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All in the month of July Remembering the Rwandan genocide 1984 – the burning of York Minster The Lord of the Rings turns 70 125 years of Gideons and Bibles Prime Ministers ** Editor:  We continue our column that looks at memorable dates in the month (this time, June) down the years. Here is a...

In a recent Statement from Bishops Nick Baines, Church of England Lead for Foreign Affairs, and Paul Swarbrick, Roman Catholic Lead Bishop for Africa, they said: “It is over one year since the start of the Sudanese civil war. The actions of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue to...

The 2024 Paris Olympics (26 July – 11 August) will soon be here. It was 100 years ago this summer, also at the Paris Olympics, that a young science student at Edinburgh University, Eric Liddell, ran an astonishing race that caught the imagination of millions worldwide. Liddell had been born in China in 1902, to...

 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. …  For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are...

James and his brother John were sons of Zebedee and fishermen from Galilee – the ‘sons of thunder’, as the gospel writers describe their impetuous characters and fiery tempers. James stands out on three accounts: he was one of the three disciples who witnessed the Transfiguration of Christ.  Jesus took him, along with Peter and...

Queen Elizabeth II was the patron of both charities, but following her passing, her patronages underwent review. Now King Charles has agreed to continue with his mother’s legacy, saying he would be “delighted” to accept them both. King Charles said his faith is “deeply rooted” in the Church of England. On his accession to the...

It was: 750 years ago, on 11th July 1272 that Robert I (Robert the Bruce) was born. He was King of Scotland 1306-29. 125 years ago, on 1st July 1899 that the Gideons International was founded. The evangelical Christian association places free Bibles in hotel rooms, hospitals, schools, military bases and prisons around the world....

This month sees the start of the Olympic Games in Paris. In describing the Christian life as a marathon race, the writer of Hebrews (12:1-2) challenges us to finish well. ‘throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles’ (1) As in a normal race, we have to get rid of any...

The legend goes that St Christopher was a Canaanite who lived in the 3rd century.  He was a giant of a man, of fearsome appearance.  At first he decided to serve the devil, but when he discovered that the devil was afraid of Christ and His Cross, Christopher decided to serve Christ instead.  A nearby...

1 & 2 Samuel was originally a single work, which focuses on Samuel, Saul and David, around 1,000 BC, mid-way between Abraham and Jesus. It was Samuel who established the monarchy in Israel after the period of the judges. He was commanded by God to give the people a king, although their request is seen...

Jesus, fresh from His baptism and fired with His new calling, bursts into Galilee. Coming upon four fishermen working on the shore of the lake, He says to them, ‘Follow me’. Without further ado or even a second thought, they abandon what they’re doing (and in the case of two of them, James and John,...

Thirty years ago, on 15th July 1994, the Rwandan genocide ended. Up to 1.1 million people were killed by the Hutu-led government and other militias between April and July. Rwanda is a small central African country in the Great Rift Valley, dwarfed by the Democratic Republic of Congo to its west and close to the...