun 2021
Whenever we talk about lands tormented by decades of wars and violence, sometimes perpetrated in the name of religions, we must do so with sobriety.
This is to say that commenting on Pope Francis’ recent trip to Iraq (5-8 March 2021) can become a pretext for easy criticism if one does not try to enter the complexity of the situation. Therefore, it must be acknowledged that the Roman pope’s call to religious freedom, his appeal to respect for minorities, and his invitation to national conciliation were commendable.
Waking up to the dystopian world of deepfakes
By Andy du Feu
Want to see Tom Cruise perform a magic trick, joke about ex-presidents, or tee-off?
politics & policy
Assisted dying: opening Pandora’s box
James Mildred
Date posted: 1 Jun 2021
The starting pistol has been fired in the race to legalise assisted suicide.
After appearing before the End of Choice All Party Parliamentary Group, the Health Secretary Matt Hancock then wrote to the national statistician, Ian Diamond, requesting information on the number of terminally-ill patients who had killed themselves because of their diagnosis. Mr Hancock wants a new debate on the issue and there are plenty other MPs who want the same.
And now, here is the BBC news…
Ian Bunker / en
Date posted: 1 Jun 2021
Land purchased for just £60 in 1933 now boasts a 21st-century church complex fit for the future.
Broadstone Baptist Church has just completed its 13-year-long building project on York Road, Poole, Dorset.
‘Be prepared,’ Finnish leader warns Western Christians
EN
Date posted: 1 Jun 2021
A Finnish evangelical Christian leader who
is
facing court because of his orthodox
beliefs on sexual morality has spoken to en,
declaring that public opinion is on his side.
However, The Revd Dr Juhana Pohjola,
Bishop Elect of the Evangelical Lutheran
Mission Diocese of Finland
(ELMDF),
criticised what he called the ‘awkward silence’
of the established church in his country.
How a vision led Muslim Sakina to faith
Graham Miller
Date posted: 1 Jun 2021
The most recent Annual Population Survey found 1.25 million followers of Islam in London – that’s one in eight Londoners.
If, by God’s grace, the gospel is to flourish among these people – Bangladeshis in East London, Arab-speakers in West London, and Turkish and Iranian communities – it will be due to ordinary Christians faithfully and patiently building relationships, breaking down misconceptions, living and speaking the teaching of Jesus.
Disarray grows
in Free Church
of England
Josep Rossello / Emmanuel Anglican Church
Date posted: 1 Jun 2021
Leading evangelicals have announced they
are quitting the Free Church of England
after the denomination appeared to descend
into chaos.
Peter Sanlon and Josep Rossello have both
said they are
leaving the group, hard on
the heels of a dispute which also saw fellow
minister Jonatas Bragatto depart.
ANiEthing is
possible!
Andrew Symes
Date posted: 1 Jun 2021
The Anglican Network in Europe (ANiE),
approved
by
conservative
Anglican
network GAFCON last year, was formally
constituted and commissioned at an online
service in April.
It
was
led
by
Bishop
Andy
Lines
(see
photo)
with
Archbishop
Foley Beach as the
preacher. Music was
provided
by
the
Glasgow-based New
Scottish Hymns Band, and there were many
messages of support from around the world,
including, movingly,
from Stephen Than,
Archbishop of Myanmar.
‘Man of character’ moves
to Langham Partnership
LCM / LP International
Date posted: 1 Apr 2021
Global mission
organisation Langham
Partnership International has a new leader.
Tayo Arikawe will move from his post as
Director of Ministries at London City Mission
(LCM)
to
the position of
International
Director with Langham in April.
Co-Mission: pressing on and finding opportunities despite challenges and delays
Co-Mission
Date posted: 1 Nov 2020
London church planting network, Co-Mission, gives an update on some of its newest congregations:
‘Realistically, a few of the Co-Mission church plants in and around London might not come out of this alive. But so far – to the credit of our church planters, the resilience of their launch teams and the goodness of God – none of our recent church plants, nor any of our proposed church plants, have had to close or look like they’re facing imminent death. We pray that this will remain the case.
John Stott - what you should know
Julia Cameron
Date posted: 1 Apr 2021
The centenary of John Stott’s birth falls on 27 April 2021. As he died ten years ago, his name won’t be well-known to younger readers. This is one reason why we are holding centenary events, to introduce his name and his legacy to a new generation.
The breadth of John Stott’s influence is remarkable. Aged 29, he was appointed Rector of All Souls Langham Place, next door to the BBC. He wrote years later of how ‘dissatisfaction’ is a mark of a leader, and he showed it himself from early days. Decades before the term ‘fresh expressions’ was coined, he opened the All Souls Clubhouse, a church for the unchurched, in the poorer part of his parish. He started guest services, then unheard-of, beginners’ groups, and training courses for lay leaders. And he was a seer. So international students became a focus in the post-colonial 1960s as newly-established governments began sending their most able to the UK. The list goes on.
news in brief
Abortion law change?
The Severe Foetal Impairment Abortion
(Amendment) Bill has passed
its second
stage at the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Disability
rights
campaigner, Heidi
Crowter, who has Down’s syndrome, had
told the Health Committee of the assembly:
‘The law … tells me and other people with
Down’s syndrome that we are worth
less
than those without disabilities. That is why I
want … the laws to be fairer.’
Stranded! But God is at work…
en staff / Andy Bowerman / The Guardian
Date posted: 1 Apr 2021
An evangelical Middle East chaplain is playing a key role in resolving a long-running dispute which has left five sailors stuck on an abandoned tanker for years.
Andy Bowerman, Regional Director for the Mission to Seafarers, has been visiting the stranded crew of the Panama-flagged MT Iba since May 2019 to ensure they have adequate food, water and fuel – as well as responding to their requests for spiritual support and to questions about what motivates him to help them.
Hope on the high seas – OM marks 50 years
www.om.org
Date posted: 1 Apr 2021
Operation Mobilisation, the outreach mission, was founded by George Verwer 64 years ago. This year marks the 50th anniversary of OM’s ship ministry. Seelan Govender, CEO of OM Ships, writes:
With more urgency than ever before as the numbers increase each year, we’re focusing on our vision to connect with the least-reached people groups of the world – those with little chance of hearing the gospel – in order to see them become vibrant communities of Jesus-followers.
The training is over, the iceberg is here
Graham Miller
Date posted: 1 Apr 2021
After 100’s of hours of hearing the gospel preached, will Bible-believing Christians now apply what they have heard, and be a conduit for God’s blessing to the poor?
The tip of the iceberg has been horrendous. The number of deaths is impossible to even reconcile. And they tell little of the pain and suffering that each death has left behind.
Exclusive: the untold story of Mozambique
Iain Taylor (BBC News / Zitamar News / Growing Hope)
Date posted: 1 May 2021
The human cost of the violence in northern Mozambique is laid bare in a number of eyewitness accounts of the fighting, and its aftermath, that Evangelicals Now has obtained from local Christians.
Several atrocities have recently taken place, with dozens of civilians being killed and at least 11,000 displaced after militants invaded Palma, Cabo Delgado on 24 March.
Mr Baker offers bread of life – and more!
Andrew Dalton
Date posted: 1 May 2021
An evangelical congregational church in West Yorkshire is offering two different kinds of bread to its neighbourhood – the Bread of Life, and ordinary bread as well!
Each week Morley Community Church receives (free of charge) supplies of bread, confectionery, vegetables, fruit and innumerable packets of food of all descriptions. Pictured here is Ray Baker with some of the provisions.
ten questions:
Alex Jacob
1. How did you become a Christian?
‘Get off your couch for the sake of Christ’
Jonny Reid
Date posted: 1 May 2021
Christians
in Sport (CiS)
is encouraging
Christians to return to their sports clubs as
lockdown measures ease across the UK.
Since March 2019 the majority of amateur
sport has been under restrictions and since
November 2020 all amateur sport clubs have
been banned
from
training or competing
together. With the stay-at-home order eased
on 29 March, outdoor sports facilities have
reopened and organised sports have been able
to
resume
in England. Similar
restrictions
have been eased in other countries within the
UK. Gyms and indoor sports facilities are all
planned to open again in the next few months.
Newton is the
new Tyndale
Michael Reeves
Date posted: 1 May 2021
A new theological centre along the lines of
Tyndale House, Cambridge, is to open in
Oxford this September.
Professor Michael A.G. Haykin, a regular
contributor to en, will be serving as the
first Director of Newton House when it is
inaugurated.
Fletcher and Smyth scandals: ‘who’ and ‘what’ – but not yet all the ‘whens’, ‘wheres’ or ‘whys’…
en staff
Date posted: 1 May 2021
en explains the latest developments – and what may come
What has happened?
First, independent Christian safeguarding charity Thirtyone:eight published a ‘lessons learnt’ report into disgraced former minister Jonathan Fletcher’s time at Emmanuel Church Wimbledon from 1982 and 2012. Previously it had emerged that Fletcher had engaged in naked massages with men as well as beatings on their bare backsides, among other things.
‘Pregnant thief’ scandal raises vital issues of fairness
Instead of hosting a party to celebrate her son’s tenth birthday Seema Misra was sent to prison. She was eight weeks pregnant.
What was her crime? She had run the village post office in West Byfleet, but had unaccountable shortfalls in her accounts. She put in £20,000 from her family savings to resolve the issue, but the problems continued and, eventually, she was convicted of stealing £74,000. The local newspaper described her as the ‘pregnant thief’. Her life was in tatters.