EDINBURGH, Scotland — The Church of Scotland, while stating that it “maintains its traditional view of marriage between a man and woman,” has voted to allow the appointment of clergy who are in same-sex “marriages.” The 339-215 vote in Edinburgh allows individual congregations who disagree with the denomination’s stance on marriage to opt-out and select […]
PORTLAND, Ore. (Religion News Service) — Jerry Kulah has nothing but gratitude for American Methodists. In 1833, they sent their first missionary to his country, Liberia, which was founded for freed American slaves. Melville B. Cox died four months after he arrived in Africa, but the missionary’s legacy lives on in the United Methodist Church’s […]
KIBUKU, Uganda (Morning Star News) – A Muslim villager in eastern Uganda is suspected in the poisoning death of a pastor on Sunday (May 15), sources said. Micah Byamukama, pastor of Kasecha Baptist Church in Kasecha village, Kibuku District, died at Kabweri Health Centre at 9 p.m. after ingesting an insecticide that Ahmed Mupere put into […]
LONDON — The leader of the Royal College of Midwives in the U.K. has joined an effort by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) to call for the legalization of abortion up to birth. It is currently illegal to perform abortions after 24 weeks in the nation, unless for the life and health of the mother. […]
LAGOS, Nigeria (New York Times)— One of the girls kidnapped by Boko Haram more than two years ago during a mass abduction at a school in Nigeria has been found, community leaders in the area said on Wednesday. The girl, Amina Ali, was wandering in the forest when members of a vigilante group lying in […]
(Christian Concern) — The latest figures from the UK Department of Health show that there were 1,253 more abortions in 2015 than in the previous year. The figures, for residents of England and Wales, reveal that there were 185,824 abortions last year, up from 184,571. They also show that more than 200 babies were aborted […]
ZHEJIANG, China (China Aid) — In a written testimony, the leader of a house church in China’s coastal Zhejiang was beaten by a group led by the local Communist Party Secretary. He Jiyi, leader of Xialing Christian Church, released a written report detailing a visit from Shuangyu Villiage Party Secretary Zheng Hele, and a village resident […]
(China Aid) — A house church in the capital of China’s southern Guangdong province reported an escalation of pressure from authorities as multiple attempts to shut down gatherings and disband the church occurred in recent months. An administrator for Guangfu Church named Mark said that the local public security and religious affairs bureaus have paid […]
A global report released by the World Health Organization and the Guttmacher Institute estimates that every one in four pregnancies ends in abortion. “Some 25% of pregnancies ended in abortion in 2010–14,” the report, published in The Lancet, outlines. “Because of population growth, the annual number of abortions worldwide increased by 5.9 million from 50.4 million in […]
Over 100 attorneys worldwide have signed a letter petitioning the prime minister of Norway to intervene in the case of five children who were seized by the country’s child welfare services last November a school principal expressed concern over the children’s “religious upbringing.” “We have familiarized ourselves with the facts of the matter and are deeply […]