The Month In Figures
A painting of Jesus by Leonardo da Vinci is expected to sell for $100m. Dmitry Rybolovlev is auctioning the picture to help fund a $605m divorce bill.
544 men and women began training for ordination in the Church of England this academic year, the highest figure in ten years.
91 per cent of Christians believe mission is for all, and should not be left to ‘Christian professionals’, according to a survey by Church Mission Society.
Proposals have been unveiled for a £7m new church building in Norwich. Soul Church, part of the Hillsong network, will include a 1,000-seat auditorium.
More schools ditch ‘Before Christ’
A growing number of schools are removing the historical terms BC and AD from religious education lessons in a bid to avoid offending non-Christians.
Teachers in East Sussex and Essex are among those replacing ‘Before Christ’ and ‘Anno Domini’ (which means ‘the year of the Lord’) with ‘Before Common Era’ (BCE) and ‘Common Era’ (CE), according to an investigation by The Mail on Sunday.
Describing the trend as a “great shame”, former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey told the newspaper: “I have never met a Muslim or Jewish leader who is offended by the Gregorian calendar”.
More schools ditch ‘Before Christ’
A growing number of schools are removing the historical terms BC and AD from religious education lessons in a bid to avoid offending non-Christians.
Teachers in East Sussex and Essex are among those replacing ‘Before Christ’ and ‘Anno Domini’ (which means ‘the year of the Lord’) with ‘Before Common Era’ (BCE) and ‘Common Era’ (CE), according to an investigation by The Mail on Sunday.
Describing the trend as a “great shame”, former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey told the newspaper: “I have never met a Muslim or Jewish leader who is offended by the Gregorian calendar”.
People in the news
X factor hopeful sings about Jesus
Sixteen-year-old Rai-Elle has battled through to the next round of The X Factor by singing the gospel classic ‘Break every chain’. The singer from Croydon wowed judges as she sang the lyrics ‘there is power in the name of Jesus’.
Snoop Dogg releases gospel song
The rapper Snoop Dogg has swapped songs about drugs and girls for a track about God (and drugs). Snoop teamed up with gospel artist B.Slade for the song ‘Words are few’. Lyrics include “Sitting here smoking trees, when I should be on my knees.”
Religious freedom campaigner dies
Rev Stuart Windsor, a special ambassador for Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), has died aged 74. CSW chief executive, Mervyn Thomas said: “I have known no one with a more caring and compassionate heart for the suffering than Stuart.”
Atheist broadcaster says ‘read the bible’
Presenter of Radio 4’s In Our Time, Melvyn Bragg has encouraged schools to reintroduce Bible readings so that children aren’t “deprived” of “the depth of language” in the words.
