Skip to content

Archive site notice

You are viewing an archived copy of Christian Concern's website. Some features are disabled and pages may not display properly.

To view our current site, please visit christianconcern.com

In the News

  • Independent: Christian fundamentalist schools teaching girls they must obey men
    June 6th, 2016

    Christian fundamentalist schools are teachingchildren that creationism is fact, that gay people are “unnatural” and that girls must submit to men, according to a series of claims.

    Former pupils and whistle-blowers have told The Independent that the schools, which originated in the US but are now dotted around the UK and registered as independent or private schools, teach children at isolated desks separated by “dividers” from other students. It is thought more than a thousand children are being taught at dozens of schools, although little is known about them.

    Read more.

  • Times (£): Don't pretend that science and faith are compatible by Oliver Kamm
    June 6th, 2016

    A few years ago I interviewed Lord Rees of Ludlow, the astronomer royal, on his award for “exceptional contributions to affirming life’s spiritual dimension”. Shortly after the interview appeared, I got a letter from Harry Kroto, the Nobel laureate in chemistry, upbraiding me for not having pressed Lord Rees on the incompatibility of science and faith. I replied explaining that I seek to draw out views rather than interject my own.

    Kroto died a few weeks ago. I don’t doubt that his great intellect has been extinguished; he exists on no disembodied spiritual plane. That’s sad for his family but it’s stirring that he devoted his life to expanding knowledge. In doing so, as he well knew, he also reduced the scope for religious explanations.

    Read more.

  • Times (£): Turkey is a Trojan horse endangering Europe by Melanie Phillips
    June 6th, 2016

    When does a turkey become a canard? When feathers start flying over Europe. David Cameron has dismissed Brexiteer concerns about a potential influx of millions of Turkish migrants by stating that Turkey wouldn’t join the EU until “the year 3000”.

    Sir John Major followed suit on The Andrew Marr Show last weekend by claiming that Turkey wasn’t even close to joining the EU and scorning the idea of Turks pouring into Europe as “nonsense on stilts”.

    Read more.

  • BBC: Scientists grow human organs for transplant inside pigs
    June 5th, 2016

    Scientists in the United States are trying to grow human organs inside pigs.

    They have injected human stem cells into pig embryos to produce human-pig embryos known as chimeras.

    The embryos are part of research aimed at overcoming the worldwide shortage of transplant organs.

    Read more.

  • Christian Post: Norway to Return Seized Children to Christian Parents After Int'l Pressure
    June 5th, 2016

    The Christian parents of five children, who were seized by Norwegian child services seven months ago to "prevent" them from being "indoctrinated" with Christianity, will soon be reunited as the authorities have agreed to return the custody of the remaining four kids to the family.

    "We thank you all for your love, support, prayers, and active participation in the reunification of this family. May God richly bless you and repay you for all you have done to bring this family back together," says a statement from the Romanian Pentecostal parents, Marius and Ruth Bodnariu, who have been living in Norway for more than a decade, according to Romania Insider.

    Read more.

  • Guardian: Beware 'mission creep' of euthanasia laws
    June 5th, 2016

    Thanks to Clare Allan ('Incurable' is no justification for ending life, 1 June) for highlighting the continuing “mission creep” in the Netherlands since the passing of the 2002 Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide Act. Euthanasia is clearly one thing when viewed from the deathbed of a terminally ill patient but, equally clearly, it is something very different when applied to a young adult with seemingly incurable psychiatric distress. As Allan says, with psychiatrists willing to recommend and carry out euthanasia for psychiatric reasons, who needs self-harm?

    Read more.

  • Belfast Telegraph: Backlash fear after Christian woman killed for 'insulting Prophet'
    June 5th, 2016

    Two suspects have been arrested over Thursday's killing of middle-aged trader Bridget Abihime in Kano, Nigeria's national police chief Solomon Arase said.

    Ms Abihime allegedly said the Prophet Mohammed was not important.

    The northern chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria said police were not doing enough to protect Christians and warned of a "looming religious crisis". In the past, such attacks have led to retaliation and sectarian violence.

    Read more.

  • Gatestone Institute: Polygamy - Europe's Hidden Statistic
    June 5th, 2016

    A few years ago, Sweden's Center Party, one of the four parties in the center-right governing coalition at the time, proposed legalizing polygamy. The idea caused outrage; the proposal was dropped. The party's youth division, however, refused to let go: "We think it is important for the individual to decide how many people he or she wants to marry," said Hanna Wagenius, head of Center Youth, predicting that polygamy would be legal in ten years, when her generation would enter parliament and make sure of it.

    Read more.

  • BBC: Are Christian converts seeking asylum getting a raw deal?
    June 5th, 2016

    Can you reel off the Ten Commandments?

    If someone is asking the UK for protection as a refugee because they've converted to Christianity, should they know the answer?

    The all-party parliamentary group on international religious freedom says asylum claims from converts to Christianity are being dealt with unfairly precisely because of questions like these.

    Read more.

  • Guardian: European churches say growing flock of Muslim refugees are converting
    June 5th, 2016

    A growing number of Muslim refugees in Europe are converting to Christianity, according to churches, which have conducted mass baptisms in some places.

    Reliable data on conversions is not available but anecdotal evidence suggests a pattern of rising church attendance by Muslims who have fled conflict, repression and economic hardship in countries across the Middle East and central Asia.

    Complex factors behind the trend include heartfelt faith in a new religion, gratitude to Christian groups offering support during perilous and frightening journeys, and an expectation that conversion may aid asylum applications.

    Read more.