Press Releases - Education and Culture

Time for the religious to kick the broadcasting habit

Press Office — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:26:14 +0000

A new paper released today by the religion and society think-tank Ekklesia highlights how, since its origins in the wartime programming of World War Two, the extension of BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day (TFTD) beyond their own voices has been resisted by Church leaders.

New schools award for religious inclusion and equality

Press Office — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:17:08 +0100

A prestigious new prize is being offered that recognises the achievements of primary and secondary schools which celebrate diversity of religious and non-religious beliefs.

Religious call to halt faith school discrimination

Press Office — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:45:12 +0100

A letter from members of nine religious traditions calling for an end to religious discrimination in schools has been published in the Times. The plea coincides with the first day of the Equality Bill’s committee stage.

Lib Dem policy on faith schools is inclusion 'breakthrough'

Press Office — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:34:52 +0000

The Liberal Democrats have become the first mainstream political party to acknowledge that many faith schools currently pursue unnecessary practices in admissions and employment which work against inclusion - and pledge to challenge them.

Want to know what's on tomorrow's news agenda, today?

Press Office — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:11:35 +0000

A brand new service from the religion and society thinktank Ekklesia details what's on the agenda in the next four weeks with regard to religion and public life.

New coalition for inclusive schooling to be launched

Press Office — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 01:15:10 +0100

A new coalition called Accord, which will be launched officially on Monday 1 September 2008, is calling on Children, Schools and Families Secretary of State Ed Balls to stop publicly-funded faith schools from discriminating against students and teachers on the grounds of their beliefs.

Good citizens question ‘national pride’, says Christian think tank

Press Office — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 12:26:33 +0000

Encouraging people to commit to social justice, human dignity, equality, civic participation and peace-building is the way to create good citizens, says the religion and society think-tank Ekklesia, not attempts to impose symbols of state allegiance and inflated rhetoric about ‘national pride’.

Church of England should stop 'spinning' around church schools says think-tank

staff writers — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:01:19 +0000

It is time that the Church of England faced up to the widespread public concern surrounding church schools and stopped trying to pretend that fear about Church schools comes only from a vociferous anti-religious minority.

Government responds to requests for action on 'creationism' (updated)

Press Office — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 10:19:29 +0100

In June 2007 the Christian think-tank Ekklesia and the British Humanist Association wrote to the new Schools, Children and Families minister, Ed Balls MP, urging him to make progress on combating creationism in British schools. The government has subsequently issued its promised guidelines.

Legal action not inevitable for university Christian Unions, says report

Press Office — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 10:44:44 +0000

A report published by the think tank Ekklesia suggests that the high-profile conflict between a number of Christian Unions and Students' Unions need not end in legal action ‚Ä' which would be damaging to all concerned.

U-turn on faith schools a symptom of undesirable 'New Deal'

Press Office — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 01:01:51 +0100

The scrapping of plans to require new faith schools in England to raise intakes from other religions is a sign of an emerging, but undesirable and problematic 'New Deal' between faith groups and government, the think tank Ekklesia has today warned.

Church schools policy 'un-Christian'

Press Office — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 10:49:23 +0100

Responding to the latest statement from the Church of England on admissions policy for faith schools, the UK Christian think tank Ekklesia has said that the Church's stance is ‚Äúwholly inadequate‚Äù and that ‚Äúusing church-going as a way of assigning publicly-funded school places is wrong and un- Christian in principle.‚Äù

Joint call on DfES to rule out 'creationist' teaching

Press Office — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 09:02:04 +0100

The UK Christian think tank Ekklesia and the British Humanist Association have today written to Education Minister Alan Johnson asking him to ensure that their guidelines are explicit in requiring teachers to maintain a wholly scientific perspective on the matter of the origin of species by evolution.

Religious think tank becomes Jesus' first 'friend' on Myspace

Press Office — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 09:15:41 +0100

The religious thinktank Ekklesia has become the very first 'friend' of Jesus, on the Internet phenomenon Myspace.

Churches should not force school worship

Press Office — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 16:30:17 +0100

The UK Christian-think tank Ekklesia has said that the latest call from the Church of England and other denominations for more emphasis on legally- enforced ‚Äòcollective worship' in English schools is misplaced.