Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Just a month after converting the famous Hagia Sophia into a functioning mosque, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that another historic church has been turned into a place of Islamic worship. The historic Chora church, one of Istanbul’s most recognisable Byzantine buildings, was officially commissioned as a mosque in late August. The mediaeval church contains several 14th century...

Odran is a suitable saint to remember as Halloween approaches, for his story involves the spirit world. British by birth, Odran (died c. 563) was one of Columba’s first companions on Iona.  Sadly, he died not long after his arrival on the island.  But Columba found comfort, for in a vision he saw Odran’s soul...

If your grannie gave you honey when you had a cold, she was right. Research published in The British Medical Journal has found that honey is especially good for treating upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) such as the common cold. Honey has anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties. These do better at soothing your cough and sniffles...

Autumn is in full swing but there is at least one plant that is in full bloom. Not spectacular to look at, yet ivy is an important source of nectar for bees, moths, flies and wasps, and while they are not most people’s favourite insects, they all play a vital part in Nature’s jigsaw. Ivy...

Jude the apostle and martyr (1st century) warns us in his epistle that not all ‘evil’ comes in the form of obvious ghosties and ghoulies.  He writes instead to warn the Christians of the greater danger of people who infect others with heresy and moral failure.  He writes that they are nothing more than …. ...

Crime hurts many people – including the families of prisoners who have ended up in the UK prison system. They are often the forgotten victims, but not by the Mothers’ Union (MU). Instead, the MU’s prison work across Britain is extensive, with the aim of keeping hurting families together. It is not simple work, for...

Oppression and discrimination against Christians has increased during Covid, says Release International, which has launched an appeal to help Christians suffering during the pandemic. Many Christians have been denied food and relief aid and excluded from support systems during lockdown. They have been abandoned by families because of their faith and refused relief by governments and...

By Peter Maiden, 10ofthose, £7.99 As Christians we should be the most grateful people alive. After all, doesn’t the Bible encourage thankfulness and condemn grumbling? Peter Maiden traces the theme of thanksgiving in Scripture, and shows how we can genuinely live counter-cultural lives even in an age of rampant entitlement. He explains how gratitude is...

Most churches who used digital channels during lockdown, in order to keep in touch with their congregations, found that their favourite platform was Zoom. A recent survey by Ecclesiastical found that Zoom was used by 78 per cent; Skype by 12 per cent, and other platforms, including WhatsApp, by eight per cent. Nearly one third...

The Methodist Church has launched a Year of Prayer online to help bring more people to faith. The short weekly online service takes place each Tuesday lunchtime, at 12.45pm via Zoom, and is also live- streamed via Facebook. It will be led by people from across the Church. Trey Hall, Director of Evangelism and Growth...

If you have done your best to live ‘right’, and still had nothing but trouble and heartache in your life, Alphonsus is the saint for you.   He was born in 1533, the son of a wool merchant in Segovia.  He followed his father into the profession, married, and had two children.   He was a responsible...

How dangerous is it to sing in church, when it comes to spreading coronavirus? About the same as it is to speak loudly in a pub. So say researchers at the University of Bristol. They have found that speaking loudly and singing generate about the same amounts of aerosol droplet – tiny particles of liquid...