National Week of Prayer.

                                 

UK Christians unite for nine days of prayer as National Week of Prayer enters third year.

Christians from different denominations and traditions across the UK are coming together for nine days of collective prayer this October, as the National Week of Prayer (NWoP) returns for its third consecutive year.

How Much of This Damage Has Been Done By Those Churches Which 'Pick and Choose' Which Bits of The Bible To Accept?

 Christian faith seen as ‘significantly more relevant’ to young people than church, new report finds.

 (Photo: Getty/iStock)

The Christian faith is perceived as “significantly more relevant to children” and young people than the church itself, according to new research which calls on churches to rethink how they engage the next generation.

The findings come from Scripture Union’s ‘Taking the Pulse of Ministry Among Children & Young People,’ written by Dr Sarah Holmes and drawing on responses from 697 adults surveyed by the Institute for Children, Youth and Mission (CYM) from May to July 2026. 

Respondents included church leaders, children’s and youth workers, parents, grandparents, congregation members and chaplains from various denominations across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. 

One of the clearest findings was a gap between perceptions of Christianity and the institutional church. 

On a scale from 0 to 2, respondents gave the Christian faith an average relevance score of 1.28, compared with 1.13 for the Bible and just 0.84 for the church.

The report said the Christian faith was perceived as 54% more relevant than the church. 

“This is significant because respondents did not reject faith as irrelevant; rather, they distinguished between the continuing relevance of the Christian faith and the perceived relevance of the church as an institution or community,” it stated.

It said the findings should prompt churches to consider “whether the church culture, language, structures and patterns of belonging make church feel accessible, meaningful and trustworthy to children and young people.”

Relationships and belonging also emerged as major themes.  CT.

The Lord Is Always With His People.

Birdie.

 

Sweden.

 The book that changed Sweden: 500 years of the Swedish New Testament.

 (Photo: Getty/iStock)

2026 is the 500th anniversary of the first New Testament in Swedish. This is the story …

Summary

This year marks the 500th anniversary of the publication of “Thet Nyia Testamentit på Swensko” (The New Testament in Swedish), which was the first complete New Testament printed in the Swedish language. 

The book helped lay the foundations of the modern Swedish language, accelerated the spread of the Reformation, and contributed to the emergence of Sweden as a unified nation. 

Five centuries later, churches, scholars and Christian organisations across Sweden have been marking the anniversary with services, exhibitions, concerts, lectures and new publications celebrating the enduring legacy of the translation.

Reformation Background

In 1516, Erasmus published the first printed edition of the Greek New Testament, allowing scholars to work directly from the original Greek rather than relying primarily on the Latin Bible used in Western Europe for centuries.

On 31 October 1517, the Reformation started when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg. Over the following years, the combination of the Renaissance, the printing press and the Reformation led to a market for the Scriptures printed in the languages spoken by ordinary people, rather than Latin. 

Luther printed the New Testament in the German language in September 1522, which was followed by printed New Testaments in French and Dutch in 1523, and Danish in 1524.

Scholars from different European countries went to Wittenberg University to study Lutheran ideas and learn Greek and Hebrew under Philipp Melanchthon. Among them were the brothers Olaus and Laurentius Petri from Sweden and William Tyndale from England. The two Petri brothers returned to Sweden, preaching justification by faith and the authority of Scripture. CT.

Do Only Buy REAL Christmas Cards!

Christmas cards. The latest magazine includes our annual Christmas catalogue, with Christmas cards and gift ideas. Everything you purchase from this catalogue helps persecuted Christians. EXPLORE

Pastor Dickson.

View email in your browser DONATE Voice magazine ‘Everything belongs to God.’ Pastor Dickson was struggling with intense anger after Fulani Muslims who had previously attacked his community approached him asking for food. But like many Christians who have suffered persecution in Nigeria, he has found that trauma-healing, run by a VoPC partner, has enabled him to respond in a godly way. The latest edition of our free, quarterly magazine, Voice, features testimonies from a number of Nigerian Christians who have experienced the grace of God through our partner’s workshops. ‘I have learned to take my pain to the cross because I cannot bear it alone,’ said one. ‘Attending this training has brought me deep relief and comfort,’ said another. If you haven’t done so yet, do take time to read these powerful testimonies in this latest edition. Read Voice magazine The latest electronic version of Voice magazine is now available on our website. To read it, click the button below.

This used to be called 'Tommy rot'.

 https://www.christiantoday.com/news/humza-yousaf-says-kate-forbes-alienated-minorities-and-offended-parents

The Son.

 

Birdie.

 

Syria.

                                       

Syrian Christian town attacked for second time by Muslim mob.

A Muslim mob has once again attacked the Christian majority town of Suqaylabiyah in Syria. CT.

Even More Reasons Never To Vote Green.

                         

Catholic Church 'deeply disturbed' by Greens call for complete abortion decriminalisation.

The Catholic Church in Scotland has said it is “deeply disturbed” by the Scottish Green Party’s call for the complete decriminalisation of abortion. CT.

Appalling! I wonder which side is worse? (I could hazard an intelligent guess.)

                                         

Christians condemn sexual violence following UN report on Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Most cases of sexual violence documented were against male prisoners of war.

Ebola.

 https://www.christiantoday.com/news/anglican-bishop-reminds-world-that-ebola-is-still-gripping-drc

This Blogger Only Supports Swift Executions .... Here's Why!

 A 77 year old man has become the 16th person executed this year in America's most active death chamber.

Curtis Wilkie Beasley was found guilty of murder, robbery and grand theft auto in the 1995 killing of Carolyn Monfort at her residence south of Orlando. The 77 year old Florida man was executed on Tuesday at Florida State Prison near Starke. DE.

Blogger: THIRTY ONE YEARS AGO?

Matthew 7:8.

Birdie.

 

Acts 17 - Thessalonika.

  2) As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3) explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4)Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.

Aww. Sweet!

 Channel migrant who said 'death to all Jews' is now living at taxpayers' expense in a Corby semi.

 Palestinian gun-toting militant Abu Wadee, 34, served nine months behind bars for illegally entering the UK by dinghy across the Channel and is now living in Northamptonshire.

Acts 18. NIV: It breaks my heart that so many missed out and failed to have their souls saved.

5) When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6) But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

Truly He Tells Us ...

 

Conversion Therapy Ban?

 Open letter urges Northern Ireland to reject conversion therapy ban.

 (Photo: Getty/iStock)

An open letter has been written to politicians in Northern Ireland urging them to reject a bill aimed at criminalising abusive conversion therapy practices.

The open letter, written jointly by the heads of pressure groups Anglican Mainstream and the Marriage, Sex and Culture Group, began with a challenge to supporters of the bill to find a single case of a person suffering abuse that was not protected by existing laws.

It then went on to point out the severe weaknesses in the “evidence” provided by the bill's promoters to support their claim that a ban is necessary.

“A Study of Conversion Practices in Northern Ireland” was produced in 2024 and is the only piece of evidence submitted in the sponsor’s memorandum on the bill. That study was made up of just 10 interviews, with even the authors conceding that its conclusions “do not represent findings that can be generalised”.

The open letter cited Freedom of Information requests conducted by The Christian Institute, which found that among all Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland, only Belfast had received any complaints relating to conversion therapy and even then, just a handful. Furthermore, even when there were complaints, the Trust had found no concerns relating to “clinical treatment and care”.

The open letter also raised concerns that a ban on conversion therapy could potentially criminalise parents or religious leaders who may not wish to affirm the gender identity or sexuality professed by their child, friend or parishioner.

While the proposed bill offers some protection for those registered with the General Medical Council, the Health and Care Professions Council, the General Pharmaceutical Council or the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland, no such protections are offered to parents or pastors.

Getting to the core of the issue, the open letter noted that the bill “protects help in one direction and criminalises it in the other”.

The letter was signed by Dr Lisa Nolland, CEO, of the Marriage, Sex and Culture Group and by Canon Dr Chris Sugden, Chairman of Anglican Mainstream. CT.