Jury discharged in trial of Chris Brain, leader of the ‘Nine O’Clock Service’
A jury hearing 37 indecent assault charges and one charge of rape against Christopher Brain, the former Church of England priest and leader of the “Nine O’Clock Service”, has been discharged after a case lasting eight weeks. He was first found guilty of 17 charges of indecent assault against nine women between 1986-1995. Then more verdicts were delivered, finding him not guilty of a further 15 similar charges. The jury, which began deliberations on 12 August, failed to reach a verdict on four more counts of indecent assault and one charge of rape. The judge thanked them for their time and said their work had come to an end. A further hearing to determine whether prosecutors believe there are grounds for a retrial for the outstanding charges was set for 4 September.
Now aged 68 and living in Wilmslow, Chris Brain led a movement within the Church of England, at St Thomas’ Church in Crookes, Sheffield, which at the time was hailed as a significant new way of attracting young people, with music, lights and a nightclub atmosphere, intertwined with liturgy. But the trial heard he abused young women known as the “Lycra lovelies” who carried out household chores at his home and gave him massages. He denied all the charges against him. He was fast tracked into ordination but resigned holy orders in 1995 when complaints were made, and the group was dissolved.
Bishop – ‘deeply sorry’; Lawyer – ‘case should have happened 30 years ago’
After the verdict, Richard Scorer, a lawyer specialising in abuse cases, said the case “could and should have been prosecuted 30 years ago”. The Bishop of Sheffield, Pete Wilcox, told survivors and all people affected by the case that he was deeply sorry for the harm they suffered: “What happened was an appalling abuse of power and leadership that should never have occurred. Where concerns were raised in the past and were not acted upon properly, that was a failing of the Church. For those institutional failures I offer an unreserved apology.”
Among the backgrounders, The Times reporters Sean O’Neill and Sian Bradley chart the story from NOS early days to the trial. The Telegraph’s Gabriella Swerling writes on the CofE’s “golden boy” here
Religious Studies GCSE remains popular but more teachers needed
Religious Studies was the seventh most widely taken subject at GCSE in England and Wales, with 249,422 students taking the exam, 2.6 per cent down on previous years. The decline is much higher in Wales, with 10,988 students taking the exam – a decline of 11.8 per cent on the previous year for the full GCSE, and an even sharper decline of 14.5 per cent for short course RE. Slightly more girls than boys took the subject and the number gaining higher grades, between 4-9, was up from previous years – 73.2 per cent in England and 67.8 per cent in Wales. RE teaching organisations say despite the large numbers taking GCSE, half of those teaching RE mainly teach another subject and they warn that a shortage of subject specialists risks “low quality, tokenistic provision”. Sarah Lane Cawte, Chair of the Religious Education Council of England and Wales, said: “We need a national plan that would restore Subject Knowledge Enhancement course funding, prioritise teacher recruitment and adopt the National Content Standard as part of the Department of Education’s statutory guidance to ensure all students receive their entitlement to high-quality, modern RE”.
Reframing theology and religious studies at British universities
Only 21 British universities now offer single-honours theology and religious studies degrees, as student numbers decline and departments shut or merge. Academics at a Religion Media Centre briefing considered the reasons for the decline, amid calls to reimagine the purpose and content of the discipline, challenge misconceptions and communicate well with schools and parents. View the briefing again via links here and read our report here
Global prayer chain for Ukraine taking place this Sunday
The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, representing 95 per cent of the religious community of Ukraine, is calling for a “global prayer chain” for Ukraine on Sunday, 24 August. The prayers will be a universal call for an end to the war and a just and lasting peace. They will urge the protection of Christians in the occupied territories, support for all those who minister under persecution, hope for the return of abducted children, healing for wounded families, and comfort for those who have lost loved ones. Around 700 temples and churches of various denominations have been destroyed or damaged as a result of the military actions in Ukraine. More than 70 Ukrainian pastors and priests have been killed by Russian troops. The prayer day coincides with Ukraine’s 34th Independence Day and is backed by the World Council of Churches.
World Jewish Relief delivering medical care to Gaza
Jewish News has interviewed the chief executive of World Jewish Relief, Paul Anticoni, on why it has taken the unprecedented step of extending its humanitarian work to Gaza. He said it felt a responsibility to address the needs of the Palestinian community in Gaza and the organisation sought advice from the Israeli authorities before starting to offer supplies for maternity and neonatal care at two “mobile field hospitals independent of Hamas-run structures”. This expanded to vaccinations for children, medicine and medical supplies, while at the same time supporting Israel to buy the supplies. Now they are committed to both sides, “supporting the hospitals to deliver services, supporting Israel to provide medical supplies”, alongside continuing humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, Sudan, Ethiopia, Haiti, and beyond. He said: “We can’t be everything to everyone everywhere, but if we can save a life and we can do that effectively and safely, then we feel a responsibility to try.” Interview is here
50 dead in attacks on a mosque and nearby villages in Nigeria
Fifty people have been killed in a shooting at a mosque and nearby villages in northwestern Nigeria. The Associated Press reports that gunmen stormed the mosque in Unguwan Mantau town in Katsina state during morning prayers on Tuesday, killing 30 and then moving on to villages where 20 people were burned to death. No one has admitted responsibility for the attack. AP explains that attacks are common in the area as herders and farmers clash over land and water. The army and police have been deployed to prevent further attacks.
Islamic Relief in flood stricken Pakistan appeals for urgent action on climate change
The aid agency Islamic Relief is drawing attention to the urgent need to address climate change, following floods in northwest Pakistan, where 300 people have been killed this week. Villages have been swept away in torrents of water. 60 per cent of the people have lost their farms and only livelihoods, and more rain is forecast in the days ahead, raising fears the impact could get even worse. Islamic Relief is providing emergency food and water, but Raza Narejo, acting country director of Islamic Relief Pakistan, has appealed for wider concerns on climate change to be addressed, saying Pakistan is one of the countries most affected by climate change. He said: “There have been fierce and frequent floods, landslides and heatwaves, shattering lives all over the country. In 2022 Pakistan suffered the worst floods ever and three years on it’s clear that not enough has been done to help people recover and adapt to climate change.”
Greenbelt prepares for Jeremy Corbyn
The Greenbelt Festival is underway with a line up including Jeremy Corbyn in conversation with Paul Northup on Sunday at 4pm. His billing says alongside his 42 years as MP for Islington North, he is founder and director of PJP (Peace & Justice Project) and has held senior roles in the “Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, the Palestinian Solidarity Committee, Stop the War, the UN Human Rights Council in New York (review of the Geneva Convention) nuclear non-proliferation, trade unions, employment rights, Indigenous rights and many social movements”.
Charity Commission inquiry into Darul-Uloom School
The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into Darul-Uloom School in Chislehurst, which offers education for boys in Islam and secular subjects on the national curriculum. The Commission says that during an earlier statutory inquiry in 2018, it became aware of a dispute over the ownership of the land on which the school is based. “Following its inquiries, the Commission’s view is that there is evidence which shows that the land is held on trust by the charity, rather than being the personal property of any individual and has shared this view with both the charity’s trustees and the disqualified trustee”. But it says the trustees have failed to bring the dispute to a conclusion, and the regulator is concerned this puts the charity’s property at risk, so it is calling for another statutory inquiry. It will evaluate the trustees’ administration, management, and governance of the charity, in particular, their conduct relating to the land dispute. The full text is here
‘Focus on the Family’ founder James C Dobson has died aged 89
James C. Dobson, US staunch conservative evangelical, founder of “Focus on the Family” and the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, an influential presence among evangelicals and at the Reagan White House, has died aged 89. He became well known through his radio programmes, writing and talks which attracted hundreds of millions of supporters. A psychologist, he spoke of disciplining children, preserving the home and strong parenting. The evangelist Franklin Graham said Dobson died after a brief illness and leaves a great legacy which will last generations.
Quiet revival: myth or reality? The Church Times investigates
On Monday 18 August we ran a story in the daily bulletin headlined “Quiet revival: myth or reality? The Church Times investigates”, about a review of the Bible Society’s report “A Quiet Revival”. The story included the sentence: “The stats paint a different story to the census and internal church data”. The Bible Society says: “It’s categorically not true to say that we are at variance with the census. The census measures religious identity, not churchgoing, and our figures for religious identity are in line with what the census shows”. The article has been edited on our website.
