EU leaders have agreed in principle to extend Brexit until 31st January 2020, meaning the UK will not leave as planned on Thursday. A prayer hour is planned from 7pm to 8pm on Thursday, with Christians across the county asked to pray that “healing, love and respect be demonstrated by all, to all.”

The diocese of Carlisle said congregations can light an Easter candle or three candles in a church to represent one for themselves, one for their neighbours and a third for those with whom they may disagree about Brexit.

In a joint statement, church leaders from across the denominations, said: “There is no doubt that, regardless of political standpoint, the Brexit process has been divisive, with opinions still polarised.

“As we approach the 31 October – what has been seen by many as a ‘Brexit milestone’ – we are charged as Christians to reach out in love to everyone, in a spirit of reconciliation, with a listening ear and a deep respect for others’ views.

“Our hope is that those with faith, and indeed those who may have no faith, are able to come together in their place of worship to pray for each other, their communities and the nation and to light three candles.

“The lighting of candles underlines that this is rooted in our Christian faith and our understanding that Jesus is the light of the world and that those who follow him will not walk in darkness but have the light of life.

“This is the beginning of a process of praying for reconciliation which together…

On Monday 28th October Peter and Miranda Harris, co-founders of A Rocha, and Chris Naylor, A Rocha International CEO, together with his wife Susanna, were travelling in South Africa.

In a statement, the charity said: “Miranda, Chris and Susanna did not survive. Peter and the driver of the car are being treated at a local hospital and are in a stable condition. We await further news on their progress.

“Above all, their families and friends are held in our prayers.

“We know that this comes as a profound shock to everyone in the A Rocha Family and others all around the world. A more detailed announcement will be made in due course.”

Local reports suggest the vehicle they were travelling in plunged off Swartkops Bridge in Port Elizabeth after colliding with a pick-up truck.

Peter and Miranda Harris founded the charity in 1983 to bring a Christian perspective to the environmental crisis.

The organisation now works in 20 countries across the world.

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Peter Williams, Principal of Tyndale House and member of the Faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University said “I now believe I have arguments for the truthfulness of Scripture, which are not generally known by [the public]. So on one side you can say that there can be problems with scholarship that aren’t known by [the public], but I think there can also be arguments for truthfulness that aren’t generally known by [the public].”

His comments, recorded on The Big Conversation video debate show with Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Bart Erhman, are a challenge to the 39% of British adults who in the Talking Jesus study (Barna, 2015) stated they did not think Jesus was a real historical person and the 22% who believed Jesus to be a mythical or fictional character.

In a series of arguments, Williams described a number of elements that prove the historically reliable nature of the Gospels including: the early dating of the Gospels compared to equivalent ancient historical sources; the authorship being consistent with the names attributed and not being ‘anonymous’ as some scholars claim; the geographical knowledge demonstrated by the writers; and the reliability of the transmission of the texts over time.

Responding to Ehrman’s view that the story of Jesus could be undermined because of being handed down simply through oral tradition…

The former vice president and Catholic attended Saint Anthony Catholic Church in Florence on Sunday, but was denied Holy Communion by the church’s pastor Rev. Robert E. Morey, according to the South Carolina Morning News.

“Sadly, this past Sunday, I had to refuse Holy Communion to Former Vice President Joe Biden. Holy Communion signifies we are one with God, each other and the Church. Our actions should reflect that,” Morey told the newspaper in a statement.

“Any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of Church teaching.

“As a priest, it is my responsibility to minister to those souls entrusted to my care and I must do so even in the most difficult situations,” the statement continued. “I will keep Mr. Biden in my prayers.”

Christian evangelist Franklin Graham tweeted his support for Morey’s decision, saying:

“I applaud the fact that this priest did what he thought was right at the risk of possible public or political ire.”

Democratic presidential hopeful @JoeBiden was denied communion by a priest in SC over the weekend because of his pro-abortion stance. I applaud the fact that this priest did what he thought was right at the risk of possible public or political ire. 1/2 https://t.co/3UQgJSWpUw

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) October 29, 2019

Biden’s stance on abortion has for decades been aligned with the more…

The mentorship scheme, launched in 2013 by Christian charity Action for Children, is the first of its kind in the UK to provide ‘peer mentors’ to help youngsters break free from a life of organised crime.

It sees advisors, many of whom are reformed criminals modelling alternative lifestyles to “high risk” 11 – 18 year olds who have resisted more conventional forms of support, in a bid to deter them from further criminal activity.

Teenagers involved in drug dealing, money laundering and robbery were offered support in the form of education, training and employment advice at the Glaswegian based project over the past six years.

An analysis by the Glasgow City Council found that the scheme prevented 45 out of 49 recent participants in the scheme from re-offending and has saved the council more than £500,000 by diverting four high risk children away from needing care.

Following the success of Action for Children’s Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention service, The National Lottery is providing the charity with £4.6 million to expand the project to Edinburgh, Newcastle and Cardiff.

Action for Children director for Scotland Paul Carberry, said: “Serious organised crime is an issue for the whole of the UK, it disproportionately impacts the more vulnerable in our communities and has a greater presence in socially and economically disadvantaged areas.

“Since 2013,…