2024 turned out to be quite a year for news about religion and in our last briefing of the year, we looked back at some of the headlines, the arguments, the characters, and the public events that brought religion to the fore. Headlines include the historic resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury; the way religion met public policy with a vote t…

The Assisted Dying bill was passed in the House of Commons by 55 votes and now moves on for further consideration. In this Religion Media Centre briefing, a panel of religious leaders, academics and hospice chaplains consider the repercussions of the bill after a hotly contested debate that was highly emotional. Among their issues of concern were w…

The resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury has left the Church of England reeling. There is consensus that he had no option after the publication of the Makin report which exposed the horrific abuse of young men and boys by the barrister, John Smyth, and a decades-long cover-up by the Church of England. Smyth led Christian summer c…

Ninety financial sector leaders and church leaders from sixteen countries, all of whom oversee significant investment portfolios, are taking part in a meeting in London this week to turbocharge the market for investments that fit Christian beliefs. The Mensuram Bonam summit, on 11 and 12 November, is the second of its kind and seeks to engage the w…

As the US presidential election campaign draws to a close, we use this opportunity to speak to faith leaders and election watchers to assess the importance of religion in the election campaign. Traditionally, white evangelicals have supported Donald Trump and this briefing made clear that they appear to have largely remained loyal. The majority of …

The National Churches Trust has produced a report pointing out that churches provide health care which would otherwise cost the NHS £8.4 billion to deliver. "The House of Good Health" lists services such as youth groups, food banks, support for drug and alcohol addiction, and a listening ear for mental health counselling. But the report warns that …

A bill to allow assisted dying in England and Wales will be put before the Commons on 16 October, the first time in nine years that MPs will have had the chance to vote on the issue. The Lords have debated it many times, but in all cases, the measures have been defeated. This time, with a new intake of Labour MPs, and support from the Prime Ministe…

One year on from Hamas' attack on Israel, we brought together British Muslim and Jewish community leaders to find out how the war had impacted life in this country. Their discussion illustrates how each group "mirrored each other". Both communities have faced spikes in hate crime, leading to feelings across the board that Britain is not a safe plac…

Community and faith leaders from towns and cities across England have spoken of the importance of free and open discussion on the causes of the riots this summer. In a Religion Media Centre briefing, bringing together participants from our 11 Creating Connections events, they spoke of their local efforts to provide opportunities for dialogue betwee…

The report into the fire at Grenfell Tower, which claimed 72 lives in 2017, says the disaster was a devastating critique of failure, incompetence, dishonesty and greed at all levels, in government and business. In a section on how religion was part of the story, the report said Muslims felt abandoned and neglected by the council. But there was one …

The US Vice President Kamala Harris will be formally nominated as the Democrat's presidential candidate at the party’s convention in Chicago this week. With a Hindu mother, Baptist father and Jewish husband, she embodies religious pluralism in a diverse country. But will this make her more or less appealing to constituencies of faith, or the non-re…

Fear and anxiety immediately followed the riots which spread across England last week, with Muslims in particular afraid to leave the house because of the hatred and violence on the streets. But in this Religion Media Centre briefing, faith leaders described how within 24 hours, faith and community leaders sought and found solidarity and support fr…

Violent thuggery in more than 20 towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland has targeted British Muslims, who are now in fear for their lives. Mosques have been attacked, hotels with asylum seekers have been surrounded by protesters, shops with Muslim owners have been ransacked or burned, and areas with high immigrant populations have been va…

For a secular country hosting the 33rd Olympic Games, France finds itself dealing with religion dominating the headlines. The controversial tableau in the rain-swept opening ceremony depicting the Last Supper (or was it the Festival of Dionysius) with drag queens and a woman comedian wearing a crown, widely seen as representing Jesus, caused anger …

The three-day swearing in ceremony for MPs in the new parliament has proved a remarkably popular watch, with the oath of allegiance to the King spoken in English, Welsh, Scottish, Gaelic, Irish and Kernewek, on a wide variety of texts including the Bible, Quran, Bhagavad Gita, Sundar Gutka, Tanakh - and none. The latest tally of MPs’ religious affi…

The decision by the Church of England general synod in York, to move towards allowing services for same-sex blessings, has once more revealed deep divisions, hurt, anger and anxieties. Speakers in this Religion Media Centre briefing discussed what possible moves could come next to keep the church together, where both sides are certain they are righ…

How should the incoming government work with faith groups in modern, diverse Britain? In this Religion Media Centre briefing, the panel discussed the current vacuum of communication, and heard that Muslims in particular feel alienated and ostracised. The government refuses to speak to the Muslim Council of Britain and there is no mechanism for fait…

Faith groups across the globe are passionately engaged in climate change campaigns, with a deep desire to save the planet. Representatives of faith organisations and campaign groups told this Religion Media Centre election briefing that they saw signs of hope in several of the parties' manifestos. While each manifesto has different pledges on the d…

The cost of living is a top election issue, yet the increasing wealth divide and extent of poverty have not really figured in election debates. In this Religion Media Centre briefing, Theos Think Tank pointed to data that indicated the majority of Christians are concerned about the growing wealth divide and want income inequality addressed. And 88 …

Immigration is among the top four concerns driving voters at the general election, and their religious identity impacts how they regard the issue, according to speakers at a Religion Media Centre briefing. Polling analysed by the Theos think tank has found that the British public is not overly positive about asylum seekers, but non-practising Angli…

A range of experts from across the education and faith spectrum joined this Religion Media Centre election briefing, reviewing the various parties’ manifestos on education. It’s a topic not regarded as a key election priority issue by voters, who instead tend to focus on the economy, the NHS and immigration. But religion is long associated with edu…

How will people from the religious traditions in the UK affect the vote in the General Election on 4 July? The majority of the UK population is affiliated to a religion - 63 per cent in England and Wales, 49 per cent in Scotland and 83 per cent in Northern Ireland. And in this Religion Media Centre briefing, faith representatives explained the issu…

The Theos Think Tank has analysed data from the British Election Survey on the correlation between religion and election voting. It indicates that religiously affiliated voters are more likely to vote on polling day than non-religious voters. Anglicans are the group most likely to vote. Overall they tend to vote Conservative, but those who attend c…

The decision by the United Methodist Church to row back on anti-gay legislation dating back 50 years came after overwhelming votes in favour at the general conference in Charlotte. But the picture that paints of a “super liberal, progressive” church with all traditionalists having left, is not accurate, according to researchers who have tested the …

The decision by the High Court to back the ban on prayer rituals at the Michaela School in North London has provoked a wide discussion on the place of religion in schools and what it means to live in a multicultural society. In this Religion Media Centre briefing, we hear from a lawyer who says the judgment is surprising and is concerned it may be …

A report into the work of cremation and crematorium staff during Covid and how it changed the industry has described their common feeling that they were taken for granted or ignored. Not regarded as key workers, they nevertheless felt a responsibility to ensure the death care system didn't fall apart as the number of bodies for cremation increased …

The Vatican's declaration on human dignity, Dignitas Infinita, has created headlines on what it says about sex change operations. Its 12,000 words conclude there are many grave threats to human dignity on issues such as poverty, human trafficking and war, alongside sexual and reproductive ethics. But although the section on gender theory, surrogacy…

There's a resurgence of interest across the world in Passion Plays, which depict the story of Jesus from Palm Sunday to the resurrection. The main one in Britain is at Trafalgar Square, produced by the Wintershall Trust, which attracts audiences of 20,000. There are at least twenty others taking place in towns and cities across Britain. But this ye…

The UK is experiencing a swirl of headlines and widespread concern at the extent of hatred targeting Muslim and Jewish communities. Since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October, there has been a huge rise in incidents of Islamophobia and antisemitism, and arguments over the policing of pro-Palestine marches where chanting and banners have caused o…

The Church of England has been boiling over in recent months, with divisions on same-sex blessings and frustration at the debacle over safeguarding, with talk of parishes withholding money and calls for an alternative set of bishops. But the February 2024 General Synod struck a different tone. There were some issues on which the whole synod agreed,…

The charity Inform (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements) has just celebrated its 35th anniversary and in this briefing, we look back at its work with founder, Professor Eileen Barker; honorary director, Dr Suzanne Newcombe; and senior research officer, Dr Sarah Harvey. Inform's role has always been to research and communicate informati…

A report by Prof Alexis Jay into safeguarding in the Church of England recommends two new charities should be set up to deliver and scrutinise safeguarding operations, and they should be entirely separate from the church. It says the current safeguarding system is “flawed and cannot be sufficiently improved whilst it remains within church oversight…

The impending closure of the Inter Faith Network after 37 years has shocked and dismayed faith leaders across the UK. The government says it is withdrawing funding because a new IFN trustee is associated with the Muslim Council of Britain, an organisation which the government will not speak to due to a dispute in 2009. The Inter Faith Network was s…

Church leaders have hit back at allegations that they are naively backing fraudulent asylum claims by accepting the validity of fake conversions. In a Religion Media Centre briefing, The Bishop of Chelmsford, Guli Francis-Dehqani said wisdom and discernment needed to be applied to the conversion process and it should not be seen as a ticket to get …

The National Churches Trust has published a manifesto calling for urgent action to save the UK’s church buildings. ‘Every Church Counts’ sets out a six-point plan to support volunteers, make more use of church buildings for the community, achieve annual government funding of £50 million for maintenance and repairs, work with tourism organisations t…

The Media Bill going through parliament will change the landscape for public service broadcasters — the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, STV and S4C. They are being given powers for more flexible programming and the requirement to include specific genres of programmes on religion, science and arts will be removed. Questions have been raised as to wh…

Reporters on religion joined our panel to look ahead at the stories likely to make the headlines in 2024, within the UK and around the world. They unpacked headlines such as the way religion will be interwoven in the US and UK election campaigns, the response to war in Israel / Gaza and its impact among religious groups here, a split in the Church …

The Church of England has agreed to introduce standalone services for blessing same-sex couples, for a trial period, following a marathon 10-hour debate at the general synod. But the church is deeply divided, with just four votes in it as the final proposal passed. In this Religion Media Centre briefing, the panel spoke of their concern at the tigh…

The Sunday programme on BBC Radio 4 has been going for more than 50 years, reporting and explaining stories about religion across the globe. To mark the 50-year milestone, SPCK has brought out a book simply called "Sunday", written by presenter Ed Stourton, and producer and editor Amanda Hancox. They identify 19 topics which the programme has repor…

Community reporting in England is under threat, as Meta (formerly Facebook) withdraws a multi-million-pound scheme providing community reporters, and the BBC cuts local radio broadcasting hours to become regional instead. Editors representing local publishing groups said the cut was like a hammer blow and they are trying to secure alternative fundi…

In this Religion Media Centre Big Interview, Rosie Dawson speaks to Robert Jones about his latest book - "The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future". Origin stories are really important – they determine how America sees itself, and they are one of the reasons why we’re fighting so much over our history, right now,…

Headteachers, especially in urban areas with multiple nationalities, are enthusiastic about providing Religious Education, as children are surrounded in daily life by different religious dress, symbols and customs. And the future of all children, from rural or urban settings, is global, with many religions, many cultures, many languages and a compe…

Children's book author Onjali Rauf told the Religion Media Festival 2023 that children should not be overly protected from the problems of the world today. When she speaks in schools, she finds that children ask tough and great questions, which she describes as the “Tintin moment”, after the boy reporter in Hergé's stories, who kept asking question…

Dr Opinderjit Kaur Takhar, president of Theology and Religious Studies UK, told the Religion Media Festival 2023 of her passion to ensure that the study of religion is given a degree of seriousness in schools and is part of the national curriculum. But it was time to rebrand religious education to reflect world views and lived experiences, so “worl…

The American evangelist Franklin Graham, who believes Donald Trump defends the Christian faith, now confirms that Trump definitely lost the 2020 election. In an interview with Roger Bolton for the Religion Media Centre, he said there was no question the election was lost, though he acknowledged that millions of people do not believe that. Aged 71, …

Sir David Lidington, once the de facto deputy prime minister under Theresa May, and long-standing member of the Church of England, has spoken of his shock at discovering a total breakdown of trust within the church: "I was used to acrimony in politics, but I hadn’t expected to find it in the church”. In this RMC "Big Interview", Sir David told Roge…

The rich pageantry, sacred music and innovative liturgy will make the coronation service of King Charles III a profound statement of how the modern era meets a thousand-year-old tradition. Royal authors, the Rev Prof Ian Bradley and journalist Catherine Pepinster, were joined by Canon Prof Alison Milbank to analyse the order of service. Their overr…

The Evangelical Alliance has cautioned evangelicals within the Church of England that it is too early to leave in protest at same-sex blessings, because the pastoral guidance, including words for the prayers of blessing, has not been issued yet. CEO Gavin Calver, speaking to Roger Bolton for the Religion Media Centre Big Interview, said that a numb…

Justin Welby was virtually unknown outside Anglican circles when he became Archbishop of Canterbury in March 2013. Ten tumultuous years later, the mild-mannered Old Etonian has become a globally recognised figure, having helped the Church of England navigate troubled times, ranging from bitter theological disputes over women bishops and gay relatio…

A campaign to attract a new generation of RE teachers has been launched by a number of Religious Education teaching organisations after applications plummeted by a third this year. The reasons given were workload, pay and retention, alongside outdated perceptions that RE teachers must have a theology degree and/or a religious belief. In a Religion …