Authors: Paul D. Wolfe Publisher: Banner of Truth 112 pages Purchase from: Banner of Truth (£5) This addition to the Banner Mini-Guides series certainly merits an enthusiast ic commendation. The starting-point is that suffering is one aspect of our union with Christ, and two categories of suffering are distinguished – everyday suffering and specific personal suffering ..read more

Ten prisoners have now been euthanised in Canada under the country’s controversial Medical Assistance in Dying regime (MAID). According to statistics released by the Canadian government, since the practice was first legalised in 2016 deaths by euthanasia and assisted suicide now account for one in every 25 deaths in Canada. This equates to 44,958 Canadians since legalisation. Jennifer O’Connell, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety, said that as of 13 February 2024 the total number of requests received by the Correctional Service Canada (CSC) for MAID was 37, of which 10 w ..read more

In two separate cases in Darlington and Fife, NHS workers are suing their employers after men were allowed into the ladies changing room. Eight nurses who work at the Darlington Memorial Hospital are taking legal action against County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust. They are claiming to have suffered sexual harassment and sex discrimination because of a policy which allows trans women to use their women’s changing rooms ..read more

‘Hidden Grace’ was the evocative title for this year’s Derby Bible Week, which took place over several days in April. Jonty Rhodes (Christ Church Central, Leeds) was our speaker and his focus was the Book of Esther. Famously, the Book of Esther contains no direct reference to God. God’s grace is perhaps ‘hidden’, but Jonty showed us the over-arching reach of God’s sovereignty that transcends the story, and the practical outworking of his providence in every twist and turn ..read more

In April, Emmanuel Church, Salisbury, held a missionary meeting to hear the latest updates and news from Hudson Taylor Ministries. Speaking on that occasion was the Revd Murdo Macleod, UK speaker for HTM. Information about the work, which is predominately in China, was given in a presentation, while a brief time of questions was held at the end of the meeting. Ever-increasing measures to curtail freedom in China are being felt in particular by Christians. The level of surveillance across society is heavy, yet means to reach and teach God’s people are being made ..read more

The dust is settling following the general election. Christians are processing the implications for religious freedoms and the cause of Christ across the UK. As we do this, it is worth reflecting on how the smallest and most vulnerable of our number will be affected. How will Labour’s victory impact our unborn neighbour? While other groups in society undoubtedly require particular support (the disabled, the elderly, etc.), the single most at-risk group in our nation are children in the womb. By way of reminder, since 1967 it has been legal to dismember unborn children up to 24 weeks’ gestatio ..read more

The new Secretary of State for Health, Wes Streeting, has said he will keep a ban on the use of puberty blockers for children. Puberty blockers are drugs which delay the physical changes that come with puberty, and they are used on transgender youths. But they are highly controversial, and the previous Conservative government introduced an emergency ban following the publication of the Cass Review ..read more

The new Labour government will introduce a draft bill to outlaw conversion practices, the King’s Speech at the state opening of Parliament has confirmed.   A ban on ‘conversion practices’ means it could become a crime to preach, pray, or give pastoral care in line with biblical sexual ethics. Parents’ and doctors’ conversations with gender confused youngsters could also be affected.  But the government has only committed to a ‘draft’ bill, which means there will be a public consultation and pre-legislative scrutiny which could reveal the many difficulties inherent in legislatin ..read more

Labour’s victory in the general election didn’t come as a shock to most observers, nor should we be surprised by their commitment to a trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices. They said as much before voters went to the polls. With Labour’s healthy majority in the House of Commons, Christians will need to work hard to show the new government just how dangerous a ban could be. Should LGBT people be protected from coercion and abuse? Absolutely. And those things are already illegal under current laws. The only thing that can be achieved by banning conversion practices is the criminalisation ..read more

A group of church leaders have written to the new Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, urging him to take care as he considers a ban on conversion practices. The letter warned of a ‘lack of religious literacy in British public life and the unwarranted hostility this can breed towards those in Bible-believing churches’. This is evident, the letter said, in ‘the way people talk about a legislative ban on so-called conversion therapy’. A ban on conversion therapy, also called conversion practices, could outlaw the way churches preach, pray, or pastor people in line with biblical sexual ethics. La ..read more