Church

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  Christmas comes early for church with links to Shakespeare after £20,000 grant

  A church where many actors from Shakespeare's acting company are believed to be buried is just one of the recipients of Christmas grants from the National Churches Trust.

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  Libby Lane is the new Bishop of Derby

  The Church of England's first woman bishop has been elected as the next Bishop of Derby, Downing Street announced today.

• No room at the inn? Why Jesus was really laid in a manger

  Imagine a girl about to give birth, turning up at a hotel. Who wouldn't give up their room for her?

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  Pastor with disabled child has seven pleas for his fellow pastors

  Including people with disabilities means more than having wider bathroom stalls, says Pastor Anthony Kidd.

• Coptic Christians mourn father and son killed by police officer

  Coptic Christians Imad Kamal Sadeq, 49, and his son David, 21, were shot by Robi Mustapha Khalifa, who was stationed as a security guard at the Nahded-al-Qadasa church in Minya, Upper Egypt.

• Ukraine church council names new leader in decisive split from Moscow

  Ukraine chose the head of a new national Orthodox church on Saturday, marking an historic split from Russia which its leaders see as vital to the country's security and independence.

• Luke's Gospel: Good news for down and outs

  Today we consider the nativity story according to Luke's Gospel. It's a reminder that Christmas is indeed for the 'down and outs' and spiritually that means all of us.

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  New academic centre to 'recover confidence' in the Old Testament

  A new academic centre has been set up at Bristol Baptist College to promote research into the relationship between the Bible and violence.

• EU citizens feel 'unwelcome' and 'threatened' in the UK

  EU citizens living in the UK no longer feel welcome after the Brexit vote, the Catholic Church in England and Wales has said.

• Franklin Graham: We need to be 'very, very careful' before we change Lord's Prayer

  Italian bishops are mulling a change to the Lord's Prayer from 'lead us not into temptation' to 'abandon us not when in temptation'

• 'Lead us not into temptation': Should the wording of the Lord's Prayer be changed?

  Pope Francis last year said it was wrong to imagine God could tempt people to do wrong

• Persecution is a blessing, Chinese elder told church before his arrest

  He wrote to the church in a post shared on Facebook that the persecution they were facing was a 'reward', and that those who had been taken before him were 'within the gracious, sovereign providence of the Lord.

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  GAFCON chairman tells orthodox Anglicans to have courage

  Archbishop Nicholas Okoh said the need for courage 'has become greater as the number of provinces rejecting the authority of Scripture grows'

• Church of England bishops publish guidance on welcoming transgender people

  Church of England bishops have published guidance for parishes planning services to help transgender people mark their transition.

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  Scottish Government should raise Child Benefit, says Church moderator

  The Moderator of the Church of Scotland General Assembly wants to see child benefit raised by £5 a week.