Teaching of Christianity in schools is set to be transformed by a new resource from the Church of England, launched yesterday. Understanding Christianity is a set of comprehensive materials and training which will enable pupils from age 4 to 14 to develop their understanding of Christianity, as a contribution to making sense of the world and their own experience within it. Available to schools across the country, it was written by a team of RE advisers from RE Today Services, in collaboration with more than 30 teachers and academics. It has been trialled in over fifty schools. Understanding Christianity was commissioned by the Church of England education office with the support of Culham St Gabriels, The Sir Halley Stewart Trust, the Jerusalem Trust and an anonymous donor. The chief education officer for the Church of England said that the ability for young people to have informed conversation and dialogue about belief and faith is key to building a peaceful society and helps combat ignorance and extremism.

Recently Angela Rippon investigated dementia in a TV programme. Dementia took her mother’s life and is now affecting her friends. Angela visited people who are living with the disease and families that carry a gene for early-onset Alzheimer’s. In an ageing population, dementia is an issue that is likely to touch each one of us some time in our lives. We are hearing more about it on the media as our population ages. In his article ‘Dementia, God, & Christian Faith’ James Howell, a pastor in Charlotte, North Carolina, says that polls indicate we fear dementia more than we fear cancer. However in Christianity, well-being is not gauged by the presence or absence of illness or distress. Well-being is defined by the presence of God, and God is not distant from the one with dementia, or from those who love someone with dementia. Howell says, ‘Can someone with dementia have a spiritual life? I’ve seen forgetful, withdrawn people to be quite prayerful; faith sometimes achieves a lovely simplicity in such instances.’ See

Wycliffe Bible Translators UK and Ireland is part of an international family of over a hundred organisations from more than sixty nations working alongside many partner organisations, individuals from local communities and international groups to carry out Jesus' command to make disciples of all nations. They see Bible translation as something that reflects the character of God and teaches people His provision for them. Much work has been done over the years to bring God’s truth to unchurched / unreached people groups, but the remaining task is immense. Pray for those developing various programmes specifically designed to equip nationals with the skills they need to develop languages and Bible translation into these languages. Pray for good partnerships between Wycliffe individuals and churches to develop Bible translation further. Pray for the protection of overseas workers, and for God’s wisdom to be with those working with His words of life all the time.

An independent review will establish whether Sharia law in England and Wales has been used to discriminate against women. It will look at whether Sharia law is compatible with UK laws and whether it is being ‘misused’. Theresa May commented that some Sharia councils had sought to legitimise forced marriage and issue unfair divorces to women. The review will be completed next year and seek best practice among councils. It will be led by Professor Mona Siddiqui, an expert in Islamic and interreligious studies from the University of Edinburgh. Pray for an end to discriminatory decisions taken by Sharia councils and for all UK citizens to adhere to the UK’s laws and justice system.