A senior church figure and a cross-party political coalition is recommending a legal change in Scotland to give same-sex couples full marriage rights.

As the latest manifestation of its ongoing financial crisis, and a further retrenchment in its social care, the Church of Scotland has announced the closure of an Argyll residential rehabilitation unit.

Dr John Sentamu issued a reminder at the closing worship service of the Edinburgh 2010 conference that the verdict on Christianity rests on the shoulders of its adherents.

The most effective means for 21st-century mission will be found in attitudes of “hope and humility”, a US professor has told the Edinburgh 2010 world Christianity gathering.