Faith groups and local government forging long term relationships for social action
A report, Keeping the Faith 2.0, commissioned by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Faith and Society, has identified a clear and continuing cultural shift in relationships between faith groups and local government. Its author, Professor Chris Baker, said that until five years ago, councils had been wary or even hostile to religious groups, but the pandemic had broken down barriers and now long-term partnerships were emerging. During the report launch, the faith minister Paul Scully found out that he was being kept in his job, and he pledged his support to groups with “limitless reserves of commitment and goodwill”. He said: “The government wants to work with you on that, to co-create the kind of solutions and world we want to live in.” Read Tim Wyatt’s full report on our website
Archbishop’s public affairs adviser moves to Downing Street
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s public affairs adviser, Katie Harrison, has taken a new role in the office of the deputy chief of staff in Downing Street. A graduate in biblical studies and philosophy at Sheffield University, she has previously worked in communications for the evangelical aid agency Tearfund and set up the Faith Research Centre at the market research consultancy Comres. Confirming the news, she said she wouldn’t be on Twitter for a while.
Jewish charity welcomes end of proposed bill of rights
The government is abandoning the bill of rights, which would have given the UK Supreme Court legal supremacy over the European Court of Human Rights. Jewish News reports that the Jewish human rights charity, René Cassin, welcomed the move, saying it would have threatened the right to freedom of religion, and prevented human rights law keeping up to date with current social trends.
Russian Orthodox Church: WCC statement on Ukraine war is worthy of McDonald’s or Starbucks
The Orthodox Times reports that the World Council of Churches’ general assembly session on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, caused heated debate. The draft statement for discussion referred to the “tragic consequences” of the invasion and repeated earlier resolutions condemning the war as illegal and unjustified and calling for an immediate ceasefire. In response, Archimandrite Philaret Bulekov of the Russian Orthodox Church said the text had the same level of importance as a statement from McDonald’s or Starbucks. It was better than he expected but it camouflaged the real situation. He said a speech by the German president at the opening of the assembly, which criticised the Russian Orthodox church, was pathetic. Alexandra Kovalenko, of the church in Ukraine, said the war should just be described as Russian aggression against Ukraine. “It is very sad that you compare the blood of Ukrainians with Starbucks and McDonald’s”, she said. The meeting then continued with only the members of the central committee present. The WCC has rejected calls to remove the Russian Orthodox Church because of its support for the war in Ukraine.
Church in Wales to spend £100m on programmes for growth
The Church in Wales is preparing to spend £100m from capital reserves on supporting work among communities and developing new initiatives. Church membership and attendance has declined with the average attendance in 2018 standing at about 31,000. The Church Times reports an address by the Archbishop of Wales, Andrew John, at a meeting of the church’s governing body, where he said the aim was not to try to “spend ourselves out of trouble, but to invest in the places where our hearts burn with a new energy and hope”. The church, he said, was perceived as conservative and backward-looking, with some predicting its end, but it should commit to proving its detractors wrong.
Sacked school chaplain refused to chant ‘smash heteronormativity’
A school chaplain sacked in a dispute over LGBTQ+ issues, has been giving evidence at an employment tribunal. The Rev Dr Bernard Randall was chaplain of the independent Trent College and the dispute began when he attended LGBTQ+ inclusion training at the school. He refused to chant “smash heteronormativity”, which he found alarming as he believed it promoted the idea that certain groups were oppressed by others, creating conflict. The Nottingham Post reports that he felt much of the training programme appeared to him to be “contrary to Christian teaching”. He is bringing claims of harassment, discrimination, victimisation and unfair dismissal on the grounds of his Christian beliefs and is seeking compensation over allegations of unfair dismissal and a recommendation under the Equality Act 2010. He is supported by the campaign group Christian Concern.
Irish teacher chooses jail rather than compromise his Christian beliefs on transgenderism
The Telegraph reports that an Irish teacher suspended for refusing to use gender-neutral pronouns because of his Christian faith, has chosen to stay in prison rather than comply with a court order. Enoch Burke was jailed for contempt of court after breaching an injunction not to go back to Wilson’s Hospital School in Co Westmeath. He was given the opportunity to comply and be released, but said he would rather stay in prison for a century than compromise his beliefs on transgenderism. He would only obey God, not man, he said.
Gulf countries warn Netflix to withdraw shows with LGBTQ+ content
The New Arab reports that Gulf countries have threatened Netflix with legal action for broadcasting content that contradicts Islam. It says a statement issued jointly by the Saudi media regulator and Gulf Co-operation Council, did not specifically identify the offending material, but it is thought to refer to programmes including LGBTQ+ characters. Netflix was asked to remove the content, and the statement said authorities would take legal action if there was a failure to comply.
