CofE scoops awards for digital transformation

Going up against large organisations such as Warner Brothers, Diageo and Nationwide, it picked up five prizes including best app, best website and best use of social media.

It comes after the Church made a big investment into its work online.

 

Based out of Church House, the digital team oversees the Church’s presence online and uses Christian festivals to reach out to the country.

Speaking to Premier, the Church of England’s head of digital, Adrian Harris said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have won five awards.

“They recognise the passion and hard work of many colleagues across the Church over the last two years.

“It’s wonderful to see the way that dioceses and local churches are engaging in digital for the opportunities it brings to grow people’s faith, bring people to faith and encourage church attendance.”

Announcing the Church as the ‘best in-house digital team of the year’, organisers said: “The Church has been recognised for its efforts over the past few years in building a digital function where once there was none.

“The church is now digitally savvy and explores new technologies – like Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant – with ease.”

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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Norwegian Doctor Fired for Refusing to Insert IUDs, Win Landmark Court Case

Norwegian Doctor Fired for Refusing to Insert IUDs, Win Landmark Court Case



After a Doctor was fired in December 2015 for refusing to perform a procedure that contradicted her faith, on October 11, Norway’s Supreme Court ruled that a physician has the right to refuse to conduct procedures that violate their conscience.


In December 2015, a General Practitioner Clinic in Sauherad fired Dr. Katarzyna Jachimowicz after she refused to insert IUDs into her patients.


Jachimowicz made it clear that IUDs or intrauterine devices, which CBN News reports can act as an abortifacient, are a clear violation of her Roman Catholic faith.


According to CBN News, Jachimowicz’s clinic was aware of the physician’s pro-life stance before she was hired in 2010.


LifeSiteNews reports that Jachimowicz told her bosses in a meeting, “Life begins at conception and I do not want to take part in destroying it.”


“All present agreed to my conditions, but I did not ask for written confirmation, knowing that an oral agreement is valid as well,” Jachimowicz told the outlet. 


Jachimowicz is an experienced physician with more than 20 years of field work. She is also fluent in Polish, Russian, and Norwegian making her a valuable asset to patients from several walks of life. 


According to CBN News, Jachimowicz’s termination marked her as the first medical professional in Norway to be fired for exercising her right to freedom of conscience.


“Dr. Jachimowicz…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

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Priscilla Shirer Apologizes to Black Americans for Saying She Doesn’t Describe Herself as Black

(Screenshot: Facebook)“War Room” actor, Priscilla Shirer.

Weeks after a video clip in which she declares she doesn’t describe herself as a black woman because it gives “too much power” to her blackness went viral, “War Room” actor and evangelist Priscilla Shirer apologized to black Americans offended by her words.

“It hurts my heart to know that I could have possibly offended some of my African American sisters & brothers. If I did, I hope you’ll receive this sincere apology & clarification in the spirit in which I am posting it,” Shirer said in a statement posted on Facebook Wednesday.

The actor’s controversial statement went viral three weeks ago after Chuck Bernal, founder and lead pastor of LifePointe Church in Crowley, Texas, shared it on Facebook and endorsed it as “one of the best statements on a Christian perspective regarding RACE and POLITICS that I have ever heard.”

“I do not describe myself as a black woman because that gives too much power to my blackness,” Shirer, whose father is Dallas megachurch pastor Tony Evans, said.

“I don’t want my race to be the describing adjective of who I am as a woman. I am not a black woman. I am a Christian woman who happens to be black,” Shirer continued to cheers in the video which has been viewed more than 7 million times…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.

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‘The evangelical world has moved on’, LGBT Christian group respond to letter from bishops

OneBodyOneFaith spoke out after the clergy, who include the bishops of Durham and Carlisle, wrote an open letter to the Bishop of Coventry who is chairing the Church of England’s ‘Living in Love and Faith’ (LLF) project.

In the letter, they warned of “major problems” and the danger of division if the Church changes its current position.

 

They said that the traditional Christian view of sex as being for heterosexual marriage alone “is the teaching of Scripture” and “therefore expresses the character and will of God”.

Responding to the letter, OneBodyOneFaith accused the bishops of being out of touch with UK evangelicals.

In a statement, it said: “What may come as news to these bishops is that the evangelical world has moved on – indeed, perhaps this letter arises out of the fear of recognising just this reality.

“They no longer speak for all evangelicals; their sisters and brothers still hold their evangelical identity dear but have been courageous and open-hearted enough to see a bigger God emerge, God powerfully alive in LGBTI+ people and longing to be known as good news for all, without exception.”

In a call for change within the church, the group said: “Over the coming weeks and months, it will be for the other members of the House of Bishops, in all their diversity of opinion, to hold these eleven of their sisters and brothers to account.

“But ultimately we must…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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65-Year-Old Pro-Life Protester Punched in Face While Praying at Planned Parenthood Clinic

65-Year-Old Pro-Life Protester Punched in Face While Praying at Planned Parenthood Clinic



A 65-year-old man was hospitalized on Monday after being viciously attacked while praying outside of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Florida.


According to the Naples Daily News, pro-life supporter Joe Alger was sitting outside of a Planned Parenthood clinic reciting the rosary when an unidentified man began to verbally assault him. According to Mary Claire Dant who witnessed the attack, “the attacker walked up to [Joe] and for several minutes he was verbally badgering him.”


Dant continued saying, “at some point, he kept screaming. All of sudden Joe is standing there – BOOM – he knocks him down onto the ground.”


She goes on to say that Alger was attempting to get up when the attacker started to strike him. Dant, who is also a peaceful pro-life protester, said she, too felt threatened by the situation.


According to The Christian Post, later that day a man fitting the attacker’s description was escorted from the clinic by a sheriff’s deputy. 


Alger, however, decided not to press charges and his attacker was not arrested.


“It’s a painful situation,” Alger, who was taken to a hospital, said.  


“And I’m not going to make it any worse,” he added.


Reportedly, the Naples Planned Parenthood clinic has regular protests outside the clinic, prompting the facility to station volunteers outside of the building to escort patients…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

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Gospel Coalition Conference Pastor Warns Against ‘Legalism’ in the Church, ‘Dishonorable Vessels’

(Screenshot: https://live1.thegospelcoalition.org/live)Juan Sanchez, senior pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin, Texas and president of the Texas Southern Baptist Convention, giving remarks at The Gospel Coalition’s West Coast Conference on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018.

A pastor who serves as president of the Texas Southern Baptist Convention has warned evangelicals against the dangers of “legalism” in the church.

Juan Sanchez, who also serves as senior pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, gave a speech at The Gospel Coalition’s West Coast Conference on Wednesday. When discussing 2 Timothy 3:1-9, Sanchez spoke about the temptation for church leaders to engage in legalism, tying it to the early church and how some back then demanded that new believers be circumcised.

“We look at that and we think how ridiculous that is, but in our own churches there’s a temptation to say ‘unless you fill-in-the-blank, you cannot be saved.’ Now we don’t say ‘you cannot be saved,’ but we have a tendency to look down on people,” said Sanchez.

“Unless you vote Republican, you can’t really be saved. Unless you vote Democratic, you really cannot be saved. Unless you homeschool your children, unless you private educate your children, unless you public educate your…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.

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Charlotte Pence Discusses Her Battle With Atheism and How She Solidified Faith in Christ

(PHOTO: US EMBASSY, Berlin)Vice President Mike Pence (M), Second Lady Karen Pence (L) and their middle child, Charlotte, tour Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial in Germany on February 19, 2017.

Vice President Mike Pence has always encouraged his three children to make his Christian faith their own. But in order to do that, at least one of his daughters had teetered on the brink of atheism.

Pence’s 25-year-old daughter, Charlotte, released her new book, Where You Go: Life Lessons Learned From My Father, on Tuesday. While the book focuses on the advice and words of wisdom that her father has offered her and her siblings throughout their upbringing, it also touches on the personal struggles of faith that the middle child faced as she spent a year studying abroad in England at the age of 21.

It is no secret that Pence and his wife, Karen, are devout evangelical Christians who are living out their faith in the public limelight that comes with the title of “Second Family” of the United States.

However, Charlotte Pence told The Christian Post in an interview Wednesday that despite being raised in a church-going home with very spiritual parents, she still needed to discover the truth about religion for herself.

In her interview with CP, Pence explained that her family would attend church on a weekly basis when she was growing up. At times in which her parents were looking for a new church, she said that her dad would sometimes hold his own church service right in their house.

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(PHOTO: HACHETTE BOOK GROUP)

When the time came for her to go off to college, she said that her father…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.

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Six Best Practices for Increasing Giving in a Church Revitalization

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Churches need funding for ministry. Whether you’re in a revitalization or not, these principles can help you when it comes to increasing giving in your church.

Episode Highlights:

  • Lack of trust in leadership will lead to a decrease in church giving.
  • Millennials don’t give to institutions as much as they give toward a vision and passion.
  • People will give toward causes, but they will give more because of relationships.
  • Churches should report weekly giving and attendance. People trust the church more when there is transparency and accountability.

The seven ways to increase giving which we discuss are:

  1. Make clear the vision and the passion.
  2. Remember: Giving is impacted about perceptions of leadership.
  3. Transparency and accountability are crucial.
  4. Never take for granted the income-giving stream.
  5. Don’t forget the income potential from capital sources.
  6. Don’t forget estate giving (the simple 10% principle).

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

Revitalize & Replant is sponsored by the North American Mission Board and ChurchReplanters.com. More than 10% of churches in North America are at risk of closing and the North American Mission Board is committed to reversing this trend by decreasing the death rate of existing churches while simultaneously increasing the birth rate of new churches. To learn more about what it means to become a replanting pastor or to explore resources for replanting and…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Thom Rainer.

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Shetland church closures: names revealed

On Tuesday, the Kirk revealed that only eleven of its 31 church buildings on Shetland would remain operational as it would be “unaffordable” to keep them open.

While the closures are among a raft of measures included in a new Presbytery plan endorsed by the majority of the Church of Scotland’s 975 members in Shetland, local congregations will have the option to appeal against the closure of their church.

 

Here is the full list of churches set to close:

  • Bigton St Ninians
  • Bressay
  • Cunningsburgh
  • Dunrossness
  • Fair Isle
  • Fetlar
  • Foula
  • Gulberwick
  • Hillswick
  • Nesting
  • Quarff
  • Sandness Church
  • Sand – Sandsting
  • Skerries
  • St Magnus, Yell
  • Sullom North Mavine
  • Tingwall
  • Voe Parish Church
  • Weisdale
  • Whalsay Church

Reverend Ian Murray is an assessor minister to Shetland and told Premier the closures mean they can invest in other areas such as youth work and employing other staff.

Speaking during News Hour he said: “It sounds dreadful that we’re closing two-thirds of the buildings in Shetland [but] in doing so, we’re clearing the way for a new chapter, for a reformation of the Church and for a revival of the Church.

“We are breathing new life into it.”

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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Why a journalist’s disappearance is globally significant

Jamal Khashoggi, a famous journalist and critic of Saudi Arabia’s leadership, walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain some documents. He has not been seen since.

His fiancée is afraid he has been kidnapped or killed. Turkish authorities claim to have evidence that he was tortured and murdered by Saudi agents. Saudi officials insist he left the consulate shortly after arriving.

Let’s survey what we know this morning, then we’ll explore the reasons why his disappearance is so significant to the Middle East and to the West.

Who is Jamal Khashoggi?

Jamal Khashoggi was born in Medina in 1958. His grandfather was the personal physician of King Abdulaziz Al Saud, the founder of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. His cousin, Dodi Fayed, was dating Princess Diana when the two were killed in 1997.

A longtime critic of the Saudi government, he relocated to the US in 2017 and began writing for the Washington Post. He founded a new political party this year directly opposing the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

On the afternoon of October 2, he went inside the main entrance of the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul to obtain a document proving he was divorced. He could then marry his fiancée, a Turkish citizen, who waited outside. After he did not come back out, she reported him missing. The Saudi government claims he left the consulate through a back entrance.

What happened to Khashoggi?

CNN reported on Monday that the Saudis were preparing a statement acknowledging that Khashoggi’s death was the result of an interrogation gone wrong. According to CNN’s sources, the interrogation was intended to lead to his abduction from Turkey. The report would likely conclude that the operation was carried out without clearance and that those involved will be held responsible.

However, Turkish officials now claim that Saudi operatives beat, drugged, killed, and dismembered Khashoggi in the presence of the kingdom’s top diplomat in…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Denison Forum.

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