British Isles

Friday Focus: joyful invitation

03 Nov 2017
When Jesus sends out the 72 he tells them the truth that as they go to invite people to hear about the kingdom of God, they will be either welcomed or rejected: if…

Sex scandals in parliament and Oxfam

03 Nov 2017
Following the sex scandal surrounding Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, several senior government ministers have now been accused of inappropriate sexual behaviour in a dossier circulating Westminster. Then on 2 November the media reported…

Luther-style protest over gay relationships

03 Nov 2017
A campaign targeting cathedrals around the UK is spreading off the back of the 31 October 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation when an Augustinian monk criticised some practices of the church. The…

Northern Ireland budget bill

03 Nov 2017
Plans are being put in place to impose a budget for regional government departments in Northern Ireland, the secretary of state has revealed. But James Brokenshire stressed this did not mean a return…

Message from Open Doors UK

03 Nov 2017
Open Doors write, ‘We have some breaking news to share with you! We’ve just heard that the Prime Minister Theresa May has agreed to meet us and some of our partners from Iraq…

The Church and mental health

03 Nov 2017
Poor mental health costs £99bn and causes 300,000 people to leave work each year. NHS antidepressant drug prescriptions more than doubled in ten years, and mental health provision is in crisis. Christians struggle…

IS fighters return from the battlefield

03 Nov 2017
As IS control erodes in Iraq and Syria, about half the foreign fighters from the UK, Sweden, and Denmark have returned. IS kept detailed records of fighters, and captured computers and cell phones…

Balfour Declaration centenary

03 Nov 2017
Prime Minister Theresa May hosted her Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, to mark the centenary of the Balfour Declaration. It was a British pledge that paved the way for Israel's creation by supporting a…

Friday Focus: hunger for God’s word

27 Oct 2017
Isaiah 55:1: this ancient invitation to God’s people to feast on God’s word and His promises at a time of national despair, continues to echo even today as we frantically consume perishable goods…

Brexit: poll backs walking away

27 Oct 2017
An online poll conducted by the Observer found that British voters would back a no-deal Brexit rather than another referendum on EU membership. People are now more pessimistic about the process than optimistic.…