Ruth Gledhill - Times Online - WBLG

Christian shame: 'The Holly and the Ivy' or 'The Olive and the Army'

Uatvukwe posted this video on YouTube, recorded at a pro-Israel rally outside the Palestine Solidarity Campaign Christmas concert at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church on Tuesday of this week. The carol concert featured Caryl Churchill, author of the controversial play Seven Jewish Children, which critics say demonises Israel and suggests that Israeli parents teach their children to hate Arabs. David Gifford of the Council of Christians and Jews is among those who are concerned that the church is aiding in politicising the Christmas message. This issue could become more controversial next week.

A bit of a card, what? The Tories' PC Christmas

Two years ago, David Cameron, the Conservative leader, said banning Nativity plays and replacing 'Merry Christmas' signs with 'Season's greetings' risked offending people from other faiths by patronising them. Now the Conservative Party's own Christmas card has been released - and it substitutes Season's Greetings for Happy Christmas.

Thus has the ghost of season's greetings past visited a one-time scourge of political correctness, giving bloggers around the world an early Christmas present and proving once more that there really is a God.

Ha ha ha. Or should that be ho ho ho!

David Cameron 'does God' in fuzzy, sort-of-Anglican way

We all suspected that when Alastair Campbell told journalists that Tony Blair did not 'do God', this was because of the uncomfortable truth that the then British Prime Minister did God rather too well for comfort. Best to ignore his faith altogether than have to face questions about praying with President Bush about going to war or deny reports of pending conversion to Rome that everyone knew would turn out to be true. Denialism is after all a heresy not listed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church - yet.

It is a relief for those of us who have to fish facts from this slippery net with our pens to discover that will be no need for any comparable Christian coyness from David Cameron's advisers. How reassuring to discover that  Cameron's version of doing God is so very Church of English.

This revelation comes in an interview with Evening Standard editor Geordie Greig, published today.

The 'crossing' at Oxford Circus

Of course any religious symbolism that can be read into the new pedestrian crossing at Oxford Circus is entirely coincidental but even so, in today's pc world - a world where I was gently chided the other day for using the phrase 'Brownie points' in a lecture - it is good that this has been allowed. Having been stuck for nearly 20 minutes at Oxford Circus the other day, squeezed between hordes of frantic shoppers, none of us able to move an inch, I pray obeisance to the wisdom that inspired Boris Johnson to let this through. Even if accidental, there is now a strangely Christian symbol at the very centre of  the capital of British consumerism.

David Cameron invokes Bible and Martin Luther King

David Cameron's speech to the Conservative party conference was full of Biblical allusion, according to Paul Woolley of the think tank Theos. His reasoning is below. Archbishop Cranmer considers it 'mildly theological'. The Rev Rob Marshall, one of his clergy in Kensington, has also analysed David Cameron's social theology for Articles of Faith. Conservative Home live blogged the speech, announcing: 'Compassionate conservatism is for real.'

Tony Blair, change-maker

'Each was made to feel an outsider. Each stood out against the conventional teaching of the time. Each believed in the universal appeal of God to humanity. Each was a change-maker.'

Who is Tony Blair talking about here?

Answer below.

Persecution Index 20: Pakistan

Simply horrendous suffering by the minority Christian community in Pakistan as shown on this video recorded in Gojra where five members of one family were burnt alive, including a child of seven.

Christians and atheists in separate camps

Yesterday was a damp if lovely summer's day at the CPAS Venture summer camp near Reading, Berkshire for a piece in today's Times on Christian holiday camps. This ran alongside a piece by Simon de Bruxelles on Camp Quest, the camp with a 'hunt the unicorn' game that is being supported by the atheist Richard Dawkins.

Nun and priest 'kissing ad' banned

TheAdvertising Standards Authority has banned this Antonio Federici ice cream advertisement, which showed a nun and priest about to succumb to 'temptation' and exchange a kiss. Read our full story here. The adjudication is here. Sky's story shows a more provocative image than the one here, posted of course with permission from the ASA.

I do think, looking at the Sky story, that the ASA was right to rule the image crossed the boundaries of taste and could cause offence, especially to people with a religious vocation. 

No 'carte blanche' to pray for patients

Caroline Petrie was in the end reinstated after an NHS trust overturned her suspension for offering to pray for a patient. But the case led to an international outcry and the Christian Medical Fellowship has received calls from all over the world demanding to know what is happening in Britain, and why religion is under such attack from secularists. Cancer doctor Bernadette Birtwhistle argued the case for freedom for spiritual care in the NHS at the British Medical Association meeting today but in the end, as the National Secular Society reports, the BMA voted against a carte blanche for prayers for patients, although patients who wish prayers can of course request them. 

Ten Top Signs Your Son Might Be The Son Of God

For this very silly video, I offer a thanks to A Heart for God.

Who, or what, was Jesus?

Christians will soon be examining this question once more as Easter approaches at a time of unusually penitential recession, with the 'walls of Jericho' tumbling around us. A priest in the US sent me this yesterday, which throws a little light on the issue. You might have seen versions of it before, I certainly have, but it cheered me up so I hope it might you. Thank you to Dave Walker for the cartoon.

Christian Encyclopaedia pulped - for being too Christian!

Was Paul Eddy perhaps being more prophetic than we knew? Read the following in the context of the anti-Islamist politician Geert Wilders being banned from entering Britain today. He wants to attend a screening of his film Fitna at the House of Lords. According to Emily Gosden in The Times today, 'The film features verses from the Koran with images of terrorist attacks in New York, London and Madrid and calls on Muslims to remove “hate-preaching” verses from the text.'

So what about the pulping of the Christian enclycopaedia for being too Christian?

From clavi non defixi:

'...a substantial encyclopedia slated for 2009 (and released at AAR/SBL) has faced objections from prominent members of its editorial board for being “too Christian, too orthodox, too anti-secular and too anti-Muslim and not politically correct enough for being used in universities.” The encyclopedia has been pulled by the publisher, and existing copies are being sought out and destroyed.'

Faith and health: How believers can turn this to their advantage

See our story today on the reinstatement of Caroline Petrie, an evangelical Christian who was subjected to disciplinary proceedings for asking a patient if she wanted her to pray for her, even though the patient did not object.

Only last month the Government published a new guide on religion and belief for the NHS. It is respectfully liberal, allowing most religious dress observances for example, and suggesting NHS trusts display multifaith calendars so staff know which festivals are coming up when.

On dress, it permits most religious wear except for anything 'below the elbow' for health and safety reasons.

Shame about the Cross

In the Times today, Russell Jenkins reports on the latest TV wedding, in Coronation Street. The setting was the beautiful 14th century church of Nether Alderley in Cheshire. The vicar is incensed, reports Russell: 'It was not the absurd storyline... Nor was it the ornate horse-drawn carriage, the dry-ice machine used to create atmosphere or even the harpist in the nave.'  The Rev James Milnes is upset because the producers, not wanting to cause offence, covered up the solid brass cross on the altar.  I've done a brief commentary.

Israeli Ambassador condemns carol service

Update: now a Vicar has banned O Little Town of Bethlehem because he believes it does not reflect the true state of what is happening there. See our news story today.

As we report a diplomatic row is hanging over Christian-Jewish relations in Britain. Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor has weighed into the row over the St James's carol service, condemning it as furthering the 'canard of anti-Semitism'. The service was organised by Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods and their reaction to Ambassador Prosor's comments is below. The Ambassador said: 'For 2000 years, the Jewish people suffered persecution because of the accusation of responsibility for the death of Jesus Christ. The carol service deliberately attempted to make a linkage between this notion of deicide and Israel’s relations with the Palestinians. It thus perpetuated an anti-Semitic canard that has no place in modern Britain.'

The full text of his comments follows below.

Death in the streets as Christians flee

Horrific stories of ruthless killings on the streets of Jos in northern Nigeria are emerging. At least one church pastor was shot dead, along with three members of his household and an Augustinian monastery attacked, the abbot narrowly escaping death after a molotov cocktail was thrown into his room. The Church Times and The Economist have reports, with the latter reporting that mosques were also burned down. On Thursday I spoke to the Bishop of Jos, Dr Benjamin Kwashi. According to his eyewitness report, the violence was directed solely against Christians, with some Muslims shot by armed forces only when they broke curfew. Estimates vary, but it seems about 400 people might have been killed. While not lessening the horror of that atrocity, this is about twice the number killed in Mumbai.

Islam-Christian peace talks in Rome

As Richard Owen reports, senior Muslim and Christian scholars are meeting in Rome this week for a pioneering conference on the recent Common Word document in an attempt to build bridges between Christians and Muslims. On the eve of the conference, which began today with closed workshops and ends with a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI and public press conference on Thursday, I spoke to a senior member of the Muslim delegation, Ibrahim Kalin, about his hopes of what would emerge.

Photo of Prof Kalin by Plinio Lepri for AP.

Is Sarah Palin a good Christian?

Given the interest in Sarah Palin, I've decided to run a poll among readers of Articles of Faith:

Online Surveys & Market Research

Persecution Index 11: Orissa

One of the biggest waves of anti-Christian violence for some years is currently sweeping through the state of Orissa in India. Websites and blogs from the area have for many months been reporting deaths, mainly of Dalits or low-caste Indians, and thousands fleeing for their lives. But as sites here are reporting now, the persecuction is reaching a new intensity. The All Indian Christian Council has this today: 'The situation in Orissa's riot-hit Kandhamal district continues to be volatile on 02 September 2008 with at least 80 houses being torched in fresh violence.' And our own Lapido Media is carrying a report that  eight churches have been burned down and 15 Christians murdered by Hindu extremists.

West 'held hostage' by Islam says Rome

As Richard Owen reports, the Vatican is today warning that interfaith dialogue in the West must not allow itself to be held hostage by Islam. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, head of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue pictured here, has this week discussed new guidelines for interfaith dialogue and he said the Church 'has to have regard for all religions,' not just one. 'What was interesting about our discussions was that we did not concentrate on Islam because in a way we are being held hostage by Islam a little bit,' he told the Catholic website Terrasanta.net. 'Islam is very important, but there are also other great Asiatic religious traditions. Islam is one religion.' The Catholics are organising a Christian-Muslim summit in Rome in October, it being their response to the Common Word document published to mark the anniversary of the Regensberg address. The document was addressed to the Catholics and 'the other churches' too, and on their behalf the Archbishop of Canterbury earlier this month hosted a gathering of Christian leaders to discuss  present relations with Islam. (Read Tauran's London lecture on this on the Jesuit site ThinkingFaith.)

Persecution Index 10: Pakistan

Some extremists in Pakistan are calling for a Christian doctor to be hanged publicly for blasphemy, according to a news story on Persecution.org. Dr Robin Sarder was charged ten days ago with violating Pakistan's blasphemy laws. A Muslim who he had been friends with for many years, but who according to the story became jealous of his professional success, told police he had made derogatory comments about the Prophet Mohammed's beard and about the Koran. After the complaint was lodged against him, a crowd of 200 Muslims wearing green turbans, a sign of orthodoxy, attacked his clinic and home. Observers say that if the police hat not intervened, he would have been killed. He is currently being held in jail. The Roman Catholic Church, through its organisation the National Commission for Justice and Peace, has taken up his case. You can email the embassy here on his behalf. Fifteen people have been accused of blasphemy in Pakistan so far this year. Dr Sardar is the only Christian to be so accused. In 1998, Bishop John Joseph , the Catholic bishop of Faisalabad, committed suicide in a protest against Pakistan's draconian blasphemy laws, introduced in 1986. The pic here comes from a BBC report of Christians demonstrating against the laws.

Persecution Index 9: Burma

Poor Burma. Its people's troubles are endless, as the story from which this pic is taken shows. There is a long history of persecution of Christians in Burma, as this article from January last year illustrates. But really Christians there are not targeted more than any other group, as the writer of the piece makes clear. The Buddhist religious are equally victims, as we have seen recently, of a regime determined to keep itself in power, even when its population is dying by the thousands  because of a freakish 'act of God'.

Faith equals happiness, no faith equals misery

Shadow Attorney General Dominic Grieve MP gave an interesting speech last week to the Conservative Christian Fellowship which you can download here , addressing the issue of British identity. But he also touched on well-being, a topic of concern to party leader David Cameron and which is the focus of an interesting report by a cross-party group of MPs. We've got a story in the paper today on this, which on which I was interested to see this morning a supportive comment by one Benita Hewitt! St Louis Catholic has also posted an interesting response.

Sir Cliff to the rescue

Today, we carry in the main paper a lengthy spread and commentary about the latest Religious Trends, where Christian Research finds that church attendance in this country is declining at such a rate that within a generation, mosque attendance will outnumber churchgoing. Followed up by The Lead among others, it seemed to me that there was a link that the Government is failing to address in its current thinking on the issue of 'Britishness' between religion and identity. Well there is one man who perhaps can save both the Christian religion in Britain, and even British identity itself, from extinction. In my view, this man personifies Britishness, a man both timeless in his appeal and in the strength of feeling he arouses in people. It is Sir Cliff Richard. Later today, he is launching his new book and CD of his 50 Favourite Bible Stories.  (Update Friday: Another spread, this time featuring Sir Cliff and his book of Bible stories, in the paper today.)

Bishop Gene 'banned'

Episcopal Cafe has a good story in its 'lead', that Bishop Gene Robinson has been denied permission by the Archbishop of Canterbury to preach while in this country during Lambeth. I've been following this for some time, as there was a story going round that Sir Ian McKellen, the gay actor, would take part in a service and 'preach' the sermon for Bishop Gene while he stood silently beside the pulpit. Sir Ian is understood to have expressed his sympathies for Bishop Gene in writing. Also, when my own husband interviewed him a while back for The Times Magazine, although these quotes didn't make it into the finished article because they weren't relevant, Sir Ian was clear in his outrage at the Anglican goings-on. When I spoke to Sir Ian about it a few days ago he was adamant that he wished to make no comment. And Sir Ian's office tells me he has no plans to do anything for Bishop Gene at present. In any case, whether he did or not would depend on Bishop Gene being banned from preaching in the first place. So has he or hasn't the bishop been banned? Will Bishop Gene and Sir Ian put on a 'double act' at St Mary's Putney, an event that would be a massive publicity coup for Inclusive Church and Bishop Gene's supporters? (Update: see Peter Carey's follow-up to this story.)

Persecution Index 6: United Kingdom

Today, Christian Solidarity Worldwide is publishing an important report that examines the consequences of apostasy in Islam around the world. You can read the full report hereand pretty grim reading it makes. Yesterday's paper carried a report. One case involved British convert Nissar Hussein, 43, born and raised in the United Kingdom but who converted from Islam to Christianity with his wife, Qubra, in 1996. The report says: 'Relationships with both their families were severed following conversion and Nissar has not heard from his parents or siblings since. What makes the story of Nissar and Qubra so unpleasant is how the Pakistani community in Bradford, where Nissar grew up, reacted to his conversion. Nissar and Qubra stated in an interview with Christian Solidarity that the initial response to their conversion was that their
friends severed relationships and asked them never to visit or talk to them again. As news of their
conversion spread, people on the streets, in shops and at their children’s school began to ignore them, or to insult them, and on one occasion, Nissar was called a 'Jewish bastard' 'by strangers.

Children and God

What do you tell a child who asks difficult questions about God and the afterlife? Jennifer Howze of Times Online's Alpha Mummy blog recently put me on the spot about this. I don't think I did very well but you can watch for yourself. The book I refer to is the just-published Christian Parent's Toolkit by Sarah Johnson, a former colleague at The Times.

Persecution Index 5: Singapore

From the Becket Fund: 'Two Singaporeans, Dorothy Chan Hien Leng and Ong Kian Cheong, have been charged under the Sedition Act and the Undesirable Publications Act after giving an Evangelical Christian publication to two people last year, Agence France-Presse reported on April 16.  Specific details of the publication are unknown, though it allegedly contained a negative portrayal of the Prophet Mohammed.  Singapore is known to take severe action against anyone who is thought to have increased tensions in the community, previously jailing two men for anti-Muslim blogs and warning another for posting cartoons online which mocked Jesus Christ.'

Persecution Index 4: South Africa, Pakistan

Muslim parents have taken over the school governing body of a Christian-majority high school in Kwazulu-Natal, SoutMuslimh Africa, the Barnabas Fund reports. By law meetings must be held to elect members of the governing body. 'Apathy among the Christian parents meant that hardly any Christians showed up at an electoral meeting, allowing the Muslim parents to seize control of the governing body by winning six of the seven elected positions. In South Africa the curriculum of the school is set by the government, but almost all other management issues relating to the school are decided upon by the governors. This includes decisions on the headmaster, staff, sport, culture and ethos.

Ben Elton: BBC 'scared' of Islam.

Comedian Ben Elton has accused the BBC of allowing 'vicar gags' but not 'imam gags'. In an interview with James Cary of Third Way magazine he admits to believing in almost nothing, even though his kids attend a local church school. His recent novel Blind Faith explores some of the issues around faith in the post-modern age. He believes people should be taught the essentials of Christianity, even if only for cultural reasons. But he also believes 'lack of faith' should be taught in schools. I've posted some of his quotes below.

Did Jesus really rise from the dead?

In the latest New Directions, Father Geoffrey Kirk writes about Rowan Williams' recent lecture on Islam and the law. 'A friend of mine attended one of Rowan's lectures in Cambridge which ended up as his book, The Resurrection of Jesus,' he says.

'Well, was it all right?' the lecturer asked, as the two walked together out of the building. 'Marvellous,' my friend replied, 'but answer me one thing. Did he really rise from the dead?'

Make every Sunday a 'Christmas Day'

This is the video of the Archbishop of Canterbury's interesting debate with Ricky Gervais. Read all our latest Christmas stories on our faith page. This includes the first episode of our video diary of how one London church is attempting to inject new hope into one of the most deprived urban communities of Britain. (You might need to dowload the latest Flash Player to view this.) St Aiden to Abbey Manor thinks the Archbishop comes across as a 'great listener'.

Reality TV comes to religion

About 10 years ago, I encountered a bumptious young clergyman who might or might not have been going places. Newly-ordained after a career in advertising, he was just that bit too media savvy, too quick on the uptake, too good-looking and generally too funny to have realistic hopes of ever becoming a bishop. I wrote a little story about a book he had written that made a couple of pars in the old, broadsheet Times. (This column appears in this week's Church of England Newspaper.)

UK Imam's daughter gets death threats for apostasy

An imam's daughter who converted to Christianity after fleeing an arranged marriage is under police protection after receiving death threats from her family. Read our exclusive report on this at Times Online. The story of Hannah, aged 32, will be unveiled tomorrow at the launch of a new charity, Lapido Media, in London. The aim of the charity is to promote religious literacy in world affairs. I spoke to Hannah, who uses a pseudonym, earlier today. Her story is chilling, and provides a sobering reflection on what it is to be Muslim, or a Muslim convert to Christianity, in Britain today. Also today, as we report, Saga have released a poll showing how many over-50s are worried about the downgrading of Christianity in society, and MPs at Parliament have debated whether there is Christianophobia in the UK.

Army Chief Sir Richard Dannatt in full

A few weeks ago we carried a story and I did a blog on Sir Richard Dannatt's comments to a Christian conference on leadership that there is life after death. Our reports were taken from a press release approved by the MoD. So anxious to see his comments in full, I ordered the CD from Aiming for Excellence and an excellent Times work experience person, Richard Oxley, kindly transcribed it for me. If you have a few minutes to spare, read for yourself exactly what our Army chief has to say on leadership. From his definition of God to his story of the Army in Northern Ireland, I found it profoundly moving. I rest in awe of the rigour with which this man's great mind is organised, and of the compassion with which he does his job. There are or two church leaders out there who could benefit from Sir Richard Dannatt's lessons on leadership.

Secularists accuse evangelical leader of being 'unChristian'

It's like a joke, isn't it. A joke about the evangelical preacher, the Chief Rabbi and the secularist. At the Evangelical Alliance's Temple Address last night, the Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks delivered a speech calling for religious tolerance. As we report, EA director Joel Edwards, pictured here with the Chief Rabbi, responded by condemning as 'intolerant' the outcry from secularists and the Christian gay lobby at his appointment as an equal rights commissioner. So now the National Secular Society has hit back, accusing Dr Edwards of being, of all things, 'unChristian' for attacking them in this way. It really is only a matter of time before a Christian ends up in one court accused by secularists of incitement against gays, while in the next door court he finds himself in the witness box with the secularists in the dock, accused of inciting religious hatred.

Girl, 4, recites Psalm 23

This is one of the most-watched videos on GodTube, the godly version of YouTube.

Unfoundation founded plus ten Anglican updates

This picture of Bishop Charles Bennison, taken from the Equality Forum website, relates to the first of my list of 10 recent Anglican stories detailing the ups and downs of this troubled Communion. Our news report on this is now online. But first this. Although I thought up the title of the 'hymn' to TEC that I naughtily posted a few days, The Church's Unfoundation, I didn't write it. I had no idea who did, but he has now 'outed' himself to me. Read on to see what he says.

Cherie Blair: in time for a new Reformation

Cherie Blair's comments today , that we report on TimesOnline , make me wonder whether it is time our world had a new Reformation, not just in Christianity, but in Islam. Her full speech is now online. A friend has sent me this musical reflection on the last one:

Bishop of Iran: Concern for Christians in Pakistan

Benazir Bhutto was the first ever woman leader of a Muslim nation.She wants to fight Al Queda, to stamp out Islamist terror, to stop the Taliban in Afghanistan. So naturally, as soon as she sets foot on her home soil again, she is subject to a deadly assassination attempt that results in the deaths of dozens of innocent others.

Army Chief says, 'There is life after death'

This is Chief of General Staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt, at this week's Spring Harvest Aiming 4 Excellence Conference in Swanwick, Derbyshire, where he spoke on, 'Leaders need a spiritual dimension.' I understand the Ministry of Defence was not too impressed by Sir Richard's unabashed evangelical take on the eschatological aspect of the job he does. It took us ages yesterday to get them to comment on our story. And yet, after all, someone's got to be head of the Army. Surely, given the close daily contact with death and destruction that Army service entails as Iraq is all to sad a witness to, it's better that the person responsible for all this is someone with strong religious beliefs. Or maybe there are some who think not, Islam, Christianity and the state of the world in general. And Sir Richard has after all been pretty frank in the past in his views on Muslims.

Muslims tell Pope: the future of the world is at stake

The "survival of the world" is at stake if Muslims and Christians do not make peace with each other, leaders of the Muslim world will warn Pope Benedict XVI, the Archbishop of Canterbury and all the Orthodox Church Patriarchs and other Christian Archbishops and bishops today. In an unprecedented open letter signed by 138 leading Muslim scholars from every sect of Islam, and published this morning on The Times website, the Muslims plead with Christian leaders 'to come together with us on the common essentials of our two religions.. The full story can be read in TimesOnline. The letter, to be published here soon via this site and to be rolled out around the world this morning in a series of press conferences beginning in Jordan, and supported by the Bishop of London the Right Rev Richard Chartres in London, spells out the similarities between passages of the Bible and the Koran. It is expected to be followed by a joint conference between Muslim and Christian world leaders at on "neutral" ground, such as at a university in the US. Meanwhile, Irene Lancaster has blogged the entire text of the Islamic expert Matthew Kuentzel's formerly-banned lecture at Leeds uni last night. Irene believes the letter is 'threatening' incidentally. And on the bright side, read this review of Peter Sanders' photographic exhibition of Muslims living in Britain today.

Archbishop taken to task over Iraq

This picture and the one below show the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, on his recent visit to Syria, when he spoke with Iraqi refugees who were victims of persecution. We reported this last week, but mention must now be made of left-wing commentator Nick Cohen who on Sunday took the Arcbhishop to task for failing to mention who were the true persecutors of Iraqi Christians. As Nick rightly notes, it is not Britain or the US. The main difference the war in Iraq has made, it seems to me, to the plight of Christians in these countries is that now we are beginning to find out about ithe persecution because we are over there.

Happy Halloween, or not.

What kind of Halloween will you be celebrating. Will it be this kind?

An end to 'godliness' at Oxford

  As we report today, Sir Colin Lucas' review of the seven permanent private halls at Oxford is about to be published in the university's Gazette. And it is not good news in the long run for religion at Oxford, least of all for evangelical Christianity. Whatever the strength of the Global South on the world Anglican stage, the review signals that England's intellectual elite are firmly on the side of the Archbishop of Canterbury, or at least Rowan Williams as he was when he was Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at Oxford. We've obtained a copy of the review. Its most important recommendations are that Wycliffe and St Stephen's are to lose their school-leaver undergraduates, which the review admits will have a 'critical' effect on the student body in the theology faculty but which also has huge symbolic significance as well. All seven colleges - two Anglican, one Baptist and four Roman Catholic - are to have their licences reviewed and ultimately removed if they do not fall in line with Oxford's tradition of a liberal education. Richard Dawkins and all who wish to see an end to theology at Oxford will be quite satisfied I think. For a hint of how this will end, see the Philosophy blog. This picture shows the Lollards' John Badby being burnt at the stake. Lollardy grew out of the teachings of John Wycliffe. (Update 27/9: the review has now been published in the university Gazette.)

Repent and convert, televangelist tells Osama

A US televangelist has sent a video message to Osama bin Laden, warning him to repent and convert, World Net Daily reports. This is probably a response to bin Laden's own demand that the US escape death at his hands by converting to Islam. Is this an appropriate way for any of us - Muslims included - to go into Ramadan? Islamic scholars in the Arab world have an interesting take on the 'clash of civilisations'.  'Since the middle of the 19th century, the West sounded the alarm against the "yellow peril" (China) and then the "red peril" (Communism). Now that these bugbears have been put to rest, it has begun to speak of the "green peril" (Islam),' writes Abdel-Wahab Elmessiri in Al-Ahram Weekly. (Read on to find out what relevance this pic of the Prince of Wales has to this story.)

'Save our soldiers from religion'

Religion is spreading 'like a cancer' among the armed forces of North Korea, according to this story from AsiaNews. Don't delude yourself that it couldn't happen here. Carol Sarler, writing in today's Times, is by no means a lone voice in bewailing the manifold sins and wickedness of religion in the UK. Sarler and Dawkins should take note of the apparent truth that nothing propels a religion, in particular Christianity, to success like persecution. North Korea is just one example. It is a 'closed' country and Open Doors has been running a three-year prayer campaign. 'The goal is to have at least 1,008 prayer warriors, who each pray for ten minutes a week,' the website says. The cancer warning reads like a sign the campaign is working just a little bit too effectively. Earlier this week, we reported a British Library Mori poll that showed how death inspires faith.

The 'struggle between Good and Evil'.

'Inside every man is a struggle between Good and Evil, which cannot be resolved.' So says Homer Simpson in an episode, 'Whacking Day', used by the Church of England as part of a new study guide for young people, published on the eve of the general release of the Simpsons' movie at the end of this week. Here is a trailer:

Hundreds queue for 'Erotic Church Service'

Yes, this really is a picture from a recent liturgy celebrated at a Protestant church in Cologne, as reported here. Thanks to Chris Gillibrand for his translation, which I've shamelessly lifted from his CathCon blog. I think this is a first for the Protestant Church anywhere. What a relief that it should have happened in Germany, and not the US or the UK. Is this Church of Carthusians part of one of the numerous Protestant assemblies worldwide that are 'in bed with' with the CofE or TEC, so to speak? Preliminary enquiries with the CofE in London suggest they think not, because they're not part of the EKD. However, Chris's own clarification, that I've put at the end, indicates otherwise. Meanwhile, read on for Chris's translation or the original in Kölner Stadt-Anzeigerbelow. (Update: CofE insists are definitely neither 'in bed with' nor 'in communion with' this lot. See end for their statement.)