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Why is the West paying so little attention to the persecution of Christians?
Speaking as a former editor, I guess one reason might be that we in the media crave novelty. The persecution of Christians is scarcely a new story. It began nearly 2,000 years ago, as soon as Jesus was born.
A few years ago the Planned Parenthood Federation of America got my attention by pioneering a Christmas card. The group sent a holiday greeting - complete with sentimental snowflakes and stars — with the caption "Choice on Earth."
Evangelicals and Roman Catholics rightly noted the incongruity of the nation’s largest abortion provider using an ancient Christian holiday to promote abortion rights. The give-and-take over this card was a quick controversy, forgotten once all the wrapping paper and tinsel were put away for the season.
Family court hearings are to be held in public for the first time, in a radical trial being pursued by the leading family judge for England and Wales, the Guardian understands.
Sir James Munby, the president of the family division of the high court, is to continue far-reaching reforms to bring more transparency to the system in 2017 by launching a trial in which some types of hearings would be held in public.
It is expected appropriate orders will remain in place to protect the identities of the participants. A separate plan is being considered to allow the media access to documents from hearings that have previously been kept secret.
Ashers Baking Company has confirmed that it will launch an appeal to the UK Supreme Court, following the Belfast Court of Appeal's ruling against them earlier in the year.
Lawyers representing the McArthur family, who own and run Ashers, and the Attorney General for Northern Ireland, John Larkin QC, had separately asked judges whether they had leave to appeal.
Mr Larkin was refused the right to refer the case based on devolution issues, but Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan left the way open for Ashers to take the matter further saying "the matter should be properly left to the Supreme Court".
The BBC's religious programmes are "tired and formulaic", the Church of England said, as it called for them to be revamped in a similar way to the broadcaster's science coverage under Brian Cox.
Over Christmas, the corporation will screen a "basic diet" of religious shows, mainly limited to live church services, the Rev Arun Arora, director of communications for the Archbishops' Council in the Church of England, said. It will offer "precious little" original programming on Christianity or the Christmas story.
He also described the trailer for Christmas, entitled "BBC Oneness", as being full of Christmas imagery but with "no room for any reference to Jesus".
Election surprises, conflict, a refugee crisis and terrorism: the past 18 months seem to have had it all — and this appears significantly to have dented the public’s faith in a god.
A YouGov poll for The Times has found a four-point decline in the proportion of people who say that they believe in God, from 32 per cent in February last year to 28 per cent today.
Those saying that they actively do not believe in any god or higher spiritual power has gone up five points, from 33 to 38 per cent.
So-called Islamic State has released a video online which claims to show two Turkish soldiers being burned alive.
IS claims the video is from its Syrian operation, and shows two soldiers captured in late November. The killing came in revenge for Turkish killing of Muslims, the group said.
Turkey has been fighting IS with both ground forces and air strikes.
The video has not been independently verified. There has so far been no comment from Turkey.
Religious groups representing healthcare professionals have raised concerns over a proposed change to professional standards that requires pharmacists to ensure their beliefs do not compromise patient-centred care.
Christian and Muslim groups say that the "significant" shift suggested by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), the independent regulator for pharmacy in Great Britain, may jeopardise pharmacists' identity, autonomy and ability to comfortably exercise professional judgement.
The move, if approved, would trigger a change in the pharmacist–patient relationship and a shift in favour of the needs of the patient.
Greetings in the name of Jesus, the Word made flesh who by the action of God and the obedience of His blessed Mother, the God bearer, came to dwell among us, Emmanuel.
In November, I visited Pakistan to express solidarity with Christian communities across the country, which have suffered much over recent years. We remember the slaughter of innocent worshippers on Easter Sunday 2016 in Lahore, and before that the attack on worshippers in Peshawar at Christmas 2013 and many other incidents. Such attacks are not only designed to inflict appalling suffering but also to sow fear in the heart of Christian, and other minority communities. During the visit I spoke with some of the survivors of these attacks, and I was deeply moved and humbled by their extraordinary courage in continuing to be faithful witnesses of Jesus. They spoke of knowing now more than ever that Jesus is the Good Shepherd.
The appeasers, apologists and 'useful idiots' have been out in force over the festive season, busily lighting candles, declaring 'Ich Bin Ein Berliner' and proclaiming that the murderous attack on the Christmas market had nothing to do either with Islam or mass immigration. Thinking of them prompted me to pluck from my shelf one of my favourite books, a slim tome entitled 'Ourselves and Germany', written in the winter of 1937 by the Marquess of Londonderry. Otherwise known as Charles Stewart Henry Vane-Tempest-Stewart, or 'Charley' to his pals, the Marquess could neither write well nor read men well, but his book is nonetheless riveting. It's a timeless reminder of where an educated man's moral cowardice and intellectual stupidity can lead.