Key Quotes - Church

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Last update: Wednesday 25th March
 
For the second time in three years, the press had its headline: ‘Kirk accepts gay ministers’. For the second time it is not that simple, and not yet. The upshot of a long and complicated General Assembly Monday is that the Church of Scotland still officially states that sexual activity should only take place within marriage between one man and one woman. However, those congregations that wish to call a minister in a civil partnership will now be allowed to do so.
ChurchLife and Work, July 2013
 
A recent online survey commissioned by the Church of England and carried out by ICM Survey showed that four out of five British adults believe in the power of prayer.
ChurchThe Plain Truth Spring-Summer 2013
 
Many single Christians feel ‘isolated, invisible and alone’ in church, according to one of the first major studies into the experiences of unmarried worshippers. Researchers say the church faces a ‘time bomb’ as it focuses on family friendly activities at a time when a growing proportion of the population lives alone. The survey found that more than a third of Christians who are not married or in a relationship believe they are not treated the same as those that are part of conventional families.
ChurchChristianity – June 2013
 
A report released on March 26 finds that Americans overwhelmingly (77%) believe that morals are declining in the US, with the most-cited cause for the decline a lack of Bible reading. While 66% of those surveyed agreed that the Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life, 58% said they do not personally want wisdom and advice from the Bible, and about the same amount (57%) read it fewer than five times per year.
ChurchEvangelicals Now – May 2013.
 
A church in Aberdeen was blocked from holding a Sunday service in a hotel function room in March because of the church’s beliefs about sex and marriage. The Gilcomston church has recently broken away from the Church of Scotland in opposition to the ordination of gay clergy. They had booked a function room at the Copthorne hotel in Aberdeen to hold their first Sunday service as an independent church on March 10. But hotel management broke off the agreement for the church to hire the room after it received complaints and threats because of the church’s beliefs.
ChurchEvangelicals Now – May 2013
 
The Church of England yesterday gave a green light to wedding-style services for couples in civil partnerships despite its official opposition to same-sex marriage. A report from the Church's doctrine watchdog urged priests to devise "pastoral accommodations" for homosexual couples" and to be "flexible". It said the aim was to enable partners to have a "closer approximation" to marriage. The senior bishop who drafted the guidelines for priests insisted they did not amount to a policy rethink and that an official ban on blessing civil partnerships remained in place. But he said it was clear there was a need for committed same-sex couples to be given "compassionate attention" from the Church. Liberal priests said it amounted to the first official endorsement of the dedication and thanksgiving services they already conduct for homosexual couples.
ChurchDaily Telegraph April 10 2013
 
A recent church salary survey, sponsored by Stewardship, has revealed that one in four church employees struggles with debt. Twenty four per cent of those who responded stated that they currently have personal debts exceeding the equivalent of one month’s salary, and one in eight felt that their financial situation was affecting their ministry role.
ChurchYouthwork, April 2013
 
About 340,000 people converged on the Eiffel Tower in Paris on January 14 to protest a proposed gay marriage law. President Francois Hollande is planning to legalise same-sex marriage, but many of France’s Catholic bishops and other religious leaders are fighting the initiative. Public opinion appears to be moving in their favour – a recent poll shows about 50% support gay marriage, down from 65% in August. France has already legalised civil unions for same-sex couples, but the new law would give gay couples the right to adopt.
ChurchEvangelicals Now, March 2013
 
Peter Bone, MP for Wellingborough, presented a Bill before Parliament in late December that would reintroduce the presumption that religious institutions are of public benefit. The Charity Commission (CC) ruled recently, stating that there is no presumption that religion, ‘even in the case of Christianity’, is for the public benefit. The CC made the comments in a letter to a Plymouth Brethren congregation. It used to be the case that churches were presumed to have public benefit and so did not have to prove it. Many people are concerned that the removal of this presumption could be an attempt to marginalise Christian influence.
ChurchEvangelicals Now, February 2013
 
Think-tank Theos reported that at it’s annual lecture the Archbishop of Canterbury said individualism corrodes politics, sex and humankinds whole way of living. Speaking on the topic ‘The Person and the Individual: Human Dignity, Human Relationships and Human Limits’, Dr Rowan Williams said that society needs to move away from defining people as atomized individuals, detachable from their relationships. He expressed his belief that such a tendency feeds a person’s desire for the perfect body and career, rather than helping them to nourish deep and personal connections.
ChurchThe War Cry – October 2012
 
Most Christians in Britain would prefer John Sentamu to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury. According to a ComRes poll for Premier Christian Radio, 45% of Pentecostals identify Dr Sentamu, who is currently Archbishop of York, as their favourite for the post, along with 35% of Roman Catholics and 43% of Anglicans. The results of the poll seems to echo the wishes of the leaders of the wider Anglican Church overseas, numbering 80 million. A letter signed by 17 Archbishops and bishops from four continents in July, was sent to the selection committee, urging them to choose someone prepared to take a stand against liberal values on issues such as homosexuality.
ChurchKeeping the Faith – Issue 75
 
According to a study published in August by the church think tank Leadership Network, the number of congregations that host worship services at more than one physical location has grown to more than 5,000 in the last decade. Researchers say these 'multi-site' churches, which may share worshippers across town or many miles apart, are growing at a much faster pace than traditional megachurches. Without the burden of additional expensive buildings, congregations find they grow faster in new places, said Warren Bird, research director of Leadership Network. Multi-site churches — which come in different models, such as a different 'campus pastor' on each site or one senior pastor broadcast via video — have grown from fewer than 200 in 2001 to 1,500 in 2006 to an estimated 3,000 in 2009 to more than 5,000 today. In comparison, US megachurches have grown from about 50 in 1970 to about 1,650 in 2012.
Religion Today
ChurchEvangelicals Now October 2012
 
British society is ‘haunted’ by Christianity, said the Archbishop of Canterbury in an interview with the London Evening Standard. Dr Rowan Williams told the paper: ‘There’s a bit of ‘can’t-live-with-it, can’t-live-without-it’ in some people’s approaches. Even with Richard Dawkins the fact that he can’t leave it alone is fascinating…I’m interested in how much scope that still gives for mutual understanding.’ The Archbishop is to step down from his role later this year, after which he will take up his appointment as Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge.
ChurchThe War Cry – 30th June 2012
 
Nearly 75 per cent of people in England agree that the Queen should continue as Supreme Governor of the Church of England and keep her ‘Defender of the Faith’ title, BBC poll revealed. When asked about the links between church and the monarchy, 79 per cent of the 2600 respondents said that the monarch’s religious role remained relevant. About 25 per cent of those polled thought that the Queen and future monarchs should not have any faith role.
ChurchThe War Cry – 26th May 2012
 
The Church of England is to use Twitter to help choose the next Archbishop of Canterbury. It will also seek the views of people of all faiths and none, from the Chief Rabbi to Prof Richard Dawkins. For the first time the long and usually private process will begin with a widespread public consultation, to be finished by the end of May. The Crown Nominations Commission, which must present the Prime Minister with two possible successors to Dr Rowan Williams, will also ask for contributions from "senior figures in other faiths, the secular world and the life of the nation". This would appear to be good news for the candidates known to be active on Twitter. The Bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev Justin Welby, has 562 followers; the Bishop of Bradford, the Rt Rev Nick Baines, has 3,953; and the early front-runner for the job, the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, has 21,558.
ChurchDaily Telegraph - March 25 2012
 
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