Church schools under threat, warns Bishop of Oxford
The Church is in danger of being driven out of public education by Government reforms and a generation of teachers ignorant of even the basic tenets of Christianity, a senior cleric has warned. A rush to introduce new academies and changes to the curriculum could threaten the very ‘survival’ of the church schools system unless urgent action is taken, according to the head of the Church of England’s Board of Education. The Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev John Pritchard, also warned that a tide of secularisation had undermined the standard of teaching of the Christian faith. Even in schools run by the church itself many teachers now lack a ‘default understanding’ of Christianity, he said. The warnings are contained in a hard hitting report about the state of faith schools and religious education to be debated by the Church of England’s General Synod next month.
Pray: that the Church would take up the challenge to bring faith back to the centre of church school life – see also previous story. (Dt.4:9)
Archbishop: ‘Anxious time’ for Christians across Middle East
Christians risk falling victim to extremist elements in the wake of the Arab Spring, the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned. Speaking to the BBC this week, Dr Rowan Williams warned of a ‘very anxious time’ ahead for Christians in the Arab world and Middle East. He voiced concern over the level of attacks against Christians and the burning of churches in Egypt, suggesting people were unaware of the true extent of violence being perpetrated against believers in the region. He spoke of his hope for the emergence of democracy following the unrest of the last half year, saying that a participatory democracy would be in the interest of minorities because ‘good democracies look after minorities’. The Archbishop voiced concern, however, that in the immediate future, Christian minorities would be subject to attack amidst the ongoing upheaval. He told BBC Radio 4: ‘There is no doubt at all that it is a very anxious time for Christian communities.’ Pray: for Christians across the Middle East that God would protect them and use them to bring reconciliation and peace where they have been planted. (Jn.17:15)
Belfast: a familiar pattern continues
Violence at the Lower Newtownards Road interface is a recurring theme in the history of sectarian trouble in Northern Ireland. On the cusp of east Belfast, the nationalist enclave of Short Strand sits beside estates and streets populated almost exclusively by loyalists. The only thing separating the two communities are several ‘peace walls’ - high artificial barriers which physically separate Catholic and Protestant homes. Across Belfast, there are now more such walls than there were when republican and loyalist paramilitaries first went on ceasefire in 1994. In some areas, including the Newtownards Road interface, political progress has not meant an end to sectarian strife. Police officers and civilians were regularly injured while some residents chose to move to other parts of Belfast rather than continue to live in an area blighted by violence.
Pray: against this further outbreak of sectarian violence and pray that peace would prevail. (Ps.34:14)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-13860978
Call to plant more churches
Baptist churches are 'complacent' about the need for church planting and have been lulled into a false sense of security by relatively healthy attendance figures, according to church planting consultant Stuart Murray-Williams. Mr Murray-Williams says in a web interview for the Incarnate church planting network See: that Baptist churches are the 'least creative' in this area compared with other major denominations. The problem lies not in the number of churches being planted - about one a month from 2005-2009, with a further 37 last year, indicating an increase in activity. But 'the way Baptists tend to plant is that a larger church with spare resources and spare people will plant a daughter church nearby. This is a perfectly good, way of doing it, but it's not strategic. It means we're not planting churches where they're most needed, but where we have the resources to do it.' Pray: that church planting resources would be directed strategically.
