Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Just 75 years ago, on 14th-15th May 1948, Israel was declared an independent state as the British mandate in Palestine came to an end, and the Arab-Israeli War began with the invasion of Israel by Egypt, Transjordan, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. The war had been preceded by considerable unrest, with Zionist gangs committing atrocities and...

If you drive, you already know this: the potholes are getting worse. Some experts have warned that one in five of our roads will be undriveable in the next five years, unless we get to grips with the crisis. In its recent annual survey on the state of the country’s roads, the Asphalt Industry Alliance...

To risk sounding like a smart aleck seven-year-old, technically speaking you can only prove things mathematically. If you need to know that one plus one equals two, don’t go to a chemistry lab. The natural sciences only deal with things that can be observed and measured. Science has been so successful that it’s tempting to...

The aid agency Tearfund has been praised for the way in which it helps poor communities in Africa. It develops and supports them by working through their own local churches. Such a model has been found to produce “significant social value”. So says the research consultancy State of Life, which surveyed nearly 8000 responses from Rwanda,...

The C of E has launched a new foundation to give practical advice and guidance to churches and dioceses hoping to help tackle the housing crisis in their communities. The Church Housing Foundation will promote collaboration between churches and dioceses and experts in a range of areas from community engagement around housing need to planning...

Mary – the virgin mother of Jesus.  For centuries the eastern and western churches have considered her pre-eminent among all the saints. In the gospels, Mary makes her first appearance as a teenager.  Nothing is known of her childhood, and what we do know of her is found mostly in Matthew 1 – 2 and...

Sundays of the Month Editor:  Continuing our new feature, as we thought you might find it helpful to know what the Sundays of each month are called… 2nd April           Palm Sunday 9th April           Easter Sunday< 16th April         2nd Sunday of Easter 23rd April         3rd Sunday of Easter 30th April         4th Sunday of Easter<  ...

I was about six when I began to enjoy April Fool’s Day. My older brother was very clever at appropriate hoaxes, not only deceiving me but also mum and dad. On the whole my childish efforts were encouraged. The day was full of laughs, even at school, where the teachers would try to trick us...

In years gone by, the rules surrounding April Fool were this:  between midnight and noon on 1st April, everyone is ‘fair game’ to be made a fool of.  It is the morning of the practical joke.  But the aim is not just to discomfort the victim: he must be tricked into taking action himself, sent...

The events of Easter took place over a week, traditionally called Passion Week. It began on Palm Sunday. After all His teaching and healing, Jesus had built a following. On the Sunday before He was to die, Jesus and His followers arrived at Jerusalem. The city was crowded. Jewish people were arriving from to celebrate...

Jesus at the gates of Jerusalem Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, when the Church remembers how Jesus arrived at the gates of Jerusalem just a few days before the Passover was due to be held. He was the Messiah come to His own people in their capital city, and yet He came in humility,...

Murky crimes committed by various church leaders, local shops in trouble, roads needing repair, and hospitals in a sorry state…. wanting to retire, but the law said no… it seems that Hugh of Grenoble was dealing with 21st century problems in the 11th century. Born at Chateauneuf in 1052 as the son of a knight,...