Supporters the separation of Church and State in the United States have filed a lawsuit seeking an end of the use of the term "so help me God" during President-elect Barack Obama's 20 January inauguration.

Much church self-promotion misses the point, says Jonathan Bartley. the church to which church-leavers return must be different from the one they left. In other words, the solution is moving forward, not going back.

Civil libertarians are infuriated at special regulations coming into force for the upcoming Catholic World Youth Day event in Sydney, Australia, where Pope Benedict XVI will be the guest of honour.

Globalisation constructed as top-down control and the triumph of the powerful needs to be disrupted by a different and gentler logic, says Simon Barrow. But will we choose Pentecost or Babel?

Whether we love or hate Christmas, we know all about it. But the same may not be true of the coming of Jesus, says Simon Barrow. In Christ, God radically disrupts religious 'business as usual'.

The non-religious as well as the religious fight amongst themselves, Mark Vernon observes. But in questioning, they are all the better for it, provided that plural thoughtfulness can overcome intolerant rationalism.

Replying to questions on a BBC TV programme today, Lord Carey of Clifton, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, has publicly agreed with the Christian think-tank Ekklesia that it is time for Britain's archaic blasphemy law to be abolished.

The UK-based international development agency Christian Aid intends to double the number of volunteer teachers it recruits over the next two years to help share stories about the work of its 700 partner organisations in 50 developing countries.

At the root of death-dealing religion and ideology is fear, says Simon Barrow. The biggest challenge we face today is how to challenge cultures of death from within, replacing the logic of the sword with an invitation to life.

BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day reflection spot could be opened up to the non-religious as well as the religious, argues one of its Christian contributors. Jonathan Bartley says it can help people to listen to one another better.