News

Useful Idiots? As the UK sings Sudan's praises, the US designates it a country of 'particular concern'
What accounts for the gap between UK and US perceptions of a regime whose leader, Field Marshall Omar Bashir, has been indicted for genocide?
Pope urges predator priests to turn themselves in
Vatican sources believed it was the first time the pope had made such a direct appeal.

O come, all ye faithful: 5 reasons to sing Christmas carols
From Australia to Argentina to Anchorage, the message of Jesus will resonate from the mouths of his people in the same melodies and lyrics that his people have been singing for centuries.

Christmas is a spiritual eruption: What the West can learn from the Eastern Church
Jesus' birth is not primarily an historical event, though it was that. It's a spiritual one.

And Was He God With Us?: A meditation for Christmas
And was he God With Us the second the Spirit shadowed the virgin?

John's Gospel: Christmas on a cosmic scale
It's all too easy over the Christmas season to swap the important stuff for the big, shiny festive stuff and end up disappointed.

Doing good in secret: How George W Bush sponsored a child through Compassion International
An extraordinary story has emerged of former US president George W Bush's anonymous sponsorship of a Filippino child through Christian agency Compassion.

Quarter of British adults don't know the Christmas story, survey finds
A survey of British adults found only 71 per cent said they could confidently retell the Christmas story.

After church split, Ukraine may force Moscow loyalists to badge themselves 'Russian'
Ukraine on Saturday created a new Orthodox church independent from Moscow, which leaders have lobbied for since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Syria, Mattis, Afghanistan, shutdown: Trump ends year in chaos
Thursday was a landmark day of chaos that appeared to test the resolve of even senior Republican backers in Washington.

Diets heavy in junk food increase risk of depression, study finds
Eating too much fast food, processed meat and cakes is putting people at increased risk of depression, according to a new study.

Political and religious leaders look to Trump for help to end persecution of Nigeria's Christians
A Nigerian Archbishop has joined US political leaders in calling on Donald Trump to intervene in the ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

Christian cake baker files lawsuit against Colorado as pressure mounts over gender transition cake
Although Jack Phillips won a Supreme Court victory over a gay wedding cake earlier this year, the legal battle to bake according to his convictions is still raging on

Over a quarter of Brits and Americans would like to see a female or gender-neutral Santa
With the 'gender neutral' trend shaking up everything from personal identities to clothes and toys, it should come as no surprise that over a quarter of people also want it to shake up the tradition of a male Santa Claus.

Silent Night: the story of the carol that paused a war
Two popular stories contribute to its appeal: one concerning the circumstances of its composition in Oberndorf, near Salzburg in Austria, and the other its role in the Christmas Truce of 1914 when the opposing forces walked out of their trenches to greet their enemies and share food and drink.

Where is the Cross in Revelation?
Any discussion of 'the cross' in the Book of Revelation initially looks like a substantial challenge: it is barely mentioned at all overtly.