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In the News

  • Christian Today: CofE More Worried About 'Twitter Mobs' Than 'What Is Right Before God' Over Sexuality – GAFCON
    November 25th, 2016

    The traditionalist Anglican body responded to criticism from the CofE's top lay official by saying the Church is too "afraid of unpopularity from the secular British establishment". It accused officials of an "institutional mentality" that "puts confidence in legal process" over "apostolic Christianity".

    A post on GAFCON UK's website on Friday said the CofE had resorted to "bureaucratic interpretations of church law" rather than a "biblical revelation about humanity".

    The bitter attack was in reply to a letter by William Nye, general secretary to the Archbishops' Council, who accused GAFCON UK of being "significantly misleading" in a briefing document circulated last week.

    The original post listed names of clergy who were in "violation" of a landmark Anglican resolution laying down its teaching on sexuality.

    Read more. 

  • LifeNews: Abortion Business CEO Claims Aborting a Baby is 'The Same as the Loss Through Miscarriage'
    November 25th, 2016

    British abortion activist Ann Furedi’s new book “The Moral Case for Abortion” has received a lot of media attention since its release earlier this year.

    The CEO of the abortion chain British Pregnancy Advisory Service, Furedi attempts to argue that an abortion — which she readily admits is an act of killing – is a moral action and should be a legal choice for women at any stage of pregnancy.

    But her arguments fail on multiple levels, Catholic World Report’s Fiorella Nash points out in her review of Furedi’s book. Nash says there are numerous flaws with Furedi’s arguments, and her zeal on the matter is similar to that of a religious "fundamentalist." 

    Read more. 

  • ITV: Former magistrate sacked for views on gay adoption plans legal action
    November 25th, 2016

    A former magistrate from Kent, who was sacked from two jobs for his views on gay adoption, says he is planning legal action against his former employers.

    Richard Page lost his job as a magistrate in Sevenoaks and Maidstone for saying he thought it was "better if a man and a woman were parents" at an adoption hearing for a same sex couple.

    Read more. 

  • Christian Today: Shocking rise in religious persecution fuelled by 'Islamist hyper-extremism'
    November 25th, 2016

    The emergence of "Islamist hyper-extremism" is primarily responsible for a shocking rise in religious persecution across the world, according to a new report released on Thursday.

    Violent terror attacks inspired by Islamist ideology have now taken place in one in five countries, the report found, highlighting that most religious persecution is from militant organisations and not governments.

    "A virulent and extremist form of Islam emerged as the number-one threat to religious freedom," according to the report, Religious Freedom in the World, by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). Researchers examined 196 countries across the globe and of these, 38 showed "unmistakable evidence of significant religious freedom violations".

    Read more.

  • Christian Institute: Bid to silence pro-life group fails, amid university free speech attacks
    November 25th, 2016

    An attempt to expel a pro-life group from the student union has failed, after students rejected a motion by almost two to one.

    At a recent meeting of Newcastle University’s Student Council, 63 per cent of members voted down a motion called “De-Ratify Life Society”. Only 35 per cent voted in favour.

    The defeat comes as pro-life groups in Cardiff and Glasgow face similar attempts to curb their free speech.

    Read more.

  • Telegraph: Pastor in unholy row with council over church signs deemed 'advertising'
    November 25th, 2016

    A pastor in north-east Wales could face action over his eyebrow-raising church signs because the council considers them advertising.

    The Reverend Bob Marshall is a minister of the Ebenezer Baptist Chapel in Buckley, Flintshire. For years he has displayed messages outside his church, a brick chapel on a residential street.

    Sometimes they are serious. One slogan read: "Too many people have a strong will and a weak will not."

    Read more.

  • Economist (£): As European authorities target Salafism, the word needs parsing
    November 25th, 2016

    WHAT exactly is Salafism? In continental Europe, the word is now used as a catchall for extreme and violent interpretations of Islam. This week for example, authorities in the German state of Hesse raided five premises including a mosque; it was the latest move in a crackdown on ultra-militant forms of Islam all over Germany which began last week. "Extremist propaganda is the foundation for Islamic radicalisation and ultimately for violence," said the interior minister of Hesse, Peter Beuth, by way of explaining the latest raids. "The Salafist ideology is a force not to be underestimated," he added.

    On November 15th, German federal authorities banned what they described as a Salafi organisation known as "True Religion" or "Read!" whose notional purpose was to distribute copies of the Koran. On the same day, police swept through 200 offices and other buildings across the country. Ralf Jäger, interior minister of the populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), reportedly gave this reason for the ban: "Every fifth Salafist who has travelled out from NRW under the aegis of so-called Islamic State in order to join a terror cell had previous contact with 'Read!'"

    Read more.

  • RTE: Lecturer loses discrimination case against Trinity College Dublin at ECJ
    November 25th, 2016

    A lecturer has lost his case at the European Court of Justice that Trinity College Dublin discriminated against him on grounds of sexual orientation and age regarding his pension rights.

    David Parris had brought the case against Trinity College to the Irish Labour Court saying he had been discriminated against due to his age and sexual orientation.

    Mr Parris claimed TCD's pension provisions would prevent his same-sex partner of more than 30 years from accessing his survivor's pension in event of his death.

    Read more.

  • Pink News: European court rules that man can't retrospectively give pension rights to his same-sex partner
    November 25th, 2016

    A man who missed out on receiving pension rights from his same-sex partner has been denied retrospective access to the benefit by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

    The court ruled that Dr David Parris of Trinity College Dublin does not have the right to allow his same-sex partner to take his pension.

    An earlier ruling from July went in favour of Parris, and this latest ruling from the CJEU comes as a surprise to campaigners who had hoped it would rule in the same way.

    Read more.

  • Three FM: Calls for Government to revoke decision over Down's syndrome prenatal testing
    November 25th, 2016

    Down’s syndrome advocacy group Don’t Screen Us Out are calling on the Isle of Man Government to revoke a decision to roll-out a new-prenatal test that is projected to lead to a profound increase in the number of children with Down’s syndrome screened out by termination.

    Read more.