Blue Christmas for the Church of England
A Blue Christmas service is to be led by the Archbishop of York on Sunday 18 December, for people going through loneliness, sadness and bereavement. An online service will also be shown at 4pm on Christmas Day, with prayers and reflections for people feeling alone. These special services are featured in the church’s Christmas Follow the Star campaign, providing resources to invite the community back to church during the festive season. A marketing film shows how the church as a place for people to gather in community for life events, from childhood nativity plays to old age and bereavement.
Methodist peer: There’s only one Lord and it isn’t me
Lord Leslie Griffiths, Methodist minister and now Labour peer, has backed reform of the House of Lords but questioned replacing it with an elected chamber. He told Premier Christian News that this would set up opposition with the Commons, whereas at present it is a revising chamber scrutinising legislation. Labour has launched a report with proposals for change including reducing the size, giving more power to the regions and naming the new place the Assembly of Nations and Regions. There are 786 sitting peers, including 26 bishops. Lord Griffiths told Premier: “Get rid of the titles, that wouldn’t be a bad thing. So that I could be Leslie Griffiths again, instead of this wretched Lord stuff. Because as a Methodist minister, I know there’s only one Lord and it isn’t me”.
Life, love and the universe – hot worldviews topics at home
A survey has found that religion and philosophy are hot topics at home, in conversations between parents and children. A survey of 2,000 parents commissioned by Culham St Gabriel’s Trust, found 78 per cent discussed the origins of life and the universe, 72 per cent talked about what happens when we die and 77 per cent discussed beliefs around morality. The Trust, which promotes a broad-based education in religion and worldviews, identifies these topics as worldviews. It says parents were mostly supportive of this approach to the subject, allowing the teaching of the historical and social context of religion while giving opportunities to explore similarities and differences between worldviews.
Islam TV collates positive stories from the Qatar World Cup
Islam TV has compiled a list of tweets from western football fans at the world cup in Qatar, saying the competition is friendlier, calmer and safer for women without the “hostility and aggro” associated with alcohol. Qatar, the tournament host, has been widely criticised for its human rights record, the deaths of migrant construction workers and alleged corruption. But Islam TV has picked up alternative assessments on the calm atmosphere at the tournament from broadcaster Mark Pougatch; the absence of wolf whistles or sexism of any kind from Ellie Molloson in The Times; and fans experiencing the beauty of architecture as they explore the city, filmed on social media.
United States lists five countries of concern for religious freedom
Reuters reports that the United States has designated China, Iran, Russia, North Korea and Myanmar, as countries of particular concern under the Religious Freedom Act. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they had engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom and the US would not stand by. Washington would welcome the opportunity to meet governments to outline concrete steps for removal from the lists, he said.
Hillsong founder trial starts in Australia
The founder of Hillsong church in Australia, Brian Houston, is on trial for failing to tell the police after his father confessed in 1999 to sexually assaulting a boy. He has pleaded not guilty to one count of concealing a serious indictable offence of another person. A court in Sydney was told that his father Frank, had repeatedly assaulted a young boy, a church member, from 1970. The boy, now an adult, has waived his right to anonymity and said he was pressured not to report it to the courts. Brian Houston has said he did not report the allegation to police because the man did not want that to happen. The trial is scheduled to last three weeks. AAP report in the Guardian here
Misconduct and mismanagement at the Beth Yosef Foundation
The Charity Commission has issued a report into the London based Beth Yosef Foundation, set up to advance the orthodox Jewish religion as practised by Sephardi Jews, which was removed from the Charity Commission’s Register of Charities on 21 June 2022. The Commission concluded that there was serious misconduct and/or mismanagement in the charity’s administration and management, with evidence of both poor governance and poor financial management of the charity and its affairs. The inquiry concluded that the trustees had not complied with or fulfilled their duties as trustees under charity law. Report is here
