Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Did you know that the Netherlands first learned Christianity from a Yorkshireman?  Willibrord (658 – 739) was born to devout parents, and joined the Benedictines.  In 678 he went Ireland to study at the Abbey of Rathmelsigi (a centre of European learning in the 7th century).  12 years later, in 690, Willibrord felt God had...

Her front door is a piece of dirty cloth. An open sewer is close by. Her window has been bricked up but still the rain comes in. Her ceiling leaks, too, and looks ready to collapse. A massive crack snakes up one wall. This is home for Rehana and her three children. Rehana’s husband died...

It was: 200 years ago, on 22nd Nov 1819 that George Eliot (pen name of Mary Anne Evans) was born.  This British novelist became one of the leading writers of the Victorian era, best known for Adam Bede, The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, Middlemarch and Daniel Dronda. 150 years ago, on 17th Nov...

Has your boss ever tried to get you to do something that is against your Christian faith?  If so, here are some saints for you.   They chose to make a Christian ‘stand’ at work, even though it really irritated their boss. Claudius, Nicostratus, Simpronian and Castorius were simple stonemasons in early 4th century Rome.  They...

There are warnings that religious violence in Nigeria is spiralling out of control. The United Nations describes a ‘pressure cooker of injustice’. And a leading US human rights campaigner fears Nigeria could be set to implode, destabilising surrounding countries. UK-based Release International supports Christian victims of violence around the world. Its partners in Nigeria warn...

It was 100 years ago, on 11th November 1919, that the first Armistice Day (now Remembrance Day) was marked in the UK.  King George V had issued a proclamation calling for a two-minute silence at 11:00am to remember the members of the armed forces who lost their lives in the line of duty. The two-minute...

–  Pope who rescued the doctrine of the Incarnation How do you think of Jesus?  As the Lord of lords in glory?  Or as a human baby soon to be born in Bethlehem?   November brings the glorious climax of the church year with the Sunday of Christ the King on 25th November – only to...

The Fall of the Berlin Wall From the Vicar The Beatitudes: ‘Blessed are the persecuted’ The Two Minute Silence A voice in the night In a fog? All you need is love You are loved by God ** Editor:  The Rev Paul Hardingham considers barriers – and breaking them down. The Fall of the Berlin...

Does this sound familiar?  An Archbishop of Canterbury tries to bring unity and calm to a Church split down the middle over seemingly irreconcilable differences, and all the while to promote the Gospel to the wider non-Christian society, in the face of widespread ignorance and even hostility towards Christianity. This isn’t Justin Welby, though. It...

This year The Royal British Legion is asking communities to remember the service, sacrifice, and collaboration of the armed forces of Britain, the Commonwealth and Allied nations who fought together 75 years ago. In 1944 this collaboration resulted in victory in three critical battles; Monte Cassino, D-Day, and Kohima and Imphal.  At Monte Cassino, an...

This winter, when you next see someone who looks both poor and cold, think of Martin of Tours.  This monk bishop, born in Pannonia (now Hungary) became one of the most popular saints of the Middle Ages. Martin’s father was a pagan officer in the Roman Army, and Martin was intended for the army as...

It was 30 years ago this month, on 9th November 1989, that the fall of the Berlin Wall began. Over two million people from East Berlin visited the West in a celebration described as ‘the greatest street party in the history of the world.’ However, we are still living with walls, thinking of those dividing...