The pendulum may be swinging against secularism - at least that’s what you would think from some unusual political comments this week.

1. Angela Merkel holds the top spot in my review of the top five breaking news stories. She’s the Chancellor of Germany - a country at the forefront of the ‘post-Christian’ push in Europe. The issue at hand was the influence of Islam. Normally, in such a debate, Europeans would say there’s too much religion. But Merkel says “There’s too little Christianity”. Reuters quotes her as saying “We don't have too much Islam, we have too little Christianity. We have too few discussions about the Christian view of mankind." Don’t we know it.

2. Another point in this secularist debate comes from USA Today. Religious people are ‘better neighbors’ says the story. When you drill down, they are talking about research from two academics for a new book called “American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us”. It’s not a Christian book and it lumps all religions together in its speculative findings. But it should give the ‘religion poisons everything’ crowd pause for thought.

3. It seems some minds were changed on the SRE/Ethics issue when Bishop Glenn Davies, Jim Wallace and Robert Haddad spoke in a debate on Wednesday night. Even the SMH acknowledged it.

4. Several Vancouver churches, including the largest Anglican congregation in Canada, St John’s Shaughnessy, will be turned out of their buildings after Christmas. News came through mid-week that they lost their appeal against the Diocese which threw them out after they realigned with the Province of the Southern Cone. The Diocese, which is pressing ahead with the blessing of same-sex unions, is facing dwindling numbers already to the point where it has been estimated there will be no-one left in the Anglican Church of Canada by 2060. It was an irony not lost on one of the congregation at St John’s Shaughnessy who told the Vancouver Sun “While it is sad to have to contemplate leaving our church home for a diocese that has no need for the building, we consider it an honour to stand for orthodoxy.”

5. Finally, an update on the story I featured last week about the Pakistani christian woman sentenced to death by hanging for allegedly speaking ill of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. There’s a report this week that an appeal has been lodged. There is hope that a higher court may overturn the ruling.

Keep praying.