news in brief
Franklin Graham
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
(BGEA)
is suing venues
in Manchester,
Birmingham, Sheffield and Wales for breach
of contract, it was reported on 1 November.
Franklin Graham told the Guardian that
he was ‘being denied [a platform] because of
religious beliefs’. Some people have regarded
his views as homophobic or Islamophobic.
Others have welcomed the opportunity to
have him speak in the UK. The events were
cancelled amid protests made by LGBT rights campaigners.
news in brief
Sex ed man returns
The creator of the sexually-explicit Warwickshire sex ed curriculum removed from use in the county earlier in 2020, has made a comeback with a new curriculum on his Going Off the Rails website.
Jonny Hunt claims his new work closely follows the government Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) ‘curriculum’. A training session must be attended before the materials can be purchased. The self-styled ‘sex ed’ consultant’s biography still includes no academic qualifications in the field of education or RSE (en January 2020).
news in brief
China: Rev. 22.19
A Communist textbook used in Chinese schools falsifies the Biblical account of John 8:3-11 and claims that Jesus murdered the woman who was found in adultery and writes that Jesus says He Himself is a sinner.
One Christian, distressed about the distortion of the Biblical account, reportedly wrote on a social media post: ‘I want everyone to know that the Chinese Communist Party has always tried to distort the history of the church, to slander our church, and to make people hate our church.’
news in brief
Passing the online plate
UK local churches are being offered a vital online-giving platform to help reverse the decline of income due to coronavirus.
Whilst some churches are starting to re-open their doors, the lack of collection-plate offerings is causing financial challenges for many churches. However, Stewardship is offering every church in the UK an online webpage and portal, which they can then customise for their church, thus creating a dedicated fundraising page to maximise
news in brief
Azerbaijan: fired
On 10 June, Baku Appeal Court rejected arguments that letters given to a Christian fired from his workplace were illegal.
Former parliamentary staffer Rahim Akhundov said he was fired in December 2018 on secret police orders because he is a Christian. Courts said he could not appeal earlier as Parliament sent the letter nine months late. He will appeal to the Supreme Court when he receives the written appeal rejection.
news in brief
Australia: mission again
Christian Witness to Israel will restart its mission work in Australia, it was reported in March, nearly 50 years after its first missionaries shared Jesus with Jewish people in that country.
Mark and Rahel Landrum are based in Sydney in New South Wales, where there is a thriving Jewish community of around 50,000 people. In total, Australia’s Jewish population numbers around 120,000, and includes many Holocaust survivors who arrived during and after the Second World War.
news in brief
Australia: fostering bias
A Christian couple launched a legal action after they were banned from becoming foster carers due to their biblical views on LGBT issues, it was reported in February.
Byron and Keira Hordyk said they would love a child who identifies as LGBT as their own, but would help them to overcome their sin. Despite an initially favourable report, their application was refused on the grounds that their views would not ensure ‘a safe living environment’. The Equality Opportunity Commission refused to hear their case, and it has been referred to the State Administrative Tribunal.
news in brief
Albania: earthquake
A Christian charity has offered ‘practical, emotional and spiritual support’ to the thousands of families left homeless by the devastating earthquake in late November.
More than 50 people were killed and a further 13,000 were left homeless, with 26 schools also damaged – affecting 10,500 children. Some being helped noted that their faith in the Lord was not shaken despite the devastation surrounding them now.