News From Around The World

Iranian Christians face ‘systematic persecution and prosecution’

May 20, 2013 World Watch Monitor: Iran’s treatment of its Christian minority has come under fresh scrutiny in recent months with some damning verdicts on the country’s human rights record.

Church of Scotland votes to allow gay ministers

May 20, 2013 The Guardian: The Church of Scotland, the country's largest Protestant church, has narrowly voted to admit gay and lesbian ministers after traditionalists agreed to compromise after four years of division.

Gay marriage vote set to deliver David Cameron more problems

May 20, 2013 AFP: British Prime Minister David Cameron faces further dissent from within the ranks of his Conservative Party as a bill to legalise gay marriage returns to Parliament Monday.

Kevin Rudd endorses same sex unions

May 20, 2013 Sydney Morning Herald: Kevin Rudd has endorsed gay marriage, changing his position on the issue.

Next coronation to involve other faiths besides Christianity

May 19, 2013 UK Telegraph: Church of England leaders have accepted the need to be “hospitable” to other faiths within any future service at Westminster Abbey, in order to reflect the spiritual diversity of modern Britain.

The evangelical Christians opposed to contraception

May 19, 2013 BBC News: A Christian evangelical movement where followers avoid contraception and have as many children as they can is spreading to the UK. They are The Quiverfull.

No huge demand for gay marriage, says Philip Hammond

May 19, 2013 The Guardian: Defence secretary wades into row over plans to legalise gay marriage, saying the issue is a waste of parliamentary time.

Move to return remains of Admiral Arthur Phillip to Australia for state funeral

May 19, 2013 The Australian: IN the past three months they've found the bones of King Richard III and unearthed Alfred the Great, so some in Britain think the mood is right to exhume Australia's founding father and return him for a state funeral.

Bishop of Grafton quits over ‘failings’ in child abuse complaints

May 19, 2013 Sydney Morning Herald: An Anglican bishop has resigned over his failure to properly pass on child sex abuse complaints at a children's home on the NSW north coast.

Christianity declining 50pc faster than thought – as one in 10 under-25s is a Muslim

May 16, 2013 UK Telegraph: A new analysis of the 2011 census shows that a decade of mass immigration helped mask the scale of decline in Christian affiliation among the British-born population – while driving a dramatic increase in Islam, particularly among the young.

Lunch with the FT: Justin Welby

May 16, 2013 Financial Times: The Archbishop of Canterbury talks to Lucy Kellaway about baiting bankers, trusting God over Google and having pizza delivered to Lambeth Palace.

Caffeine key to cloning ‘Holy Grail’

May 16, 2013 Sydney Morning Herald: Scientists have used caffeine to achieve a stem cell breakthrough that many researchers thought impossible but which could lead to new therapies for many crippling diseases.

Christian teacher to be tried in Egypt for insulting Islam

May 15, 2013 Reuters: Egypt's prosecutors on Tuesday referred a Christian schoolteacher to trial on charges of insulting Islam, judicial sources said.

Supreme Court rules that God is above the law

May 15, 2013 UK Telegraph: It has passed judgments affecting multimillionaires, multinational banks and MPs but now Britain’s highest court has made clear that it does not have jurisdiction over God.

Nigeria declares ‘massive’ military campaign on borders

May 15, 2013 BBC News: Nigeria has sent a "massive deployment of men and resources" to combat Islamist militants in three north-eastern states.

Nigeria: Anglican Church Rejects Emergency Rule

May 15, 2013 allafrica.com: The Primate of All Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Nicholas Okoh, on Monday opposed the call for emergency rule in parts of the country affected by armed conflict.

Wayne Swan Cuts Baby Bonus

May 15, 2013 Sydney Morning Herald: Middle income families, parents to be, and smokers will lose out in Wayne Swan’s sixth budget designed to repair the debt-ridden bottom line and convince voters of Labor’s economic management credentials.

Online Pornography’s Effects, and a New Way to Fight Them

May 14, 2013 Wall Street Journal: It was suspiciously warm, the reception given to a study published a week ago in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. A survey of 4,600 young people in the Netherlands, aged 15 to 25, found the behavioral impact of pornography—most of it online now—to be surprisingly small.

GAFCON II set for Nairobi

May 14, 2013 Church of England Newspaper: The Second Global Anglican Future Conference will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, 21-26 October 2013, the General Secretary of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, Dr. Peter Jensen the Archbishop of Sydney announced last week.

Evangelical Leaders Survey Highlights Billy Graham’s Influence

May 14, 2013 Christian Post: As evangelist Billy Graham prepares for his final major outreach event, which is set to occur later this year, a recent survey has offered a glimpse into how his ministry has touched evangelical leaders.