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Time to leave the culture wars behind
Context Fifty years ago, the US Supreme Court in Roe v Wade interpreted the constitution so as to introduce a right to abortion by extending the right to privacy. Last week, a majority opinion in a case called Dobbs v Jackson led to Roe being overturned. The result means that responsibility for…
Dawn McAvoy
Praying time is never wasted time
I love John 15:15. It says, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I have learned from my Father I have made known to you.” A revelation of this friendship will keep your prayer life alive. We…
Rachel Hickson
Transforming communities through prayer
I’m a great believer in specific or informed prayer. We can only be specific if we have knowledge. Informed intercession is powerful. Someone said “general prayers are a breeding ground for unbelief”. Think about it, if we can’t be bothered to do any research, our prayers will just be very…
Debra Green OBE
Let's pray
Are these just nice words to keep my soul at ease while I float through space like an open sea? I’m hopeless searching for this hope in me, anchored to the sea but my boat’s been breached I’m the captain of the ship but my sail’s been ripped and my crew mates dipped yeah, I’m lonely, at the surface…
Jerome O'Meara
The next Prime Minister must restore trust in public life
Following the announcement that Boris Johnson is stepping down as leader of the Conservative Party, the race is on for his replacement, both as party leader and as Prime Minister. Twelve candidates initially announced that they were putting themselves forward for the position. But the speed of the…
Danny Webster
Open Doors International: Forced migration and faith is poorly understood
In the UK, we live in such a secularised society that popular culture and policymakers can often forget and sadly disregard how important religion is to cultural, political, and social relationships for millions of people living in the global south. On 5-6 July, at the freedom of religious of…
Alicia Edmund
“Integrity” – the buzzword of the season unpacked
In a recent YouGov poll, Conservative party members were asked what they are looking for in their next leader. Interestingly, although policy issues certainly featured, half of respondents gave answers which included themes around the leader’s personality, specifically using the words ‘integrity’…
Emma Sowden
Briefing: Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill
The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, first introduced to parliament in May, is the government’s attempt to convert plans set out in the levelling up white paper into legislation. The bill was created with the purpose of “driving local growth, empowering local leaders to regenerate their areas,…
Nicola Martin
Five ways to befriend people beyond your church walls
This was brand new territory for me. I didn’t know anyone and I couldn’t see how to quickly build friendships. A few other things happened that caused the little time I did have to get squeezed, to the point where building meaningful friendships, though desirable, seemed impossible. Whenever I did…
Mark Greenwood
Stepping out
How did you come to faith? My Dad is a Bible college lecturer and my Mum is a vicar, so faith has always been a big part of life. At the age of three, I decided I wanted to follow Jesus, and I was baptised at six. Have you always wanted to share your faith? My church growing up was held in the…
Anna Seevaratnam
Drug deaths remain unacceptably high in Scotland
The drug death rate is arguably the biggest challenge Scotland faces. Collectively, Great Britain has one of the worst rates in Europe. But if Scotland is measured separately, the problem is significantly worse.
Chris Ringland
What I've learnt from Jordan Peterson
Truth and the limits of the postmodern lens To do that, I need to take you back to my university experience. One of the first modules on my literature course was about “ways of reading”, the different ideas and lenses through which we can read a book. Some are helpful as we try to understand the…
Helen Locke
50 years on – a refugee story to inspire the local church
Fast forward to more recent times, and I now count some of the next generation of those refugees among my closest friends. In 2012, we had the immense privilege to visit Uganda to help build a nursery in partnership with Watoto, the organisation famous for its children’s choir. We had awesome…
Dayalan Mahesan
“COL”: now a universal acronym
UK inflation rates have hit levels we haven’t seen in 30 years, eye watering energy prices are predicted to rise again, and Northern Ireland tops the list of areas in the UK where the percentage of households is predicted to fall into fuel poverty by a whopping 76.3% by January 2023. The…
Danielle McElhinney
Like. Follow. Scroll. Repeat.
As a Christian, I will not disappoint. But before I go in on the ills of social media, I want to acknowledge its nuances. I am genuinely grateful to God that it exists. Social media isn’t bad As one who is blessed and destined to spend my life in dark brown skin, I am thankful that social media…
Damilola Makinde
