11+ hour, 42+ min ago (508+ words) Northern Ireland's Education Minister has said he is committed to "ensuring that our Christian ethos in our schools is maintained" after a landmark ruling on Religious Education (RE) by the UK Supreme Court. Paul Givan also gave assurances that schools were free to plan Nativity plays for the Christmas season as normal, after concerns were raised by teaching professionals following the ruling." The UK Supreme Court recently ruled that the current RE curriculum and collective worship are unlawful because the approach is not in an "objective, critical and pluralist manner". Nor is there adequate provision for children who opt out of RE, the judgment stated." The ruling gave rise to some concerns that the Christianity would no longer be the focus of RE, but speaking to the Stormont assembly, Givan said that "historically and today, Christianity is the main religion…...

11+ hour, 44+ min ago (808+ words) Andrew in the Bible Andrew is mentioned by name twice in Matthew, four times in Mark, once in Luke, six times in John, and once Acts. He was a fisherman who was first a disciple of John the Baptist (John 1:40). When he recognised Jesus as the Messiah he became a disciple of Jesus. He is regarded as being the first to follow Jesus and the first to lead others to him. It seems that Jesus often stayed at Andrew and Peter's house in Capernaum. Archaeological excavations in Capernaum uncovered a simple first-century house beneath a later Byzantine octagonal church, which was built over the house identified as the one where Peter and Andrew lived. The house is now the site of a Catholic church. Andrew and Peter were amongst the disciples who became apostles (Matthew 10:2, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:14). In fact, Peter…...

1+ day, 11+ hour ago (472+ words) Tudor was formerly a rector in the Diocese of Chelmsford and Diocese of Southwark. Last year he was banned from ministry for life after he'admitted that sexual abuse allegations against him by two other women were true. A further allegation against Tudor was considered by a separate tribunal held this month. It has concluded that he sexually abused a 15-year-old girl when he was a priest in the Diocese of Southwark in the 1980s. Commenting on this latest tribunal decision, the Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani said: "I want to thank sincerely the woman who brought this complaint, and to say how grateful I was to be able to meet with her earlier this year.' "She has shown great courage in coming forward to report David Tudor's abuse and I am profoundly sorry for the harm he has caused her…...

1+ day, 11+ hour ago (1065+ words) I'm looking forward to joining thousands of other football-supporting Christians making their way to Wembley Stadium for a pitchside party. We will be gathering at the home of English soccer on Monday 8 December for a "Celebration of Christianity and Football." The evening, hosted by Sky TV sports presenter Simon Thomas, will feature carol singing and speakers " including professional players and coaches " involved in the sport that boasts around 30 million spectators and 100,000 grassroots clubs in the UK. The event is part of the Football Association's strategy to use "the beautiful game' to bring communities together. The evening is a key element in the FA's Faith and Football series that aims to "inspire positive change through football." For me, it's a welcome acknowledgement of the close links between Christianity and football, as increasing numbers of high-profile footballers are declaring their faith, and…...

1+ day, 11+ hour ago (528+ words) Kemi Badenoch has suggested that generous welfare policies funded by high tax rates go against Christian teachings and traditions. The Conservative leader was on Nick Robinson's Political Thinking podcast to discuss Rachel Reeve's Budget when she pointed out that there was "no state or welfare" in early Christian times." Being charitable to others was not the same thing as imposing "compulsory taxation in order to pay welfare", she argued. Reeves announced on Wednesday that the two-child benefit cap will be scrapped in April at an estimated cost of "3bn a year by 2029-30. At the same time, the Chancellor unveiled tax rises of "26bn, saying she was "asking ordinary people to pay a little bit more"." Discussing the Budget on the podcast, Badenoch argued that welfare spending should be reined in, not increased, and that the onus of government policy should be on…...

2+ day, 9+ hour ago (720+ words) Jane Haining worked at the Scottish Mission School in Budapest, Hungary, starting her role there in 1932. The school had around 400 students, including boarders aged 6 to 16 years old.Some of the students were Jews. Haining was arrested in April 1944 after the cook's son-in-law informed the Germans that she was hiding Jews. According to former student, Agnes Rostas, as she was being taken away Haining told the crying students, "Don't worry, I'll be back by lunch." In fact, Haining was imprisoned before being transported to Auschwitz with Hungarian Jews the following month. She was pressed into slave labour and a few months later was dead at the age of 47. Her official death certificate stated that she died of cachexia following intestinal catarrh, although it is likely she was killed in the gas chambers. She is the only Scot to be declared "Righteous…...

2+ day, 9+ hour ago (508+ words) As Christians worldwide look toward a series of major 2,000-year milestones culminating in 2033, marking the death and Resurrection of Jesus, Jordan is accelerating preparations for the first of them: the 2030 anniversary of Jesus" baptism at Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the UNESCO-recognized site where John baptized Christ and His public ministry began. Emad Hijazin, Jordan"s minister of tourism and antiquities, told'Christian Daily International'that the Baptism Site Commission, the Ministry of Tourism and the Royal Court will soon announce a comprehensive programme for the millennial commemoration. Senator Michael Nazzal, chair of the Tourism and Heritage Committee in the Jordanian Senate, emphasized the kingdom"s commitment to presenting the baptismal millennium as a moment of global Christian unity. Tourism is a main pillar of Jordan"s economy, contributing about 11.4% of GDP. Tourism receipts reached 3.29 billion Jordanian dinars (about $4.6 billion) in 2017,'according to…...

2+ day, 11+ hour ago (759+ words) Pope Leo XIV arrived in Turkey on Thursday for a three-day apostolic visit, the first papal journey to the country since Pope Francis travelled there in 2014." The visit coincides with the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, and comes days after the publication of a detailed report documenting the continuing difficulties faced by Turkey's Christian minority. Turkey is home to some of the earliest Christian communities and was the setting for several events recorded in the New Testament. Seven of the churches addressed in the Book of Revelation are located within its modern borders. The Council of Nicaea, held in what is now the town of "znik, produced the original version of the Nicene Creed, a central statement of Christian belief still recited in churches worldwide. Official Turkish statistics do not record religious affiliation, but estimates…...

3+ day, 11+ hour ago (515+ words) Christian human rights organisation Voice for Justice UK (VfJUK) has raised serious concerns about the National Trust after a Catholic filmmaker was denied filming permission at a Christian site." Tensions arose after Christian Holden requested permission to film at St Cuthbert's Cave near Belford, Northumberland. St Cuthbert is the patron saint of Northumbria and is traditionally believed to have been laid to rest in the cave in 875 AD. The site is managed by the National Trust, a heritage organisation." Holden was producing a film on 'The Way of St Cuthbert', a historic path that follows St Cuthbert's journey from Melrose Abbey in Scotland to Lindisfarne, off the coast of . For reasons that remain unclear, VfJUK said the National Trust refused to give Holden permission to film in the historic cave. Initially Holden was told the Trust had a policy against…...

3+ day, 11+ hour ago (475+ words) The Founder President of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Mervyn Thomas, has warned that Nigerian Christians are "under increasing siege" thanks to the inability or unwillingness of the government to tackle a plethora of armed and often Islamic militant groups. His comments came following a rare piece of good news from Nigeria, when 38 members of the Christ Apostolic Church kidnapped by Fulani militia were released. More Christians are killed or kidnapped every year in Nigeria than in any other country on earth. While those who are kidnapped are sometimes released or are able to escape, many remain in captivity for years. Of the 276 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014, 139 were able to escape while 103 were eventually released via negotiation. Some 91 girls remain unaccounted for but have most likely been forced into "marriages", slavery or, tragically, have died since then. Attacks in…...