A Letter from London..... (On a different note, it is hard to be in Europe at present and not see signs of a very wide crisis across issues that range from survival of the currency, to political legitimacy and on to immigration) Alistair Macdonald-Radcliff There was a curious period known as the “phoney war” of eight months after Britain declared hostilities on Germany in September 1939 when nothing much appeared to be happening. Something faintly similar, if happily less … [Read more...]
Papal toe kissing and the Chinese kowtow…
(European emissaries kowtow before the Chinese Emperor c. 1800) Has Pope Francis too rashly kissed the proffered toe of President Xi Jinping ? When it comes to extravagant postural gestures from those seeking to treat with them, the Papacy and the Imperial Chinese Court have long histories replete with a perhaps surprising degree of symmetry.Chinese Emperors were honoured with the kowtow (kau tauin Cantonese or koutouin Mandarin) which was a form of prostration in which … [Read more...]
The under reported story of militant Fulani attacks on Christians in Nigeria
Since 2001, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies has estimated that up to 60,000 Nigerian have been killed in violence between Fulani herdsmen and farmers.According to statistics provided by the Institute for Economics and Peace, 1,229 people were killed in 2014, up from 63 in 2013 and Benue State seems to be the hardest hit in recent times. Barely five days to the end of Governor Gabriel Suswam’s administration in May 2015, over 100 farmers and their family members were … [Read more...]
Why have so few Middle East Christians been accepted as refugees?
It is a startling fact that not a single Christian has been accepted by the United Kingdom among the 1,112 refugees from Syria resettled in the country in the first three months of 2018. This prompts some wider questions and reflections . But in regard to this particular statistic, it seems that just four Christians were even put forward by United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) for consideration by the UK where in the end only Muslims were accepted.This data only … [Read more...]
Latest research confirms that most adults in Europe identify as Christian
A recent report of the Pew Foundation gives interesting insights into the continuing depth of the Christian identity in Europe, despite the impact of immigration and secular media and widely secular politics. Most of the adults surveyed still do consider themselves Christians. Indeed, the survey shows that non-practicing Christians (defined as people who identify as Christians, but attend church services no more than a few times per year) make up the biggest … [Read more...]
Persecution of Christians: Recent Overview Reports detail a deteriorating picture
“In terms of the numbers of people involved, the gravity of the crimes committed and their impact, it is clear that the persecution of Christians is today worse than at any time in history.” So began the presentation by Aid to the Church in Needof their most recent global overview report on Christian persecution Persecuted & Forgotten? – A Report on Christians Oppressed for their Faith.This report went on to point out that not only are Christians more persecuted … [Read more...]