Staff writer

The 21 Day Challenge: How 3 weeks could revolutionise your spiritual life
The 21 Day Challenge: How 3 weeks could revolutionise your spiritual life

Christian commitment to a year of spiritual resolve can be a daunting prospect, but three weeks may be all it takes to revolutionise your life. YouVersion, the team behind the popular Bible App, are once again inviting users to undertake the '21 Day Challenge', starting today.

Egyptian court hands down suspended sentences to 15 Muslim attackers after Coptic church violence

An Egyptian court yesterday sentenced 15 Muslim defendants to a year in jail, charged with attacking an unlicensed Coptic Church in a village south of Cairo.

Stop competing! Christian charities told to end rivalries and unite
Stop competing! Christian charities told to end rivalries and unite

Christian charities are being urged to set aside internal competition and rivalries in pursuit of fighting global poverty.

Church of England's 'culture of secrecy' under the spotlight in abuse inquiry
Church of England's 'culture of secrecy' under the spotlight in abuse inquiry

A public inquiry into sex abuse in the Church of England will focus on the institution's culture of secrecy.

Don Bosco: 7 quotes from the saint who taught by kindness
Don Bosco: 7 quotes from the saint who taught by kindness

St John Bosco or 'Don Bosco' (1815-1888), whose feast day is today, was an Italian Catholic priest who worked in Turin.

Salvation Army launches group singing initiative for dementia sufferers
Salvation Army launches group singing initiative for dementia sufferers

The Salvation Army has launched an innovative, spiritually-minded new programme to help those suffering from dementia, using singing to connect dementia victims and their carers, and to prompt memory recollection.

Kazakhstan targets home groups, private prayer in new religious freedom crackdown
Kazakhstan targets home groups, private prayer in new religious freedom crackdown

Christians, Muslims and Jehovah's Witnesses have been subject to increasingly punitive restrictions on religious freedom in Kazakhstan. New amendments to law would expand limitations - including an effective ban on private home groups.

'We are followers of Jesus Christ, not foreign agents': Australian bishops hit out at proposed new law
'We are followers of Jesus Christ, not foreign agents': Australian bishops hit out at proposed new law

Proposed new legislation in Australia could force priests, and potentially any Catholic involved in advocacy, to register as a 'foreign agent' of the Vatican, bishops have warned.

Parents want control over sex and relationships education, polling from Evangelical Alliance shows
Parents want control over sex and relationships education, polling from Evangelical Alliance shows

The public wants parents at the heart of new 'relationships education' proposals, with a large majority wanting parents informed of the curriculum content ahead of time and to know who is delivering classes, new polling has found.

Chinese cardinal who says Vatican has 'sold out' warns Francis against reconciling with Communist regime
Chinese cardinal who says Vatican has 'sold out' warns Francis against reconciling with Communist regime

Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong has revealed that he traveled recently to Rome for a private meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican to relay his concerns over proposals aimed at reconciling the Catholic Church in China and the government-backed Patriotic Catholic Association.

When is Ash Wednesday 2018? And what is Lent?
When is Ash Wednesday 2018? And what is Lent?

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a period of fasting and penance observed for thousands of years by many Christians including, especially, Catholics as well as Anglicans, Methodists and Lutherans.

Ash Wednesday or Valentine's Day? This year it's a choice between them
Ash Wednesday or Valentine's Day? This year it's a choice between them

It's a problem for Christians who believe in true romance. For this year, Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine's Day.

Anti-gay Arizona pastor who called for death of Obama banned from Jamaica
Anti-gay Arizona pastor who called for death of Obama banned from Jamaica

A Holocaust-denying and anti-gay pastor from Arizona has been denied entry into Jamaica after outcry from activists on the island.

Sky Sports presenter Simon Thomas in 'astonishing' blog on grief and faith
Sky Sports presenter Simon Thomas in 'astonishing' blog on grief and faith

Sky Sports anchor and committed Christian Simon Thomas says he is weak from grief after his wife Gemma died suddenly, aged 40, late last year.

Hillsong's worship band wins Grammy Award in New York
Hillsong's worship band wins Grammy Award in New York

Hillsong's worship band won it's first Grammy award in New York on Sunday night for the song What A Beautiful Name.

Trump's Afghanistan strategy under spotlight after 11 dead in fourth attack on Kabul
Trump's Afghanistan strategy under spotlight after 11 dead in fourth attack on Kabul

Donald Trump's strategy in Afghanistan is under the spotlight after 11 soldiers were killed in the fourth major attack on the capital Kabul in the last nine days.