Opinion

An astonishing courtroom hug and what it teaches us about radical forgiveness

Brandt Jean did the unthinkable and embraced the woman convicted of murdering his brother

For a dose of truth in our 'fake news' world, try good poetry

Poetry may make the reader work, but it's not without its rewards, spiritual and otherwise.

When Sundays stopped being sacred

It might be hard to believe now, in this day of 24/7 convenience shopping, but there used to be days that all the shops were closed.

A change of hands at the Evangelical Alliance 'for such a time as this'

Kay Morgan-Gurr on why she thinks Gavin Calver is the right man to lead the Evangelical Alliance.

Britain's 'favourite hymn'? I'm sorry, it's gibberish

You may have thought Britain was in trouble because of facts such as political deadlock over Brexit or the decline in church attendance.

How should we respond to those who have left the faith?

Much â probably too much â has been recently made of a number of individuals who have announced that they now feel they are no longer evangelical Christians, or even Christians.

The gay atheist who made me weep and pray

At a time when so many Christians are compromising with the culture in order to 'win it' â and thereby losing both the culture and the church â it is wonderful that the Lord gives us a gay atheist who sees and speaks truth!

Severely disabled man begs lawmakers not to legalise assisted dying

Dr Mark Blackwell, a former psychiatrist, said that if the law were changed on assisted dying it would make him feel like his life and suffering were a "waste of time".

Politicians, just like everyone else, need to mind their language

Passionate debate is part of what politics is all about. But the language that we throw around, of 'treason', 'surrender' and 'dictatorship', has direct consequences.

'Fastest-growing church' has no buildings, no central leadership, and is mostly led by women

For the last few years, researchers have credited the underground church in Iran as the fastest-growing Christian church in the world. It has unique characteristics that defy comparison with churches in America and Europe, and in the opinion of some who know it well, the church in the West could learn by studying it.

Persecution in Vietnam: a Christian human rights lawyer's story

Christian human rights lawyer Nguyen Van Dai knows what it means to suffer for what he believes. After providing legal advice and representation to victims of human rights abuses, including religious minorities, across Vietnam, he found himself the target of persecution and ended up in prison for four years.

In post-Brexit Britain, churches have a crucial role to play in making international students feel welcome

While the latest twist in the Brexit saga may have thrown up lots of questions about Britain's constitutional monarchy, Alan Tower, national director of Friends International is concerned about something else: the impact leaving the EU will have on the thousands of foreign students who study in the UK.