Abortion Act 40th anniversary October saw the 40th anniversary of Parliament passing the Abortion Act which legalised abortion. Many now believe that the bill is being used for purposes never envisaged when it was introduced on 27 April 1968.When Parliament was debating the bill in 1966, David Steel (now Lord Steel but then an MP…
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Fun year for atheists!The atheists have had a fun year, with five or six high-profile books attacking religion indiscriminately. We used to be told that all religions are equal because they all lead you to God. We are now hearing that no religions will lead you anywhere - least of all to God. Either…
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Flood relief flights in Uganda An estimated 300,000 people have been affected by severe flooding in Uganda. Many bridges and roads have been washed away leaving people cut off from aid. People have been left without food and clean water and at risk of water-borne diseases.Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) aircraft have been flying to the…
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Iraq's Christians suffer Christians in Iraq face severe persecution and dwindling numbers, according to reports from charity and aid organisations working in the region. As many as one million professing Christians are believed to have left Iraq since 1990, when they first began to experience difficulties because of their Christian faith during the first Gulf…
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Early Stonehenge settlementArchaeologists working near Stonehenge have uncovered what they believe is the largest Neolithic settlement ever discovered in northern Europe. The village is a temporary settlement and shows signs of animals being brought in for feasting.Remains of an estimated 300 houses are thought to have survived under earthworks 3km (2 miles) from the…
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Tell the shepherds? You must be jokingCarols and Christmas cards represent the shepherds in the Christmas story as some kind of rustic nobility - an ideal example of primitive rural simplicity, an echo of distant Eden, far from dark Satanic mills. Some of the world's greatest artists - painters like Constable and Rubens -…
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Bullied at schoolAs a child I was taught the Bible and went to church but, looking back, I realise that I didn't enjoy these things. I had Bible stories embedded in my head but they were just fiction to me. I didn't really care for the Christ who died on the cross. I quite…
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Me and my mobileWould you give up your mobile phone for a million pounds? According to a survey by the Carphone Warehouse and the London School of Economics, one in three of us would not! Mobile phones are fast becoming indispensable and Britons send a billion text messages every week.The survey also found that:…
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I had it taped Charles Tomlin was brought up in a Christian home in Cheltenham with three brothers and two sisters. He came to know Christ as his Saviour by listening to tape-recorded sermons.My parents made sure that we all attended Sunday school and heard sermons but I could never understand why my parents made…
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Come and welcome A few years ago I saw something that touched my heart. An evening TV news segment presented an historical feature about Ellis Island, which was the American government's chief immigration station from 1892 till 1943. It was here that immigrants were first detained and examined for citizenship in the United States.…
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News in Brief Touching woodA survey published in The Times newspaper on 31 October found that: 62% of Britons believe that we have souls; 62% believe in fate; 47% believe in life after death; 41% believe in telepathy; 38% believe in ghosts; 31% believe in extraterrestrial beings; 23% believe in horoscopes; and just 16% believe…
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The Gospel on air in Timbuktu Mention Timbuktu and you immediately think of remoteness. However, Timbuktu is now the home of a new Christian broadcasting channel and one of HCJB Global Voice's newest partners. It broadcasts the gospel in five languages - Tamasheq (Tuareg), Sonrai/Songhoy, Hassaniya, Bambara and Fulani.Timbuktu is truly remote. It is located…
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Letting down our children Almost one in ten girls aged 15 or under went to a contraception clinic in England last year, according to a new report from the Information Centre for Health and Social Care. A total of 81,000 under-age girls attended the clinics, of whom 31,000 were 13 and 14 year olds. In…
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Sorry mate, I'm not interested in religion At 17 David Fraser embarked on a journey that changed his life. 'All the best, son, and remember, don't get involved in religion'. These were the last words from my father as I ventured through passport control and onto my flight to London. I remember them clearly…
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Tax collector climbs tree How many people today would consider themselves lost? Would you? It is interesting, therefore, that Jesus said, 'the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost' (Luke 19:10). He was speaking about us as being lost and himself as the one who can find us.He was passing through…
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Charles Dickens' favourite sisterWhen Charles Dickens described the cheerful and improvident Mr Micawber in David Copperfield, he had a vivid and personal model in mind - his own father, John Dickens. Charles and his older sister Fanny could never forget those dark months when their bankrupt father was locked up in a notorious debtors'…
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A moving experienceThe inhabitants of Heuersdorf in eastern Germany have lost their village but saved their church - after a court ruled that 300 residents must move out of the area to allow miners to get at the coal beneath their homes. However, sympathetic neighbours in a local town called Borna offered to re-house…
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Unanswered questionsStephen Nowak's life was changed when he watched his friend die, trapped in a well he was constructing when an earthquake struck.My name is Stephen Nowak. I was born in 1973 and grew up near Brighton. Although I had every chance to get a great head-start in life, I wasted all the opportunities…
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Grandpa John's miracleMy mother's stepfather had always interested me. 'Grandpa John' had not had an easy life. He immigrated to the US from Russia in the 1920s. He married my grandmother a few years after my grandfather died but sadly the marriage ended in divorce and Grandpa John lived the last thirty years of…
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The world on our doorstepWalking from Liverpool Street Station towards Brick Lane is an odd experience. The prosperity around the station proclaims London as the leading financial capital. Massive amounts of wealth change hands every day in modern office buildings, while sharply-suited businessmen and women dash to and fro chatting into mobiles. Yet only…
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Compassion in Uganda Battling through heavy rain, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) pilot Laura Westley flew a team from the Mildmay Clinic to conduct a one-day clinic at Bobi — a camp for internally displaced people in northern Uganda. On arrival the team was greeted by rows of mothers, waiting patiently with their children to…
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When Christmas is the hardest timeJohn Benton finds comfort at Christmas for those bereavedIn bereavement two gigantic realities collide. They are very different but very real. They are the realities of love and death. Bereaved people often say, 'It doesn't get any easier' - and times like Christmas are the worst. Past memories of…
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Arthur Imbrey; ministering in SouthallArthur Imbrey and his wife Margaret have retired after 40 years of pastoral ministry in Southall. A service was arranged by local church leaders in Cranford Baptist Church and led by Colin Reasbeck (Doncaster). The preacher was Brian Edwards.In 1967 Arthur accepted a call to the Barn Mission in Southall,…
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Reaching Sheffield's international students Romeo Lorenzo writes: From 24-28 September, Wycliffe Church in Sheffield launched an intensive programme of evangelism to reach international students at Sheffield's two universities - who are studying such subjects as education, engineering and social sciences. Wycliffe's pastors invited three students from London Theological Seminary (LTS) to help distribute gospel…
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A Star is bornThe Bible is full of prophecies about a coming Messiah which were written hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. One of the earliest was spoken by an obscure character called Balaam, who declared, 'I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come…
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What if Christmas never was?The significance of Christmas for people todayIs Christmas worth the hassle? It seems to start earlier every year bringing too many crowds, too few parking spaces, too much food and too little money. There are certainly aspects of Christmas we could do without - the extra food, cards, decorations and…
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Al Gore's 'inconvenient truth'A High Court judge has urged caution and balance when showing school-children Al Gore's film 'An inconvenient truth' on global warming. The judge, Sir Michael Burton, identified nine incorrect claims in the popular film in his judgment on a challenge brought by a school governor over whether the film should be…
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Why are things beautiful?Stuart Burgess, Professor of Design and Nature at Bristol University, considers the origin of beauty and design in nature. It is amazing how a tiny dry seed, planted in mud and given the right conditions, can turn into a flower with beautiful colours, smells and textures. Of course, beauty is subjective, which…
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Gospel light in East BelfastFor the past 30 years, the city of Belfast has been synonymous with sectarian hatred and violence. This had little to do with religion and much to do with conflicting political aspirations. In recent years, however, the relative peace has given the city a new confidence and a new lease…
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Halloween less scaryChristians and family groups have expressed satisfaction following a campaign by churches to make Halloween more fun and less scary. Shops and supermarkets were asked to assess the range of goods available on their shelves and make the material 'less grim' and more amusing. At a national level, several major retailers have responded…
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Is there anybody out there?John BlanchardFor nearly half a century a privately funded project has captured the imagination of millions of people all around the world. SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) was launched in the hope of detecting messages from alien civilisations in outer space, but it ties in with deeper questions that human…
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New pastor for MelkshamOver 200 people gathered in Melksham, Wiltshire, on Saturday 6 October, to witness the induction of Rev. Marc Thomas to the pastorate of Ebenezer Baptist Chapel. The meeting was chaired by Dr Eryl Davies (former principal of the Evangelical Theological College of Wales). Chris Buss (assistant pastor at the Metropolitan Tabernacle,…
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Who made God? or how long is a piece of string?A question that is asked repeatedly by both Richard Dawkins and your average five-year-old probably deserves a reply. But whether asked gleefully by an atheist intellectual or innocently by a child, the only possible answer is, 'nobody'.There is more to the question than meets…
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The virgin birthThis Christmas countless people will sing Charles Wesley's hymn 'Hark the herald angels sing' including the verse:Christ by highest heaven adoredChrist, the everlasting Lord.Late in time behold him comeOffspring of a virgin's womb.Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,Hail the incarnate Deity,Pleased as man with men to dwellJesus our Immanuel.Unlike other religions, the…
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I think, therefore I believeAnastasia Somerville was a philosophy student who found that the Bible addressed the apparent meaninglessness of life - and then pointed her towards God.I left London for Edinburgh in September 2000, excited about beginning my course at Edinburgh University and exploring Scotland. I studied for an MA (Hons) in Philosophy…
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Aussies go to the polls Churchgoers in Australia are beginning to flex their political muscle in much the same way as the 'religious right' in the USA has done for some years. Christian lobby groups and church leaders have stirred up conservative voters on moral issues during campaigning for the country's general election at the…
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NorthamptonOn Saturday 13 October, 200 gathered to share in the service of ordination and induction of Paul Milner to the pastorate of Reynard Way Evangelical Church, Northampton. Our previous pastor Brian Wilkinson, who retired in March 2006 after 43 years of ministry at Reynard Way, took part in the service, as did Pastor Roger…
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Knowing Christ personallySam Matthews discovered that a Christian upbringing doesn't make you a Christian.Because I had a Christian upbringing people think I have been a Christian all of my life. But faith in Jesus Christ is not something that my parents or teachers could instil in me, nor something obtained by attending church. My…
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Can we be sure of heaven?Are you a Christian? Are you right with God? Are you sure of heaven? There are no more important questions than these. These are matters of life and death, of heaven and hell. Doubtless some will say they are sure, others will know they are not, and still others…
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JW dies after refusing bloodA young Jehovah's Witness has died after giving birth to twins, amid claims that she had refused a blood transfusion because of her faith. Emma Gough, 22, of Telford, Shropshire, gave birth on 25 October. The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital will conduct an internal review of the case. The twins, a…
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Joel Edwards appointed to new commission Joel Edwards, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance, has been appointed as a commissioner to the new Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).Commenting in an Evangelical Alliance press release, Mr Edwards said he would strive to ensure that the values of faith communities play an effective role in the…
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A canyon in three daysAccording to a report from Associated Press, a canyon (now open to public view) was formed in three days when flood waters spilled from a reservoir overflow channel on Canyon Lake in central Texas. On 4 July 2002, when the floodwater was at peak flow, it was moving at almost…
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going home...Before her recent death, Irene Lyon wrote this brief but moving testimony to God's saving and restoring grace.When I was in my teens I was privileged by God's grace to attend a church where the Bible was believed and taught and the gospel of Jesus Christ was faithfully preached. The minister of my…
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A new year at WESTThe dedication service for Wales Evangelical School of Theology (WEST) was held on Saturday 22 September in the grounds of Bryntirion, at Bridgend. Jonathan Stephen chaired the meeting with 200 in attendance. He commented on developments during his first year as Principal. These include plans for a new course starting…
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Living two livesJackie Tomlin discovered that you cannot serve two masters.Christianity was something I was brought up with. I always assumed that one day - probably when I was middle-aged with a family and had done everything I wanted to do - I would then decide to become a Christian. Little did I know…
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How to have everything According to Lord Layard, a professor at the London School of Economics, people in the West have got no happier in the last 50 years. His research leads to the conclusion that we are richer, work shorter hours, have longer holidays, travel more, live longer, and are healthier - but…
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