Research carried out by Dar al-Kalima University in the occupied West Bank town of Beit Jala, concluded that only a small percentage of Christians had left Palestine because of concerns over Muslim religious conservatism.

Explaining the rationale behind the results of the roughly 500 Christians and 500 Muslims interviewed, the study said: “The pressure of Israeli occupation, ongoing constraints, discriminatory policies, arbitrary arrests, confiscation of lands added to the general sense of hopelessness among Palestinian Christians.”

It added that these conditions have put Palestinian Christians in “a despairing situation where they can no longer perceive a future for their offspring or for themselves”.

The researchers highlighted that in the land of its birth, Christianity is losing its followers under the current political and economic conditions.

Bernard Sabella, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and one of the authors of the study, told Aljazeera “Palestinian identity needs to be highlighted and emphasised” to counter the reduction in the number of Palestinian Christians.

The study also found that 50 per cent of interviewed Christians and 54 per cent of Muslims were hopeful that their situation would eventually improve and attributed their optimism to the belief that God is on their side.

A…

Release International’s latest Persecution Trends Report 2018 warned that the Christmas season will see a clampdown on anything resembling festive celebrations in some places

It stated that China has been cracking down on Christmas celebrations in some districts, banning Santa Claus and Christmas hats to further tighten its squeeze on Christianity.

Tougher regulations on religious affairs come into force in February, giving the state greater control over churches and other places of worship.

China’s president Xi Jinping urged the Communist Party earlier in the year to safeguard China’s sovereignty and promote religion that is “Chinese in orientation”.

The charity which serves persecuted Christians, also said it was concerned about Nigeria, where Christian villages have been coming under sustained attack by armed Fulani herdsman.

Human rights organisation International Christian Concern reported that four Christmas carollers were killed by suspected Fulani militants as they worshiped in Southern Kaduna, Nigeria.

Attacks against Christians are also increasing in India, according to the charity, which said is being carried out by militants who believe that every Indian should be a Hindu.

In the Middle East, countries of particular concern include Iran, where Release claim authorities are targeting Christian leaders and Egypt where militants have been grooming Christian girls to “seduce them and force them into marriage to change their religion”.

Release…

Rt Rev Paul Bayes told the Guardian: “Some of the things that have been said by religious leaders seem to collude with a system that marginalises the poor, a system which builds walls instead of bridges, a system which says people on the margins of society should be excluded, a system which says we’re not welcoming people any more into our country.”

He also said “self-styled evangelicals” risked tarnishing the word “evangelical” as “people who call themselves evangelical in the US seem to be uncritically accepting” positions taken by Trump and his allies.

“Some quite significant so-called evangelical leaders are uncritically supporting people in ways that imply they are colluding or playing down the seriousness of things which in other parts of their lives [they] would see as really important,” Rt Rev Bayes added.

However, he acknowledged that not all evangelicals were supporters if President Trump.

His sentiment was shared last month by the Archbishop of Canterbury who expressed his confusion at the popularity Donald Trump enjoys among some Christians in the United States.

Speaking on ITV’s Peston on Sunday programme about President Trump’s supporters, Most Rev Justin Welby said: “I really genuinely do not understand where that is coming from.”

The bishop of Liverpool told the Guardian: “If people want to support rightwing populism anywhere in the world, they are free to do so. The question is, how are they…

The Rt Rev Dr Alastair Redfern told the Derby Telegraph that the popular picturesque tourist destination is a hot-spot for traffickers who rent out homes to use as brothels to maximise their profit.

The Bishop of Derby said the gang bosses advertise to vulnerable girls for sex on the web and then traffic them, before moving on to another holiday home to avoid suspicion.

The bishop, who has campaigned in the House of Lords to improve human trafficking laws added: “Derby is a place where Eastern European women have come over in search for a better life but they have been forced into working in a brothel and they have their life taken from them.”

He also claimed that the Derbyshire National Park has become a “hotspot” for prostitution.

Dr Redfern said it was important for the public to be attentive and notice signs of the crime.

He explained: “For the public it’s difficult because it is quite usual to see groups of men get into a vehicle and drive around for work. It happens all the time. But the public need to look closer. Are they all leaving the same house? Is their demeanour different? It’s likely victims will be shouted at.

“If they’re not mixing with other people then it’s likely they are trapped in that situation. We’re asking people to look out for the signs.”

Christian dating website Christian Connection has gone into overdrive as it experiences a surge in new memberships leading up to the New Year.

ChristianConnection.com, the UK’s largest Christian dating site, said it had a 50 per cent increase in membership last season and expects the same this time around with a peak in the beginning of January.

Jackie Elton founder and managing director of Christian Connection told Premier the mood post-Christmas has a lot to do with it.

She said: “Just as all the plates are tidied away and people start to think about what’s next, we find that the activity on our dating site and everybody’s [sites]starts to rise very dramatically.”

Earlier this year, 3rd January was the busiest day for industry leader Match.com. It said the average dating app user will scroll through 43 different profiles on the date, with activity increasing by 37 per cent.

Elton added: “People are thinking about the year that’s ahead and think it’s time for a change, sometimes a relationship has broken up, but mostly people are just looking to find somebody who they are going to share the coming year with.

“Also they have time. They’ve got several days off work and it’s dark and cold outside.”

While, most people are relaxing from Boxing Day to the New Year, Christian Connection ramps up its staff from late December into January to deal with increased web traffic. In January 2017, the website recorded half a…