Freedom of Worship

street preacher arrested uxbridge john sherwood

Stop arresting street preachers, and laugh at them instead

Another street preacher has been arrested for proclaiming the gospel in a public place. This time it was in Uxbridge, in front of the Underground station. We've been here before (well, not Uxbridge), so there's no need to reiterate all…

Polish Catholic Church London Police Good Friday

When the police enter a church, storm the altar and shut down worship, a line has been crossed

April 5, 2021
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How hard is it to remain socially-distanced in a large church building? How hard is it to sit in pews in 'support bubbles' and leave enough space in front and…

SNP Nicola Sturgeon Braid court judgment closure of churches scotland pandemic

Nicola Sturgeon broke the law in banning Christians from church

March 25, 2021
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Thank God for Christian Concern, the Christian Legal Centre, and the intrepid Andrea Minichiello Williams. No-one else seemed to care about the SNP's ban on church worship – at least…

Lockdown UK: only in Scotland is public worship prohibited (except for the rich)

January 6, 2021
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Epiphany 2021. The Wise Men have arrived in the guise of SAGE – the wisest of the wise. If we follow the star of science and heed their advice, coronavirus…

Freedom revisited: perhaps we need a new revelation

January 4, 2021
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"If Boris Johnson has a political philosophy it is that he will not restrict our liberties unless there is an overwhelming reason to do so", tweeted BBC's Robert Peston after…

Jeremy Hunt Bishop Philip Mountstephen FCO report christian persecution

Hunt pledges UK power and influence to stem global persecution of Christians

January 31, 2019
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As promised in December, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has launched his independent review into the persecution of Christians across the globe. Flanked by the Rt Rev'd Philip Mountstephen, Bishop of…

Prince of Wales to UK Christians: “Do not take your rights of freedom of worship and freedom of expression for granted”

December 21, 2017
269 Comments

The Prince of Wales has visited London's Melkite Greek Catholic parish, based at St Barnabas Church in Pimlico. Coptic Orthodox Bishop Angaelos was in attendance, along with Syriac Archbishop Athanasius…

EU Court moves toward a ban on Christians wearing crosses in the workplace

June 1, 2016
261 Comments

This isn't the headline in most of the UK media, for some reason, which appears to prefer singling out Muslims and hijabs. There's nothing quite like a bit of…

Global persecution of Christians more extreme than ever

January 13, 2016
317 Comments

This week many in the church and a few in the media have their eyes on Justin Welby and the Primates meeting in Canterbury, waiting to see if the…

Rev'd Barry Trayhorn "forced to resign" as prison worker – for quoting the Bible in chapel

November 2, 2015
462 Comments

HMP Littlehey is a 'Category C' men's prison ("Those who cannot be trusted in open conditions but who are unlikely to try to escape") and Young Offender Institute near…

The Church must challenge the State's fuzzy 'British Values'

September 23, 2015
117 Comments

Fundamental British values have been defined by the Government as: “the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs." According…

A National Register of Faith Leaders? Government plans to vet all ministers of religion

September 16, 2015
229 Comments

There was an odd article in the Telegraph last week. Odd because the headline, photograph and content didn't quite cohere. Andrew Gilligan has apparently got hold of a leaked…

China abolishes the cross of Christ

August 13, 2015
77 Comments

China's stock-market has plunged: its GDP has crashed, the yuan has been devalued and economic confidence is in free fall. Another boom-and-bust bubble has burst: Mammon threatens another tidal…

Cameron can no more "destroy the Caliphate" than he can abolish the New Jerusalem

July 21, 2015
190 Comments

David Cameron's long-awaited speech on Islamic extremism (aka Islamism) was sort of worth waiting for. As he expounded his 'One Nation' vision to defeat the "poison" of extremism, he…

The Epistle of St Nigel: Ukip’s crass ‘Christian Manifesto’

April 29, 2015
368 Comments

Ukip have issued a 'Christian Manifesto'. They haven't issued a Muslim one, or a Hindu one, or a Sikh one, or a Buddhist one. Nor have they issued a…

Charles confirms he will be anointed and crowned 'Defender of the Faith'

February 9, 2015
468 Comments

There has been considerable and worthwhile coverage of 'Building Bridges' - The Sunday Hour interview with The Prince of Wales on the subject of Islamic extremism, radicalisation and the…

Today we will not forget those who suffer for Jesus Christ

November 16, 2014
142 Comments

In 1955 a young Dutch Christian joined a Communist youth group in order to visit Eastern European countries, with the intention of discovering how Christians lived behind the Iron Curtain. Weeks…

Rochester & Strood: the Christian case for supporting Mark Reckless

November 2, 2014
177 Comments

According to the latest opinion polls on the wacky race for Rochester & Strood, the suave, educated, cultured and erudite Peter Perfect Mark Reckless is blazing ahead for Ukip,…

Justin Welby's call to battle

October 16, 2014
117 Comments

What exactly is the grand plan that is going to result in the disintegration and destruction of ISIS? On Tuesday military chiefs from 22 of the 60 countries making up…

While thousand are persecuted and martyred, the Church ponders sexuality

October 15, 2014
70 Comments

Apparently, ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State has declared war on Christians. The latest cover of their propaganda magazine Dabiq shows the black jihadi flag flying above St Peter's in Rome. It is…