Christian Today staff writer

• Christmas tension? How families can survive Christmas and still be friends

  One of the most difficult things about Christmas for many people – couples in particular – is the need to balance the expectations of different parts of the family.

• Iraqi Christians prepare for first Christmas back home in Qaraqosh

  Christian families in Iraq are preparing to spend their first Christmas at home after returning to their homes following ISIS' retreat.

• Rebuilding Iraq, one house at a time

  A Christian charity working in Iraq is helping refugees returning to their ruined homes begin a new life there.

• India's Christians under pressure at Christmas as tensions rise

  India's Christians are losing confidence in the government following an increase in tensions leading up to Christmas, according to the President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference there.

• Christmas in England: You're just a mile from an Anglican service, Church says

  The average person in England is less than a mile away from a service at their local Anglican church this Christmas, according to the Church of England.

• Christian lands in Jerusalem could be confiscated, warn UK Church leaders

  Church leaders from across the UK have rallied around the Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III in his campaign against a bill making its way through Israel's parliament.

• National Secular Society accuses the BBC of running a 'PR exercise for the Church of England' – and it backfired

  The National Secular Society is accusing the BBC of running a 'PR exercise for the Church of England' by broadcasting its Today programme from Lambeth Palace earlier this month.

• Pope Francis: Reforming the Vatican is like cleaning the Sphinx with a toothbrush

  Pope Francis has told the Vatican's top administrators that his reforming agenda was like trying to clean Egypt's Sphinx with a toothbrush because of 'traitors' who stood in his way.

• Fewer Americans believe Christmas stories are true

  Belief in the literal truth of the biblical Christmas stories is declining in the US, according to Pew Research.

• US religious leaders protest 'transgender ideology' in open letter

  Religious leaders in the US have signed a statement attacking 'transgender ideology' and warning of the harm done to children when they are told they can change their sex or are given hormones to affect their development.

• Former staff at Christian publisher Lion Hudson to get payout after company failed to consult before firing them

  The 37 staff who were made redundant by the leading Christian publishing group Lion Hudson PLC in January have been awarded a payout after the company failed properly to consult with them before they were dismissed, The Bookseller reported.

• South Sudan Church leaders urge hope and prayer for devastated country

  Church leaders in South Sudan have issued a Christmas message of hope and a paper containing a 'road map' for resolving the country's long-running conflict.