Fewer students take RE A-Level amid shortage of specialist teachers
The number of students taking Religious Studies at A level in England and Wales has fallen slightly by 1.3 per cent, to 15,005. In England the decline was 1.6 per cent, while in Wales, the number of increased by 5 per cent. The overall decline is similar to Sociology and Law, but not as bad as History and Geography, and comes alongside a significant rise in the number of students taking STEM subjects like maths, physics, computing and economics. Analysis of the grades achieved in RE shows around 25 per cent got an A* or A, and around the same percentage got a grade B. A statement from the Religious Education Council and the National Association of Teachers of RE says some of the decline in entries is down to challenges around teacher recruitment and the ongoing problem of schools not offering the subject at sixth forms due to lack of specialist teachers. 51 per cent of those who deliver RE lessons mainly teach another subject. The Department of Education missed its RE recruitment target for twelve of the last thirteen years, so the teacher training bursary for Religious Education has now been restored. However, the Subject Knowledge Enhancement grant, enabling graduates from a range of subjects to train to teach RE and which accounted for 27 per cent of all trainee RE teachers, has been withdrawn, making the “ongoing crisis of specialism worse”. And yet, teachers report there is a growing interest in life’s big questions. Sarah Lane Cawte, Chair of the REC, said: “Many students who want to pursue RS at A level cannot, with the subject still lacking the resourcing and attention to meet this growing demand. The Government’s curriculum and assessment review is an opportunity to stop the neglect”.
Theos think tank urges universities not to abandon Theology and Religious Studies
The Theos think tank has published an open letter highlighting the importance of religious education in higher education, and warning universities of the danger of abolishing departments and reducing staffing levels. The letter, initially signed by 75 people, says financial pressures are narrowing opportunities for young people, and one of the subject areas hardest hit is Theology and Religious Studies. The letter says: “There will soon be only 21 HE institutions in England and Wales that offer an undergraduate degree in Theology and Religious Studies. For comparison, 90 run undergraduate degree courses in History, 80 in Music and 101 in Sociology”. It points out that “theology plays a crucial role in the intellectual, ethical and cultural development of communities”, providing space for interfaith dialogue with people from different backgrounds and understanding different views in an increasingly polarised world. It goes on: “The future looks increasingly complex, diverse and pluralistic; local, national and global changes require us to wrestle with moral, ethical and spiritual challenges and ideas well. We owe it to the citizens of tomorrow to equip them with the tools to navigate this future and live together better. We can think of few better tools within our education system than Theology and Religious Studies”.
Madonna appeals to the Pope to visit Gaza
Madonna has appealed to Pope Leo to visit Gaza “before it’s too late”. In an Instagram post, she said: “Please go to Gaza and bring your light to the children before it’s too late. As a mother I cannot bear to watch their suffering. The children of the world belong to everyone. You are the only one of us who cannot be denied entry. We need the humanitarian gates to be fully opened to save these innocent children. There is no more time. Please say you will go. Love, Madonna.”
Aid agencies accuse Israel of ‘weaponising aid’ to Gaza
One hundred NGOs, including Oxfam, MSF, Christian Aid and CAFOD, have called for an end to the rigid Israeli rules around authorisation for aid to get into Gaza which has led to “most major international NGOs being unable to deliver a single truck of lifesaving supplies since 2 March”. The letter says this is a weaponisation of aid and has led to millions of dollars’ worth of food, medicine, water, and shelters stranded in warehouses while Palestinians are being starved. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that Israel’s Diaspora Ministry has revoked the permit of Catholic Relief Services, an aid agency set up by American Catholics and their bishops, which has been working in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza since 1961 and supported 1.7 million people with humanitarian aid.
Greek Orthodox bank accounts in Jerusalem frozen in tax dispute
The Times of Israel is reporting that the Jerusalem Municipality has frozen all bank accounts belonging to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. It quotes a statement from Protecting Holy Land Christians saying the action was taken in a dispute over property tax. A historic agreement between the churches and the State of Israel prevented the city from collecting property tax from Christian institutions, but in 2018 this was clarified to mean places for worship and religious activities, not church owned guesthouses or coffee shops. The report says “the freeze has left the Patriarchate unable to pay salaries to its clergy, teachers, and staff. Other churches in Jerusalem are also facing legal challenges over property taxes. A case brought against the Armenian Patriarchate by the municipality is scheduled for discussion in September”.
Bishop calls for action ‘at every level in society’ to address environmental crisis
The lead bishop for the environment in the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Bishop John Arnold, has called for renewed action to protect the environment, ten years since Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si. He says the Season of Creation, an ecumenical time of prayer and action on the environment, which runs from 1 September to 4 October, is a moment to understand the responsibility to take action: “ We only have to observe the many extreme weather events, conflicts over natural resources and destructive environmental practices that have been taking place in recent times to understand the importance and urgency of this task”. He suggests Catholics pray, work for justice, encourage global co-operation and change lifestyles to make a difference.
US Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth’s links to Christian nationalist church
The US Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, has shared on Twitter / X a CNN film about the leader of his church, a Christian nationalist who says women should not have the right to vote and wants to return to the period before same sex relationships were legalised. Pastor Doug Wilson leads a church which is part of the Calvinist Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches and told the Associated Press that for Pete Hegseth to share the film was “saying Amen at some level”. Mr Hegseth attends one of the denomination’s churches outside Nashville, Tennessee and another new branch in Washington DC, which was opened to serve people who moved there to work for the Trump administration. In the film, Pastor Wilson and other church leaders explain that women cannot hold church leadership positions and married women must obey their husbands. The denomination was founded in 1998 and now has 130 churches, with a strident evangelistic mission for Christianity to take over communities, towns and the whole nation. The CNN film is here
Methodists make time for a chat on a sofa at the Edinburgh Fringe
A team of Methodist young people have descended on the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, wheeling out a sofa and inviting people to take a seat and chat. They start the conversation by asking visitors to tell of a time when they have been “lost in wonder”. The pause in the chaos of the festival is described as a “micro-sabbath”, a moment to find peace.
