Pope Francis has warned Christians against turning their faith into a rigid ideology that betrays the gospel's transformative love.

Baptist evangelical leader the Rev Steve Chalke has set out his theological and pastoral argument for supporting same-sex relationships in a new article.

Christians and other small communities in the Middle East and North Africa face an uncertain and sometimes dangerous situation in which fear is understandable, acknowledges Dr Harry Hagopian. But there is still good reason to resist being overly gripped by insularity and despair, to question the agenda of hierarchs, and to try to respond positively to the grassroots change that will continue to sweep the region over the coming year and beyond.