The Very Rev Dr John Chalmers, of the Ecclesiastical Household in Scotland, said the selfie culture was “narcissism gone wild”, and said following Jesus was about “taking up a cross rather than a selfie stick.”

Dr Chalmers said that last summer he and his wife had visited the Pantheon in Rome, writing in Life and Work, the Church of Scotland magazine, he said he “overheard a young man and his companion: ‘Where do you want to go now?’ The response was, ‘Let’s nip down to the Vatican. I don’t want to hang around there, but I need to get a quick selfie in front of St Peter’s; then we’re done.’

“There may be nothing much wrong with the occasional photograph that shows us standing beside some famous person or site, but is it altogether healthy to be running around with your phone on a selfie-stick to make sure that you’re at the centre of every picture?

“Life isn’t all about me, me, me! Modesty beats pride hands down, humility is healthier than arrogance and self-effacement beats self-importance every time.”   

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Pupils at Whitehall Primary School in Chingford, Essex, have also been told to sing edited versions of two modern hymns when they attend a carol service and nativity at a nearby church on Tuesday.

One mother of children at the school, Margarita said: “I picked my children up at the end of the day and they were so upset, saying to me: ‘Mummy, today in assembly the head teacher told everybody that she would be changing the words to the Christmas song.’ I was so shocked. As a family we go to church, pray together and celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus as the Son of God.”

Headteacher, Zakia Khatun, had announced in the assembly that that reason for the change was so that ‘all pupils can participate in the celebration’. Many other parents and staff at the school are unhappy about what has happened.

One parent told the Daily Mail the changes were utterly unacceptable and likened it to taking ‘Christ’ out of Christmas.

The mother, 36, said: “If he was just a baby boy named Jesus, there wouldn’t be a celebration in the first place. He is our Lord and Saviour and King of all Kings – that’s the whole point.

“It is also a tradition – it is taking away the traditions of the country.”

The mother said her two sons, aged nine and 11 and who go to church and Sunday school, were very upset when the head teacher announced that the words of the carols…

The rapper said he wanted to “cry so bad” when his in-ear monitors blew twice during his historic set, and that he was certain it would be the end of his career.

The chart-topper, who was the first black British solo artist to headline the music event, revealed that his mother missed the live performance in June because she was praying for him to succeed after the pastor at her church experienced a negative vision about his set.

Stormzy, 26, told the Observer magazine: “The pastor saw reviews that said: ‘The worst performance of all time’ and then a hand coming down holding a stamp, and stamping on the review, DENIED.”

He said his mother’s pastor had called her just before he took to the stage, and that they and other members of their church prayed for the grime star while he performed live on the Pyramid Stage in front of thousands of fans as his in-ear monitors failed.

Although he did not know it at the time, his set was seen as a success, and he now believes that God saved him – as well as muscle memory.

He said: “I was so ready for that show. I’ve never been more prepared for anything.”

The music star said that if it had not gone well, he thought: “The country’s going to slaughter me for this. They’re going to absolutely rip me to shreds…”

He added: “There wouldn’t have been no second album.”

Stormzy, real name…

Six years on since the conflict started in South Sudan on 15^th December 2013, life has become even more difficult due to the climate emergency in some of the country’s most vulnerable and remote areas, according to Christian charity Tearfund. 

Assessments carried out in Twic East, Jonglei State – where Tearfund is working to treat mothers and children already suffering from extreme levels of malnutrition – have found that 90 per cent of crops have been destroyed by the flooding with vast areas inaccessible to vehicles,  hampering humanitarian efforts. With the flooding comes a significantly increased risk of waterborne diseases. 

Despite ceasefires being in place and a deadline for forming a government of national unity set for 20th February 2020, the situation is still complex. For Tearfund staff and other agencies trying to respond to those most in need the severity of the flooding is compounding existing difficulties. The Government of South Sudan has declared a state of emergency in the areas affected, with mothers and children most at risk. 

Aguil, 23, lives with her two children in Twic East, in eastern South Sudan, not far from the River Nile explains: “Life has always been difficult, but the flooding made it worse. I lost my five goats. The fields are destroyed… we don’t know what to do. There was so much rain, it felt like it had been…

The Everyday Faith campaign aims to help people live out their Christian faith wherever they may be, emphasising how much even the smallest and most routine aspects of our working lives – both paid and unpaid – matter to God and make a difference to others.

The three-week programme starting on 12^th January will offer a daily Bible reading, a book of reflections and prayers on the themes of love, faith and hope from authors including the Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek.

The reflections highlight how the Christian faith has inspired and provided support to people in their working lives, telling the stories of people including a London Underground worker, a teacher, a hairdresser, plumber, a nurse and police officers as well a retired couple.

Launched on Plough Sunday, the traditional start of the agricultural year when many Christian communities ask for a blessing on human labour, the campaign will make use of an app, social media posts and animations.

The campaign is encouraging churches to take part, with suggestions such as a regular ‘This Time Tomorrow’ slot at services for Sunday worshippers to hear fellow congregation members talk about faith and their working lives.

The Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek, said: “Living and sharing a Jesus shaped life, that’s what everyday faith is all about. It’s being with people in the places where…

The streets of Salisbury were illuminated at the eighth procession on Thursday as part of the city’s Christmas celebrations.

The Cathedral’s Dean, Reverend Canon Nicholas Charles Papadopulos and the Mayor of Salisbury John Walsh led the procession with the Dolphin Marching Band, who performed some festive music.

The historic and impressive architecture of Salisbury Cathedral provided a dramatic backdrop for the lanterns illuminated in the dark, from dinosaurs to stars and astronauts.

What a night it was last night! Check out all the photos from the #Salisbury Lantern & Lights Procession here: https://t.co/ZQRTwiZi4k pic.twitter.com/X3UjM3OOJn

— Christmas in Salisbury (@XmasInSalisbury) December 13, 2019

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Boris Johnson and the Conservatives secured a comfortable majority in the Commons to take forward their Brexit agenda. 

Despite the focus on Brexit during the election, there were other important campaign promises by the parties, some of which, like abortion, were of special concern to Christians.

Leaders in both the Catholic and Anglican Churches, as well as Christian campaign groups, had challenged pledges ahead of the election by both Labour and the Lib Dems to decriminalise abortion. 

While the Conservative Party did not make a similar promise, it has in the past moved forward after an election victory with changes to the law that were not outlined in its manifesto, such as happened with the introduction of same-sex marriage.

CARE said that with the election over, it wanted to see the government use its powers to protect life.

Among its calls are the restoration of devolution to Northern Ireland to reverse the imposition of radical new abortion laws in the province. 

It also asks the government to protect free speech and religious liberty for all, and bring an end to foreign aid spending to promote abortion overseas. 

“Our work to be a voice for truth in the corridors of power goes on,” CARE said. 

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Six bodies were taken off the volcano in a four-hour recovery mission on Friday, with two further bodies still to be recovered.

“Today was all about returning them to their loved ones,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a media conference in Whakatane, the mainland coastal town where about 100 family and local community members prayed and sang together on Friday.

Deputy police commissioner Mike Clements said the retrieval plan was supported by the victims’ relatives, many of whom boarded a tour boat to attend a prayer session 1km off the island before the recovery mission started.

One of the two bodies to be recovered has previously been seen in the water, but rescuers will not return to the island on Saturday.

Police said they would look at the next possible steps, adding: “Planning will allow us to return to the island to conduct further land-based searches for the remaining deceased, as the environment on and around the island allows.”

A team of eight from the New Zealand Defence Force started a retrieval operation from the island from first light on Friday, despite ongoing warnings of further activity from the volcano.

The team, wearing protective suits and using breathing apparatus owing to the threat of toxic gases, recovered six bodies which were then transferred via helicopter to a navy ship, the HMNZS Wellington, and taken to…

Christian charity the Trussell Trust said that it has seen a surge in drop offs in food donations since Boris Johnson and the Conservatives won a landslide victory to stay inside Number 10 after winning with a 78 majority.

The charity is urging the government to take action to help those in poverty, Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust said: “The Conservative party manifesto for this election promised ‘we will do more to make universal credit work’. Just last week on the campaign trail, Boris Johnson said helping people with the cost of living is ‘an absolute crusade’ for him personally.

“It is crucial these words are acted on. We know what hasn’t been working as it should, and we know what needs to change. We must start putting money back into the pockets of people who most need support, by ending the five week wait for Universal Credit, ensuring benefit payments cover the cost of living and investing in local emergency support for people in crisis.

“It’s in our power as a country to end the need for food banks. But if we’re to get there, we need our new government to act. We’re ready to share evidence from our network of food banks across the UK, and we’d encourage any new MPs to speak to their local food bank about why people are being referred for emergency food. It’s not right that anyone should have to turn to…