Church

Pastor Andy Stanley says churches should be a safe place for gay youth
Pastor Andy Stanley told Catalyst West attendees on Friday that youth experiencing same-sex attractions should be able to discuss their feelings in church.

Church restaurant for the poor accused of damaging local business
A French priest has been forced to defend his church's charitable endeavours after local businesses accused him of stealing their customers.

Catholic priest who alleged sexual bullying 'injured reputation of Church', says tribunal
Father Matthew Despard wrote about a culture of sexual bullying in seminaries in a self-published book.

Atheist Ed Miliband explains how he will 'do God' as PM
Miliband believes that, even though he doesn't believe in God, he can make "common cause" with faith communities.

Journalist gets unexpected birthday phone call from Pope Francis
Pope Francis responded to a critical open letter from Argentinian journalist Alfredo Leuco with a friendly phone call.

Cardinal Francis George, former Archbishop of Chicago, dies at 78
Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago from 1997 until 2014, died on Friday at the age of 78 after a long battle with cancer.

Conservative Anglicans poised for 'leap forward', deny schism
Conservative Anglican leaders are stepping up their operations with a London-based charity that will be seen by some as a rival to the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Rick Warren: God is watching how every person decides to spend their life
"God wired you in a unique way and gave you certain talents, and he's watching to see how you use your shape," says the Purpose Driven author.

Church of England celebrates progress in BP climate change policy
The Church of England has won an unprecedented victory on climate change after it successfully helped bring about a change in policy from BP.

Same-sex marriage: US culture shift is leaving evangelicals behind
A new survey by LifeWay Research shows that the gap between evangelicals and mainstream culture is widening.

Vatican ends controversial investigation of American nuns
The Vatican has ended its controversial crack-down on US nuns two years earlier than expected.

Turkey may turn ancient Hagia Sophia church into a mosque after Pope's Armenian genocide comment
Francis' characterisation of the Armenian massacres as 'genocide' will "accelerate" moves for the ancient Christian cathedral of Hagia Sophia to be turned into a mosque again.

Tennessee Senate shelves bill that would name Bible as state book
A proposal to make the Bible the official state book of Tennessee was effectively dropped for the year on Thursday by the state Senate.

Hillsong stands by decision to feature Mark Driscoll at London conference as criticism mounts
Campaigners have said they may demonstrate at the O2 Arena if Driscoll speaks.

Iowa official says Christians should enjoy special rights under US law
A Republican party official from Iowa has said that Christians should enjoy special rights under US law over other faiths in the country.

Diplomatic row looms between France and Vatican over Laurent Stefanini
A diplomatic row is looming between France and the Holy See over the Vatican's failure to accept the new French nomination for its ambassador.