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News Briefing and Comment

Ekklesia runs a syndicated news and events listings service for churches, journalists, organisations and charities. Hundreds of churches and organisations now carry Ekklesia's news on their web sites. You can get Ekklesia's news on your web site in seconds, or by signing up for our daily email bulletin.

  • 21 May 2013
    Work Capability Assessments have failed the test

    Last year I wrote about my friend Yvonne, who had undergone an Atos Work Capability Assessment (WCA) and been placed in the Work Related Activity Group, meaning she was expected to attend the Jobcentre and prepare for work.

  • 21 May 2013
    Only communicate: how the church addresses the world (or not)

    Given that the Church of Scotland, like all major Christian denominations, conducts a good chunk of its internal business in public these days (with the boundary between what is 'internal' and what is 'external' increasingly stretched), media and communications can no longer be thought of - if it ever could - as a specialist function alone.

  • 21 May 2013
    Church 'issues' are about people, not abstract ideas

    Ask anyone reporting or commenting on the 2013 General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and they will tell you that proceedings this year are being dominated by two 'issues': the reception, or otherwise, of same-sex persons in the life and ministry of the Kirk; and later this week 'The inheritance of Abraham: A report on the promised land' (which has provoked a substantial preemptive assault by the pro-Israeli government lobby, on account of its advocacy of justice for Palestinians and Jews alike).

  • 21 May 2013
    Kirk opens a door it will be very difficult to close again

    The Church of Scotland vote to allow civil partnered gay and lesbian ministers, despite no change in the official teaching on sexuality, shows that the drift towards accepting gay people in the Kirk is continuing, says Simon Barrow. Indeed, while seeking pastoral sensitivity towards their opponents, the advocates of change believe that full inclusion is now inevitable.

  • 21 May 2013
    Church of Scotland votes to allow partnered gay and lesbian ministers

    The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland has voted to permit an individual Kirk Session to call a minister in a civil partnership if it so chooses.

  • 20 May 2013
    UK Government in court over Libyan renditions

    Tomorrow will see the first court hearing in the case brought by a Gaddafi opponent against the UK Government over its part in ‘rendering’ him and his pregnant wife to Libya in 2004.

  • 20 May 2013
    Kirk appeal for unity and respect as sexuality debate begins

    The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev Lorna Hood, has called for respect for different views among Kirk members.

  • 19 May 2013
    Quakers discuss faith, trust and service at Yearly Meeting

    Around 1000 Quakers will be in London this week(24 to 27 May) for their Yearly Meeting to discern the way forward for Quakers in Britain.

  • 18 May 2013
    Home-working on the increase despite the recession, says TUC

    The number of people working from home has increased by 13 per cent in the last five years, according to analysis of figures marking National Work From Home Day.

  • 18 May 2013
    Guatemala’s former dictator convicted of genocide

    A former general who presided over a reign of terror in Guatemala during the 1980s has been convicted of genocide.

  • 17 May 2013
    Austerity damages public health as well as the economy

    Austerity measures are causing avoidable illness and death on a major scale, public health experts have shown. In the UK and internationally, harsh cuts in public services and social services are damaging child and adult health and hindering economic recovery, yet some governments are pressing ahead.

  • 17 May 2013
    Charity calls for more homes

    Shelter has renewed its call for more homes, as Government figures show the number of new homes built has fallen by eight per cent in three months.

  • 17 May 2013
    Imminent executions in Indonesia must be stopped, says Amnesty

    The authorities in Indonesia must immediately halt the execution of three men, expected imminently, Amnesty International said yesterday (16 May).

  • 16 May 2013
    How tax dodging feeds world hunger

    World hunger could soon be ended if revenues lost to developing countries through tax dodging were available for investment in agricultural development, says Christian Aid.

  • 16 May 2013
    Conference to explore situation of Christians living in the Middle East

    Power, social injustice, the threat of extremism and Christian-Muslim relations are among the themes of a forthcoming conference on Christians in the Middle East.