Freedom includes ‘right to offend’
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 30 Oct 2025
The right to freedom of expression includes the right to offend, a judge has stressed. Mr Justice Bennathan's comments were made when he overturned the conviction of a man who burned a Qur’an outside the Turkish consulate in London.
Hamit Coskun appealed after being convicted of a religiously aggravated public order offence after setting fire to the book and shouting in protest at Islam. A knife-wielding Muslim man who attacked Coskun during his protest was convicted of assault and possession of a knife. The judge said: “Burning a Qur’an may be an act that many Muslims find desperately upsetting and offensive. The criminal law, however, is not a mechanism that seeks to avoid people being upset.
‘Islamophobia’ acceptance plea
en staff
Date posted: 29 Oct 2025
A Muslim member of the House of Lords is urging the government to adopt a new definition of “Islamophobia” after a working group submitted its proposals.
Islamic website hyphenonline.com, which says it is the “leading media platform on Muslim life in the UK and Europe”, reports that the plea comes from Baroness Shaista Gohir, who leads the Muslim Women’s Network UK.
King 'breaching coronation vow,' says PTS
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 28 Oct 2025
A well-known evangelical organisation has joined its voice with others in expressing concern at King Charles praying with the Pope.
Edward J. Malcolm, on behalf of The Protestant Truth Society (PTS), writes of "their grave concern, as faithful and loyal Protestants" at His Majesty's visit to the Vatican, which took place last week.
The local church at the heart of God’s global mission
Oak Hill College
Date posted: 28 Oct 2025
Oak Hill College and UFM Worldwide joined forces with The Upstream Collective to help people explore the vital place of the local church in mission.
Kentucky-based Upstream Collective’s mission is to help churches send well - doing this through equipping the church with tools and relational support and by sending the church as a missions agency that prioritises relationships.
Smyth survivors sue Church of England
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 28 Oct 2025
Please note: This article contains references to abuse.
Several victims of the late John Smyth are suing the Church of England, a year after the seismic Makin Report into his abuse of at least 115 children and young men over five decades. Some of them later attempted suicide.
Situation for UK Christians is now ‘graver’
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 27 Oct 2025
Persecution of Christians in the UK for preaching the gospel has grown in last 15 years and is “graver”, says Sam Armstrong from the Free Speech Union (FSU).
Armstrong, an evangelical Christian and a political consultant with the non-sectarian organisation, says the FSU has dealt with more than 100 cases involving Christian free-speech issues since its inception in 2020.
Former Scottish pastor jailed for 14 years
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 27 Oct 2025
Please note: This article contains references to abuse.
A former Glasgow pastor has been jailed for 14 years for rape and abusing eight children for more than 20 years.
Warnings that conversion therapy ban threatens Christian teaching
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 26 Oct 2025
Two dozen evangelical church leaders have warned the Equalities Minister of the implications of a full “conversion therapy” ban on historic Christian teachings.
Olivia Bailey MP made clear at a panel hosted by LGBT organisation Stonewall at the Labour Party conference on 28 September that she is “determined” such a ban will be fully inclusive. The 24 church leaders across conservative evangelical denominations have published an open letter to her expressing “grave concerns”.
Calls for Christians to be salt & light in education
CViE
Date posted: 25 Oct 2025
Christian Values in Education (CViE), a Christian charity that aims to equip and encourage believers involved in education – parents, students, teachers, staff, governors – held its annual National Conference on 27 September with the theme “Salt and Light”, focusing on the importance for Christians to be salt and light in education today.
The event welcomed over 400 to Stopsley Baptist Church in Luton. The keynote speakers were Alun Ebenezer (Headteacher), John Denning (The Christian Institute), and James Mildred (CARE).
CU students welcome newbies
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 24 Oct 2025
Up, down and across the country, university students have been welcoming fresh faces to campuses, with the Christian Unions (CUs) seizing what has been coined as “Welcome Week” to invite young adults to CU and church.
Elly Lane is Co-President at the University of Manchester (UoM) CU and told en: “We were out on the street every single day doing evangelism, with fun and interesting activities and did some worship in the street joint with some local churches. Someone even gave their life to the Lord while one of our members was telling them about God one of the afternoons – praise God! We saw a high intake of freshers who are all very keen to get stuck into CU, as well as meeting many other people in different years who were also interested in being part of the Christian Union.
CofE: Liberals face setback
en staff
Date posted: 23 Oct 2025
Liberals in the Church of England hoping to change its stance on same-sex relationships appear to be suffering a setback.
At its most recent meeting, the House of Bishops agreed that standalone services of “Prayers of Love and Faith” affirming LGBT relationships would need a special process known as B2. This requires a two-thirds majority in all three Houses of the General Synod, the CofE Parliament. “On the basis of previous votes,” commented the Church Times, “this seems likely to forestall their introduction”.
Narnia turns 75: Royal Mail & Netflix join celebrations
en staff
Date posted: 23 Oct 2025
Narnia is marking a major milestone. It is 75 years since the fictional land first appeared in print, with the publication of CS Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe happening on 16 October 1950.
Since then, it has reportedly sold more than 115 million copies globally and been translated into around 60 different languages.
Christians in Sport visits Isle of Lewis
Christians in Sport
Date posted: 21 Oct 2025
Last month, Christians in Sport staff members Dr. Graham Daniels and Josh Strike travelled to the Isle of Lewis, off the coast of Scotland, for a packed three days of events for sportspeople.
Friday saw Josh speaking at three schools and organising a youth sports tournament. In the evening, Josh and Graham ran a "Clubhouse" evening focused on training and encouraging amateur sportspeople to share their faith.
politics & policy
Christianity is not a 'private hobby'
Krish Kandiah
Date posted: 21 Oct 2025
“I’m a Christian. I enjoy the church, I believe in God. But the role of the archbishop is not actually to interfere with international migration policies.”
This remark – recently made by a political leader in response to an archbishop’s critique of immigration policy – reveals a common yet troubling misunderstanding of Christianity’s role in public life. Faith is increasingly being equated with a private therapeutic tool to help individuals get through hard times. Christian faith, while acceptable when quiet and compliant, is deemed unwelcome when it spills over into public debate and dares to speak into national issues.
Ireland transformed: Peace, prosperity & the gospel's quiet advance
John-Edward Funnell
Date posted: 18 Oct 2025
This month, I had the privilege of being invited to Southern Ireland to speak. It had been over a decade since I last visited the area, and I could not believe how much it had changed.
I met with a number of Baptist ministers seeking to plant churches in working-class estates around Cork, and I was asked to advise them accordingly. I was so encouraged by what I saw.
Call for more complementarian bishops in CofE
Ros Clarke
Date posted: 17 Oct 2025
A new report has called for more episcopal provision for complementarian evangelicals in the Church of England.
"Church Society welcomes this analysis from Maggie Swinson, the Independent Reviewer tasked with examining the provision for traditional catholics and complementarian evangelicals," writes Ros Clarke, Associate Director for Church Society.
Mullally 'gaslighting' church - claim
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 17 Oct 2025
A leading conservative evangelical in the CofE says Sarah Mullally has led the way in an attempt to “institutionally gaslight the entire church.”
In an article published by the Gospel Coalition in the USA, Lee Gatiss, Director of Church Society, writes: “The biggest challenge for the new Archbishop is the crisis of trust and credibility she faces. She has led the way in an attempt to institutionally gaslight the entire church, claiming that she and other revisionist bishops are not changing the doctrine of the church on marriage and sexuality, even while they attempt the most radical change to Church of England teaching and practice for 500 years.
