Mark Woods

\'I have failed,\' says new Bishop at Lambeth – but I am a loved child of God
'I have failed,' says new Bishop at Lambeth – but I am a loved child of God

Good news means not just the news that makes you smile but the Good News, the news that transforms lives and turns the world upside down.

Why did Jesus really ask the Samaritan woman for a drink?
Why did Jesus really ask the Samaritan woman for a drink?

One of the great 'meeting Jesus' stories of the New Testament is in John 4, where he encounters the woman at the well.

What\'s wrong with slavery, anyway? Why reading the Bible sometimes isn\'t enough
What's wrong with slavery, anyway? Why reading the Bible sometimes isn't enough

The Catholic Church regards the Bible as one source of revelation rather than the only one, which tends to be the Protestant view – and in evangelical discourse, it is very definitely the assumption.

Olive trees are a sign of hope as rebuilding starts in devastated Nineveh towns
Olive trees are a sign of hope as rebuilding starts in devastated Nineveh towns

Ceremonies in three Christian towns in Iraq's devastated Nineveh Plain on Monday marked the start of work to rebuild up to 13,000 homes damaged or destroyed by fighting.

Quantas boss \'face-pied\' by Christian campaigner over gay marriage support
Quantas boss 'face-pied' by Christian campaigner over gay marriage support

The CEO of Australia's Quantas airline has said he'll continue to campaign for same-sex marriage even after a Christian objector rubbed a pie in his face at a business breakfast.

Go Sokolovsky! Russian blogger free to Pokemon Go – just not in church
Go Sokolovsky! Russian blogger free to Pokemon Go – just not in church

The Russian atheist blogger who faced jail for playing Pokemon Go in a church has been handed a three-and-a-half year suspended sentence in a rebuff to prosecutors.

No parole for Heather Cook, bishop who killed cyclist while driving drunk
No parole for Heather Cook, bishop who killed cyclist while driving drunk

The former Episcopal Church bishop who ran over and killed a cyclist in 2014 when she was drunk has been denied parole by the Maryland Parole Commission.

Most US Christians don\'t have a \'biblical worldview\', research claims
Most US Christians don't have a 'biblical worldview', research claims

In a study conducted with Summit Ministries, Barna found 'strong agreement with ideas unique to nonbiblical worldviews among practising Christians'.

\'Evangelicalism\' is toxic. It\'s time to kill off the brand
'Evangelicalism' is toxic. It's time to kill off the brand

Today, the broad and generous evangelicalism that saw the foundation of the Evangelical Alliance in 1846 across denominational lines, when such collaboration was far less common, is struggling for air.

Were the Pharisees in the New Testament as bad as we think they were?
Were the Pharisees in the New Testament as bad as we think they were?

The Pharisees in the New Testament get a very bad press. We think of them as being Jesus' enemies, relentlessly hostile and critical, determined to oppose and undermine him at every turn.

Why aren\'t people singing hymns at funerals any more – and does it matter?
Why aren't people singing hymns at funerals any more – and does it matter?

Relatives are more likely to choose popular music they believe says something about the life of the deceased, and that leaves people in more of a feelgood mood.

What does Genesis 2 tell us about keeping the Sabbath?
What does Genesis 2 tell us about keeping the Sabbath?

In many ways this day on which God did no work, and on which his people were to do no work, is the most significant of all the creation days in what it tells us about human beings and human flourishing.

Why a single leaf from an ancient religious text is exciting historians
Why a single leaf from an ancient religious text is exciting historians

A unique example of 15th century printed text by English printer William Caxton has been unearthed at the University of Reading.

Christian governor of Jakarta gets 2 years in jail for blasphemy
Christian governor of Jakarta gets 2 years in jail for blasphemy

The Christian governor of Jakarta has been sentenced to two years in prison by an Indonesian court that found him guilty of blasphemy.

Why Stephen Fry should be allowed to blaspheme as much as he wants
Why Stephen Fry should be allowed to blaspheme as much as he wants

Fry is a National Treasure, a brilliant comic talent who has won huge sympathy with his honesty over his mental illness.

Another Egyptian Christian martyred by militants in North Sinai
Another Egyptian Christian martyred by militants in North Sinai

He was murdered by masked men in the town of El-Arish, from which he and his family, along with many other Christians, fled in February following a spate of murders.