Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

– courage in persecution Persecution of Christians in various countries is making the headlines these days. Believers facing such opposition might well find inspiration from the courage of the Japanese Christians of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The Jesuit Francis Xavier had first brought Christianity to Japan in 1549, when he persuaded Shimazu...

How to Handle Temptation From the Vicar Love Is… Describe what love is Do your days rush by at a hectic pace? It is not enough to love – you need to be loved It’s all in the spelling… Have you done something which haunts you? ** Editor:  Canon Paul Hardingham considers the temptations of...

The fourth edition of UK Church Statistics, No 4, 2021 Edition, has now been published. Although this is a pre-Covid-19 assessment, the findings will still be of interest. The book looks at the 228 denominations in the UK. Although 39% of the denominations (which are responsible for 82% of the total membership) are declining, still some 50%...

It was: 200 years ago, on 23rd Feb 1821 that John Keats, the poet, died of tuberculosis, aged 25. 125 years ago, on 1st Feb 1896 that the premiere of Giacomo Puccini’s opera La boheme, took place in Turin, Italy. 75 years ago, on 11th Feb 1946 that The Revised Standard Version of the New...

 – and the wild boar St Kew has nothing to do with gardens or the ‘Q’ of James Bond fame. This Kew was a girl who lived in Cornwall in the 5th century, and who should be the patron saint of girls with difficult older brothers. Kew’s older brother was a hermit who felt his...

Taking a mature look at Valentine’s Day Do me a favour? What happened to your New Year’s resolution? What we want during the pandemic Beware hand sanitiser! Pandemic dreams Want to feel better? Cuddle your pet National Nestbox Week – time to help your garden birds Rising demand for leggings Let your teenager sleep Restaurants...

“I can resist everything but temptation” (Oscar Wilde). During Lent we remember Jesus’ experience in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), when ‘He was led by the Spirit.. to be tempted by the devil.’ (1). Temptation is a test of obedience, whether we do things our way or God’s way. After 40 days of fasting Jesus was...

– the persuasive sister Scholastica (d.c. 543) should be the patron saint of any woman who can bend her brother to do her will – no matter how ‘powerful’ that brother might seem to other people. For Scholastica’s brother was no less than the great monk Benedict, who founded the famous Benedictine order and lived...

‘I can resist everything but temptation’ (Oscar Wilde). During Lent we remember Jesus’ experience in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), when ‘He was led by the Spirit.. to be tempted by the devil.’ (1). Temptation is a test of obedience, whether we do things our way or God’s way. After 40 days of fasting Jesus was...

A leading campaigner for Christian freedom in China has received death threats and been hounded from his home in Texas. Bob Fu is a former Tiananmen Square protester and partner of UK-based Release International, which supports persecuted Christians around the world. Fu and his family have been traumatised by bomb threats and protests that continued...

– the poetic shepherd Caedmon (d 680) should be the patron saint of all farmers who enjoy humming to themselves as they do the lambing this Spring. For Caedmon of Whitby was a bit like David in the Bible; he grew up as a simple herdsman out on the hills who enjoyed composing songs and...

You do not see many Zimmer frames, wheelchairs or hearing aids on Valentine’s Day cards. They mostly seem to be full of young love, hearts and roses. Young love is wonderful and beautiful, full of optimism, and plans and hopes for the future. But love in later life is precious too. It is a love...