New poll finds Brits oppose religious influence in education

The survey, which was commissioned by the National Secular Society (NSS), found that fewer than one in six British adults agree with religious selection in state schools generally. Fewer than one in three support it when they are specifically asked about faith schools.

Half of respondents said school assemblies should be about moral issues, whereas just over a quarter agree that they should feature religious worship.

 

NSS said that the findings suggest education policy across Britain is out of step with the views of the public.

However Rev Ronnie Lamont, a faith and nurture advisor for the Church of England in the Diocese of Canterbury, who also works in schools, disagreed.

She told Premier’s News Hour that if the adults who took part in the survey attended an assembly today, they would have a different view.

“We tend to think of assemblies as what we sat through and the actual world of school assemblies has transformed over the last 30 years, certainly in church schools,” she said.

“Children not only lead the worship, they plan the worship and then evaluate it. You are then in a position where children are asked ‘what do you want to do within this time’.”

Rev Lamont added that the Church has played an important role in education over the years, and she’s certain the legacy will continue.

“Church schools will not go away and I don’t think people will be negative about…

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Paige Patterson-Chaired Evangelism Task Force Declares That Social Justice Is Not Gospel Priority

(Screenshot: YouTube)Paige Patterson, 75, speaks at the AWAKEN Conference in Las Vegas, NV, in January 2014.

A task force appointed last year by the Southern Baptist Convention, and chaired until recently by Paige Patterson, has concluded its year-long study on evangelistic renewal by concluding that social justice is not a Gospel priority, among other declarations.

The full report, released on Monday, features 12 affirmations and denials about evangelism, along with eight recommendations.

“We are convinced that these suggestions can be heartily embraced by all gospel-loving Southern Baptists,” the report states, according to Baptist Press, “regardless of differences in theology, methodology, or generational preferences.”

SBC President Steve Gaines, senior pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church of Memphis, Tennessee, made known his intention to appoint such a task force in June 2017, in order to challenge a reported decline in memberships and baptisms.

Gaines and J.D. Greear, a candidate to be the SBC’s next president, are also members of the task force. 

The 12 articles of affirmation and denial largely emphasize the importance of all believers leading others to Jesus Christ, insisting that salvation is “by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.”

It rejects the…

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‘Things will be happening’, Trump offers hope for North Korean Christians

His promise came after a summit between him and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in which Mr Kim committed to complete denuclearisation and he offered unspecified “security guarantees” to North Korea.

In a press conference after the historic agreement was made, the US President was asked if the fate of Christians was involved in the talks with the secretive state’s leader.

 

Mr Trump assured said Christians were brought up in the discussion and “things will be happening”.

He replied to the reporter: “It will be worked on. Christians, yes. We brought it up. Franklin Graham spent and spends a tremendous amount of time in North Korea. He has it close to his heart. It did come up and things will be happening. Great question.”

Kevin Lim/The Straits Times via AP

 

The US leader said he was prepared “to start a new history” and “write a new chapter” between the two nations, declaring: “Real change is indeed possible.”

John Choi, which isn’t his real name, is a Christian who managed to escape North Korea.

He told Premier’s News Hour that the summit brought him hope that things will improve for Christians in the country because they have been increasingly getting worse.

He believes Mr Kim will make improvements because the North Korean leader wants the benefits of a better economy that comes with the historic agreement.

MeToo Is a Wake-Up Call for Pastors, Says Former SBC President James Merritt

(Photo: Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)People participate in a protest march for survivors of sexual assault and their supporters in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S. November 12, 2017.

DALLAS — The MeToo movement is a “wake-up call” for Southern Baptist pastors, said James Merritt, lead pastor of Cross Pointe Church in Duluth, Georgia, ahead of the denomination’s annual meeting on Tuesday.

“The safest place an abused woman should feel she can go is her church. And the safest person she should feel like she should be able to go to is her pastor,” said Merritt during a panel discussion hosted by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, titled “Conversation on Gospel Sexuality in a #MeToo Culture.”

Panelists at the ERLC event Monday night included Russell Moore, president of the ERLC; Trillia Newbell, director of community outreach at the ERLC; Jamie Ivey, author, speaker and podcaster of The Happy Hour; Kimberlee Norris, sexual abuse trial attorney for Ministry Safe; and Merritt.

(Photo: The Christian Post)From left: Trillia Newbell, director of community outreach for the ERLC; Russell Moore, president of the ERLC; author Jamie Ivey; and James Merritt, lead pastor, Cross Pointe Church in Duluth, Georgia; and Kimberlee Norris, sexual abuse trial attorney at Ministry Safe speak…

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Tearfund wins award for work on gender-based violence

The charity was honoured for its sexual and gender-based violence work in South Africa.

It started a project based in KwaZulu-Natal where 46 per cent of men admit to committing gender-based violence. The project aims to give survivors a safe space to reflect and heal, as well as share their stories with others who have faced a similar ordeal. It also encourages leaders in the area to speak out on the issue.

 

Tearfund said the project, which has been running for three years and is now a locally-owned, has supported 547 survivors.

The charity noted that 90 per cent of survivors said they had spoken out for the first time, improvements were recorded on survivors’ quality of life across a range of physical and mental indicators and engagement with the issue among faith leaders increased.

Nigel Harris, CEO at Tearfund said: “Sexual and gender-based violence is one of the most damaging problems within societies across the world.

“This new project equipped and empowered survivors to work together, support each other and bring about transformation in their own lives.”

Tearfund is exploring how it can support similar movements in other countries.

The Charity Awards celebrates and highlight best practice across the sector. Run by Civil Society Media, the annual awards programme helps to identify, recognise and reward those organisations doing exceptional work in all areas of…

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5 Things to Look for at the Southern Baptist Convention Meeting in Dallas

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Worship leader ‘so thankful’ after wowing Simon Cowell on America’s Got Talent

Michael Ketterer advanced straight through to the live performance stage of the contest after being awarded the coveted golden buzzer by the reality television judge.

Writing on Twitter afterwards, he said: “I’m so thankful for all of the support and love that I’m receiving from my family, friends, and people that I’ve never met before!

 

“My family and I are undone and are so thankful to God for this amazing opportunity.

“Thank you Simon Cowell for hitting that button!”

Cowell and the other judges – Mel B, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel – rose to their feet in applauding Ketterer for his rendition of the Bee Gees track ‘To Love Somebody’.

America's Got Talent

 

The married father – who has six children, including five foster children – leads worship pastor at Influence Church in Anaheim, California. He is also a children’s mental health nurse.

Addressing him from the judge panel, Cowell told Ketterer: “Michael… when we find singers on these shows, is it about being technical or is it about being relevant?

“And sometimes, for me, it’s just about being real and a surprise.

 

“I’m being honest with you because you were so nervous. I was concerned for you.

Before leaning over to press the golden buzzer – advancing Ketterer through to the next phase – he added: “But, I think sometimes actions speak louder than words.”

Stay up to date with the latest…

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Priest shot dead at altar of Philippine Catholic church

The killing is the latest deadly attack on a priest in Asia’s largest predominantly Catholic nation.

The two men shot the Rev Richmond Nilo with pistols on Sunday night in the chapel in Zaragoza town in Nueva Ecija province.

 

The gunmen, who fired through a chapel window, fled on a motorcycle.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said Father Nilo was the third Catholic priest to be killed in the country in recent months, and condemned the “outrageously evil act”.

The killing left a pool of blood below the statue of the Virgin Mary.

Archbishop Romulo Valles, who heads the Catholic bishops’ group, said: “We are deeply saddened and terribly disturbed that another priest is brutally killed.

“We make our appeal once again to the police authorities to act swiftly in the investigation and to go after the perpetrators of this heinous crime and bring them to justice.”

President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration condemned the killing.

Police created a special force to investigate the attack, determine the motive and identify and capture those responsible.

Many priests and missionaries in the dominant Catholic church have fallen victim to violence by Muslim extremists, criminal syndicates and groups affected by their involvement in the fight against corruption, environmental threats and political abuses.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian…

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Mike Pence and #MeToo to take stage at Southern Baptist conference

Mr Pence will: “express appreciation to Southern Baptists for the contributions we make to the moral fabric of our nation” said Southern Baptist President Steve Gaines.

He will address the church gathering at 11am with high security being put in place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas.

“It’s an honor to welcome Vice President Pence,” said Grant Ethridge, Chairman of the convention’s Committee on Order of Business. 

“While the Southern Baptist Convention aligns itself with no political party, our program recognizes and honors local, state and national leaders in keeping with 1 Timothy 2:1–2”

Many though disagree with inviting someone so publicly political to a Christian conference. 

Another area of attention at the conference is the #MeToo movement’s influence on the church, with one item on the agenda being a resolution called ‘Affirming the Dignity of Women and the Holiness of Ministers’.

This comes to the fore as prominent SBC figures have been found to be involved…

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My reflections on the Singapore Summit

“Nice to meet you, Mr. President.” With these words, Kim Jong Un shook hands with Donald Trump as the two made history in Singapore.

Before the summit, the sitting heads of the United States and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had never met. The summit began last night at 9 p.m. ET (9 a.m. Tuesday morning in Singapore) and lasted for four hours. The two met before a row of alternating US and North Korean flags, then sat down for a thirty-eight-minute, one-on-one meeting.

Their top advisers then joined them for another two hours of talks. The delegations concluded by sharing lunch together. Afterward, Mr. Kim announced, “The world will see a major change.”

“We’re going to have a great discussion”

Mr. Trump told reporters at the outset of the summit, “We’re going to have a great discussion. It’s my honor and we will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt.” Mr. Kim added that “old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles in our way forward, but we overcame all of them and we are here today.”

The two signed a “joint statement” in which “President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

The document makes four specific statements: (1) the two nations will commit to establish new relations; (2) they will “join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula; (3) the DPRK “commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula”; and (4) the two nations commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, “including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.”

According to the agreement, the US and North Korea “commit to hold follow-up negotiations” led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a high-level DPRK official “at the earliest possible date” to implement the outcomes of the summit. The…

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