The Church of England has confirmed it is examining the possibility of changing its liturgy to reference God in gender-neutral terms instead of as “Father,” “Him,” and “He,” the New York Post (NYP) reports. However, the denomination has said there are no plans to make changes to the current liturgy at present, and any future change would require “extensive legislation.”
A UK pro-life activist who was arrested for allegedly praying silently within an abortion clinic buffer zone has been left in a state of “significant uncertainty” after Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service dropped its charge against her but said the indictment may yet be reinstated, Christian Today (CT) reports.
A Christian teacher in England may be permanently prohibited from teaching in the UK after referring to a female transgender student as a “girl” and telling another student he is opposed to same-sex marriage, the Christian Post (CP) reports.
The Church of England has announced it cannot change its doctrine to allow same-sex couples to be married in the church but proposes that clergy may voluntarily choose to hold blessing ceremonies for homosexual couples in civil marriages, the Guardian UK reports. The “historic plans” announced on Wednesday represent a form of compromise after decades of anguished debate within the Church of England over the acceptance of homosexuality.
A UK Christian street preacher charged with a Public Order offense for telling a same-sex married couple that their union is against the Bible’s teaching has had his case dropped after the couple refused to engage with it, Christian Concern (CC) reports.
Church of England Evangelicals have rejected a theological essay published by the Bishop of Oxford which argues Anglican clergy should be able to bless and marry same-sex couples if they choose, the Christian Post (CP) reports. The Church of England does not allow the blessing of civil partnerships or the marrying of same-sex couples.
England’s National Health Service (NHS) agreed at the eleventh hour to settle a case brought by a Christian doctor who was subjected to severe disciplinary measures for mentioning his faith in Jesus to a patient, Christian Today (CT) reports. Dr Richard Scott was due to challenge the NHS action in a tribunal in Kent on Monday but before the hearing, the NHS agreed to settle the case.
A UK Employment Tribunal has ruled that Christian nurse Mary Onuoha was discriminated against by a government-funded hospital which forced her out of her job for wearing a small gold cross necklace, Christian Concern (CC) reports.
A British pastor who was fined over £16,000 for running her ministry to the homeless during a UK lockdown was told this month that the prosecution has withdrawn the case against her, Christian Legal Centre reports. Pastor Chizumie Dyer, who runs her ‘Church on the Streets’ ministry in Nottingham, England, was issued fines by police in February 2021.
US preacher Franklin Graham has won a UK legal case brought by British LGBT activists who accused him of promoting homophobia, and will now be able to hold an event in Sheffield, England in May, the BBC reports. The parties agreed to a confidential settlement, with no admission of liability on either side.
Evangelicals belonging to the UK’s Church of Wales are requesting a new bishop to represent them in light of the church governing body’s recent vote to allow blessing services for same-sex couples, the Christian Post (CP) reports.
The UK’s prosecution service has dropped charges brought against a street preacher who refused to stop his outdoor ministry during England’s first COVID-19 lockdown last year, Christian Concern (CC) reports. Christian street lay minister Mike Overd was due to appear in court this month after police issued him with a fine for preaching and offering prayer and Bibles in Somerset, southern England on April 2, 2020.
A UK court has dismissed the case against a female Christian street preacher who was charged with causing “harassment, alarm and distress” while preaching a message from the Bible outside a London subway station last year, Christian Concern (CC) reports. The Highbury Corner Magistrates Court ruled last month that preacher Hazel Lewis had “no case to answer.”
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) has sent a team of chaplains to the English city of Plymouth to offer prayer and counseling to residents devastated by Thursday’s mass shooting there, Christian Today (CT) reports.
Christian evangelist Hatun Tash says she survived a knife attack by a suspected Muslim in London “thanks to God’s grace.”
A 70-year-old British Pastor was arrested in London last month for publically preaching on the Biblical view of marriage and sexuality, Christian minister Peter Simpson reported in an article for the Conservative Woman. Pastor John Sherwood was arrested on April 23 while preaching from the Bible in the center of Uxbridge (PM Boris Johnson’s constituency).
A British court has ruled that the 2018 UK Lancashire Festival of Hope featuring Franklin Graham was subject to discrimination by local authorities which removed festival bus advertisements reading only “Time for Hope,” Assist News reports. The Blackpool Borough Council and Blackpool Transport Services were found to have violated the UK’s Equality Act 2010 by discriminating against the Festival specifically because of Graham’s religious views on homosexuality.
The leading British bank Barclays has closed the account of a Christian charity which tries to help people overcome unwanted same-sex attraction, Premier Christian News reports.
A UK Appeals Court has ruled that, while it is working with government authorities, a Christian adoption and foster care agency cannot refuse to place children with same-sex couples, the Christian Post reports. The Court ruled Tuesday that the Cornerstone Adoption and Fostering Service can recruit carers who identify as evangelical, provided it does not legally require them to be heterosexual.
An independent Christian adoption and fostering agency in England has been downgraded by a government regulator for “unlawful discrimination against same-sex couples” in that it only places children with opposite-sex Christian couples. The agency is seeking Judicial Review of last year’s decision and the case will be heard in Leeds High Court on Wednesday and Thursday.
