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

  • Guardian: MPs' report on FOBTs found to breach parliamentary standards
    May 3rd, 2017

    An MPs' report calling for a crackdown on fixed-odds betting terminals, published in the midst of a government review into the controversial machines, has been found to breach parliamentary standards. A cross-party group of politicians, backed by casinos, amusement arcades and pubs, was deemed to have broken the rules four times in a report calling for the maximum stake on FOBTs to be reduced from £100 to £2.

    Breaches cited by the parliamentary commissioner for standards include a lack of transparency about free advice the group received from a public affairs firm employed by gambling companies that do not offer FOBTs.

    The verdict has been hailed as a victory by bookmakers, who derive more than half of their revenue from the machines and say cutting the maximum stake would cost jobs in the industry.

    Read more.

  • CMF: cmf file 62 (2017): Withholding and Withdrawing Medical Treatment
    May 3rd, 2017

    Death is a certainty (1) for all of us and yet in recent times there is an obsession with living longer, and discussing death and dying has become increasingly off-limits. Most patients wish to die at home with their families, but now more die in hospital under the care of their doctors. Death is becoming increasingly over-medicalised, with an ever greater reliance on modern medical technologies, particularly in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). This creates the illusion that death can somehow be evaded. Patients seldom consider what kinds of treatment they are prepared to undergo prior to becoming ill and fewer still communicate their wishes to their family or their doctor in the event of their loss of capacity to make decisions.

    End of life decision-making, particularly around the withholding and withdrawal of medical treatments, is by no means easy; many clinicians find it the most difficult part of their job. However, the provision of quality end of life care to patients and their families, helping them negotiate the dilemmas faced as death approaches, can be extremely rewarding.

    Read more.

  • Mail: Muhammed and Amelia most popular baby names in London
    May 3rd, 2017

    The UK's most popular baby names have been revealed in a new survey, with Muhammed and Amelia topping the charts for the capital.

    Research carried out in every city in the country has shown how long-time favourites such as Emily, Sophie, Jack and Oliver are still going strong in 2017.

    At the same time, the Arabic name Muhammed came out as the most popular given to boys in culturally-diverse London, and was second most popular nationwide.

    Read more.

  • Open Doors: Ethiopia: New law threatens church freedom
    May 3rd, 2017

    Ethiopia's northern Tigray State is considering adopting a new law that would restrict Christian activities to within official church compounds. This would effectively render illegal the activities of smaller churches that do not own their own buildings and gather in houses.

    The law would also ban Christians from evangelising outside of church compounds. Local church leaders have raised their concerns about the law with the state government but have yet to receive a reply.

    A similar law was recently ratified in neighbouring Amhara State which, together with Tigray, is home to most members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and local church leaders fear other states will copy the move.

    Read more.

  • Christian Today: Victory at last for Christian florists and bakers? Trump set to sign religious liberty executive order
    May 3rd, 2017

    Donald Trump has invited conservative and faith leaders to the White House tomorrow, the National Day of Prayer, and is expected to sign the long-awaited executive order on religious liberty.

    According to Politico, lawyers are still fine tuning the order's wording, but multiple sources confirmed the plan.

    If enacted, the religious freedom executive order is a major piece of payback to evangelical Christians and other religious conservatives from Trump, alongside the appointment of the conservative judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.

    Read more.

  • BBC: Dáil to vote on amendment to opening prayer rules
    May 3rd, 2017

    The Dáil (Irish Parliament) is to vote on new rules that would mean members would stand for the house's opening prayer.

    The prayer is said at the start of proceedings in both houses of the parliament, the Dáil and Seanad Éireann (Irish senate).

    The amendment was debated on Tuesday.

    Read more.

  • Conservative Woman: Now the CoE insists on schools teaching the Islamic faith
    May 3rd, 2017

    One of the jewels in the Church of England's educational crown is the Sir John Cass Foundation and Red Coat School in East London. Its Ofsted status as "outstanding", however, was downgraded to "inadequate" in November 2014. The school was placed in "special measures" for failing in its duty to safeguard the children in its care. During a snap inspection visit, the church secondary school was discovered to be failing in its duty to protect pupils from Islamic extremism.

    The school had, previously, been warned by the police about the online activities of its in-house sixth form Islamic society. To no avail, it seems! In effect, the school was found to be party to the promotion of radical Islam. It has since remedied this particular failing and recovered its "outstanding" status.

    It is far from clear, though, that the Church of England has learnt much from the debacle. Its commitment to Islam has now grown so strong that it has announced its desire to end the right of parents to withdraw their child from religious education lessons. It is the belief of the Church that the importance of this fundamental human right is outweighed by the need for all pupils to be taught about the Koran and the Prophet. This is giving to Islam a status that has never been enjoyed by other religions, including Christianity. Other religious beliefs do not merit enforcement.

    Read more.

  • Premier: Most Belfast shop workers oppose extended Sunday trading
    May 3rd, 2017

    The results of a survey conducted by trade union reveals 85 per cent of shop workers oppose Belfast City Council's suggestion of extended Sunday trading.

    Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw), questioned more than 600 of its members working in retail in Northern Ireland. Almost two thirds of them said that they already come under pressure to work on Sundays.

    John Hannett, Usdaw general secretary, said in a press release: "Our members in large stores remain absolutely opposed to extended Sunday trading. The number one reason for their opposition is the detrimental effect this would have on their family life."

    Read more.

  • The Local Italy: Assisted suicide does not violate right to life, Milan prosecutors rule
    May 3rd, 2017

    Assisted suicide does not violate the right to life, Milan prosecutors ruled on Tuesday, requesting the acquittal of a pro-euthanasia activist.

    The ruling related to activist and Radical Party member Marco Cappato, who accompanied an Italian man to Switzerland to undergo assisted suicide.

    The two prosecutors ruled that in such cases, the right to life was not violated, if the patient suffered from an "objectively assessable" terminal or serious illness causing "intolerable" suffering.

    Read more.

  • Gatestone Institute: The Death of Facts
    May 3rd, 2017

    Every week in America brings another spate of defeats for freedom of speech. This past week it was Ann Coulter's turn (yet again) to be banned from speaking at Berkeley for what the university authorities purport to be "health and safety" reasons -- meaning the health and safety of the speaker.

    Each time this happens, there are similar responses. Those who broadly agree with the views of the speaker complain about the loss of one of the fundamental rights which the Founding Fathers bestowed on the American people. Those who may be on the same political side but find the speaker somewhat distasteful find a way to be slightly muted or silent. Those who disagree with the speaker's views applaud the banning as an appropriate response to apparently imminent incitement.

    The problem throughout all of this is that the reasons why people should be supporting freedom of speech (to correct themselves where they are in error, and strengthen their arguments where they are not) are actually becoming lost in America. No greater demonstration of this muddle exists than a letter put together by a group of students at Claremont McKenna College earlier this month to protest the appearance on their campus of a speaker with whom they disagreed.

    Read more.