Four events that were originally planned to take place at the United Reformed Church (URC) General Assembly in July, were instead held online. Three of the four events were attended by over 100 people, possibly benefitting from a wider audience due to meeting virtually.
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- Iona Community and Joint Public Issues Team announce new partnership January 19, 2026 10:05 am
Christian witness for peace and justice will be strengthened thanks to a newly announced partnership between the Iona Community and the Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) of the Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed Churches. As “resourcing partners”, the two groups have committed to “walking together and supporting each other” in their common commitment to “work and witness for peace and justice”. The announcement comes after a pilot period of more collaborative working, which has included JPIT’s team leader delivering the Iona Community lecture in 2024, and the involvement of resource workers from the Iona Community’s Wild Goose Resource Group in JPIT’s recent national conference. Members of JPIT will be leading a programme week on Politics, Power and Protest in Iona Abbey in October 2026. In a public declaration of intent, the two groups say: “The Iona Community (IC) and the Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) act as resourcing partners in our work and witness for peace and justice. We are committed to walking together and to supporting each other, recognising that each partner brings particular strengths and resources to this task. While we will not always speak together, through this partnership we seek to create opportunities to collaborate, share expertise, build community and deepen relationships between those involved in this work, so that both partners can have greater reach, resolve, effectiveness and impact.” Simeon Mitchell, JPIT Team Leader, commented, “As JPIT and the Iona Community have worked more closely together over the last year or two, we have found we have many shared hopes and also complementary strengths in this work. At a time when working for justice and peace can be so challenging, I’m delighted that we are entering into this new resourcing partnership, and pray that it will offer support and encouragement to members of the Iona Community and JPIT’s partner denominations.” Ruth Harvey, the Leader of the Iona Community, commented, “This partnership with JPIT is a natural expression of our belief that the radical, inclusive community we seek must be embodied in the community we practice. Together, we can better resource and equip people of faith to work for justice, peace, and the integrity of creation. We’re excited about the possibilities this collaboration opens up for deepening our shared witness and extending our reach.” Among the ways the partnership will be lived out will be involvement in events, resourcing of the Iona Community’s Common Concern Networks, shared public letters and statements on current issues, and possible joint projects and publications. JPIT is a partnership between the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church, with the Church of Scotland as an associate partner. Started in 2006, its purpose is to help the Churches to work together for peace and justice through listening, learning, praying, speaking and acting on public policy issues. Read more about JPIT. The Iona Community is an international, ecumenical Christian movement working for justice and peace, the rebuilding of community and the renewal of worship. Founded in Scotland in 1938, the Community now has about 280 Members and more than 2,000 Associate Members, Young Adults and Friends across the world. It has 9 Common Concern Networks on different issues, with members across the world, which meet online monthly. Read more about the Iona Community. Source
- Introducing Adam January 16, 2026 2:54 pm
I’m Adam and I’m pleased to introduce myself as the newest addition to the Joint Public Issues Team. I will be joining as the Advocacy Coordinator within the Methodist Church to help the JPIT churches amplify their impact and bring about a more just and peaceful world. In 2023, I sat in a large hall in Paris watching as delegates from almost every country in the world argued over how best to solve the global plastic pollution crisis. Until this point the voices of those who were most severely impacted by the effects of plastic pollution in their daily lives, those living in poverty and those working as informal waste pickers, had been mostly absent. These were the people I was there to support, but their calls for inclusion seemed to be falling on the deaf ears of those in positions of power. Towards the end of the week of negotiations, feeling disappointed by the pace of progress and unsure exactly how my Christian faith played a role in such a sanitized, legalistic setting, I found myself sitting next to an unassuming woman. As we both sighed and scoffed as several countries – who just happened to benefit economically from the plastic industry – sought to block progress, we realised we might be on the same page and began chatting. I introduced myself by saying that I worked for a Christian international development agency and she, to my surprise, said she was a Sister of St. Joseph, a centuries old congregation of Catholic women committed to social and environmental justice. We were two Christians from different countries, generations and church traditions but from two organisations that sought to represent the voices of Christians from across the world in their call for justice. Negotiators at the United Nations global plastics treaty negotiations, Paris 2023. In my different advocacy roles I have seen, across geographies and cultures, in places that can at times feel devoid of any kind of spirituality, Christians, as well as followers of other faiths, working hard to make the world a fairer, safer place out of a deep conviction that their faith compels them to take action. It is in this spirit of ecumenical justice work that I join JPIT. As we see the Christian faith being wielded to excuse unjust systems and actions around the world, it’s more important than ever that we make sure the radical love and unfailing faithfulness of our God are boldly stated and we do what we can in order to bring about a world that more closely matches these ideals. Those negotiations on plastic pollution are still ongoing, but thanks to the contribution of many campaigners and some supportive country delegates, many more countries vocally support measures that would make the world a more clean and less dangerous place for waste pickers and those living in poverty. I didn’t grow up in the church but my maternal grandparents were Quakers, in fact my nearly 100-year-old grandmother still is. My grandfather, who passed away years before I was born, was remembered in his Testimony (a kind of spiritual obituary for Quakers) with Micah 6:8: “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” If that’s how my spiritual life story is summarised when my time comes, I’d be content. Source
- The world trembles January 9, 2026 1:16 pm
In a guest blog, Revd Charity Tozivepi-Nzegwu reflects on recent international events. I have learnt that there are moments when the world trembles, not because violence has already erupted, but because the conditions for it are being normalised. When power begins to speak as though borders are optional, consent is irrelevant, and the lives of ordinary people are collateral. Scripture teaches us to pay attention to such moments. “Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds. When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in their power.”Micah 2:1 This is not merely about politics. It is about moral imagination. About whether the strong believe they are accountable. About whether might is mistaken for right. About whether law exists to restrain power or to be bent by it. The wisdom tradition is clear. When authority forgets its limits, chaos follows. When force replaces dialogue, when domination disguises itself as order, when resources are valued more than lives, the earth itself becomes unsafe. “Kings set themselves, and rulers take counsel together… but the one enthroned laughs.”Psalm 2:2–4 Not because suffering is amusing, but because no empire is eternal. There is a dangerous logic at work in the world, one that suggests that if power can act without consequence, then others will follow. Scripture rejects this utterly. Violence begets violence. Injustice multiplies itself. What is permitted for one soon becomes permission for many. “Those who take the sword will perish by the sword.”Matthew 26:52 The prophetic tradition does not call us to cheer, nor to inflame, nor to choose sides hastily. It calls us to discernment. To truth telling. To remembering that law, justice, and restraint are not weaknesses but gifts that protect the vulnerable. God is never impressed by military strength. God listens for the cries of those who will pay the price long after speeches are finished, families who will grieve, children who will inherit rubble instead of hope. “Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”Isaiah 1:17 This is a moment for vigilance, not vengeance. For wisdom, not bravado. For courage that refuses the seduction of domination. And for prayer, not the kind that numbs conscience, but the kind that sharpens it. May we remain awake. May we refuse the lie that force is inevitable. May we remember that peace is not passive, it is disciplined, costly, and holy. © 2026 Reverend Charity Tozivepi-Nzegwu. All rights reserved. Revd Charity Tozivepi-Nzegwu is a Methodist minister serving in the Cambridge Circuit, and Chair of the Connexional Justice, Dignity and Solidarity Committee. This article was originally posted on Facebook and is shared with her permission. Source
- After COP30: Balancing Lament & Hope December 18, 2025 8:00 am
Watching from afar through headlines and Instagram posts, I was unsure how to feel about COP30 last month. As a former youth climate striker, my teenage sense of optimism has been somewhat dampened. The more I learn about politics, negotiation, and multilateral cooperation, the more exasperated I become. It’s easy to be cynical towards COP as a tool for actual global change. A month on, is it worth talking about an international event for climate littered with fossil fuel lobbyists? Will our national leaders ever advocate for bold action? Haven’t we passed the point of applauding these events? Despite some progress, this COP was deeply inadequate, but I think it mattered less in what it achieved than in what it symbolized. Ten years from the Paris Agreement, many are disillusioned and seeking other courses of action. I pray that the shortcomings of this COP will fuel imaginative alternatives to still work towards a planet where our environment is renewed. Christians are clearly called into this fight for climate justice, within and beyond formal policymaking structures. There were plenty of articles published covering the positive outcomes, such as the Just Transition Action Mechanism, Global Implementation Accelerator, and funds for tropical forests and adaptation finance. But there was an overall sense of disappointment.1 For a conference held within the Amazon rainforest – an emblem of the destruction we are wreaking on nature, and of the beautiful creation we are called to steward – many believe the language was not strong enough. Taking stock of COP now, as we look to a new year in climate campaigning, can both inspire Christian activists and challenge churches to pursue bolder action, when global summits fall short. Fossil Fuels One of the most lamentable realities of this COP was the record number of fossil fuel lobbyists in attendance. Ambitious goals are much harder to achieve with the pressures of these representatives. Out of 194 representatives, ‘roughly 80 didn’t submit new commitments for 2035…and the rest submitted weak pledges’, leading scientists to project that we are still ‘on track for upwards of 2.6 ° C of warming by 2100’. As a young adult activist, this fills me with grief and urgency. The future I fear is already the present for millions of young adults in the Global South, where climate disaster is not a distant threat but a daily reality. The recent floods in Indonesia are just one heartbreaking example among many. This year, JPIT church leaders have campaigned against the fossil fuel industry through the Climate Coalition mass lobby in July and the #StopRosebank campaign. Moments like COP should empower us further as Christians to reiterate concerns to our MPs and to push the limits of our local and national strategies. Global South Representation Tensions were high between those in the room and those excluded. On the second day, my social media was dominated by clips of some Munduruku indigenous people storming the conference to break into the decision-making spaces. Despite the record turnout, the barriers to genuine participation for indigenous peoples became painfully clear. Seeing this protest immediately made me lose hope in the event, unable to take it seriously if it wasn’t going to take those with lived experience seriously. This racial dimension of the environmental crisis is undeniable, and the disparity in Global North–South representation at COP30 makes this clear. Last week, I was privileged to join Methodist representatives at a UK church leaders and agencies event on Palestine at Lambeth Palace with the Archbishop of York, where one speaker argued for the interconnection between genocide and ecocide happening in Palestine and the West Bank. It highlighted how the church’s response to worldwide violence, colonialism, and climate crisis are interconnected. In the closing plenary, Colombia spoke powerfully against procedural issues including the mitigation work programme and announced an independent roadmap with the Netherlands. Genevieve Guenther argues that this action ‘outside the COP process may establish a trading bloc that could begin to sanction nations – and banks – that refuse to wind down fossil fuels’ but requires us to ‘do our part and subject world leaders to extreme and relentless public pressure’. Patricia Mungcal (National Council of Churches, Philippines) described how, “I find hope outside the negotiation halls, in the courage and bravery of Indigenous peoples to defend their land and care for the creation; in the international solidarity…even outside the official texts.” We must continue the fight for intersectional justice and listen to those with lived experience. It is crucial that the Church pays attention to alternative leaders like Colombia for inspiration and guidance on climate policy, rather than rich countries. …so what now? COP30 was alleged to be the “implementation COP”. The name of the final text (mutirão) means “collective efforts”, underscoring the need for mobilisation not only from our politicians and diplomats, but also our wider communities and churches. Regardless of how impressed you are with the outcomes, we as churches and Christians must put our money where our mouth is and boldly campaign for climate action. We must fulfil our Christian call to work for justice for the marginalised, and to care for our God-given creation, by continuing to speak out beyond COP. Proverbs 31: 8-9 encourages the church to be bold and courageous: Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. By reflecting on COP from a Christian perspective, we must recognise the need to: Use bolder language Listen to our partners in the Global South Embody one of the alternative pathways to climate justice The UK is making wins thanks to campaigners, having recently announced an end to new oil and gas exploration. This should be celebrated as we approach the end of 2025, but ambitious New Year’s Resolutions for 2026 are necessary. Churches offer a unique platform to engage with climate politics away from formal international diplomacy in local and national communities, where we can lament the destruction that is occurring whilst finding hope in the kingdom of heaven. Continue to support the Stop Rosebank campaign. Interested in growing a relationship with your MP as part of your church’s work for climate justice? Find out about our Constituency Action Network. Source
- Child poverty: a step forward December 10, 2025 1:11 pm
JPIT’s Paul Morrison explains the context for the response from faith leaders to the government’s child poverty strategy Today faith leaders have responded to last week’s child poverty strategy. The headline from the strategy, and the headline from the leaders’ response, is the abolition of the two-child limit on benefits from April next year. The rule meant that the benefit system ignored the needs of third and later children in a family. As soon as the policy was announced a decade ago a coalition of faiths came together to challenge it. The objections were two-fold; that all children are valuable and none should have their needs ignored by the benefit system as well as the substantial and increasing hunger, hardship and poverty the policy inevitably generated. Leading poverty expert Prof Jonathan Bradshaw called it “morally odious” and the “the worst social policy ever”. The strategy ends it, and for that reason alone it should be welcomed with great joy. The process of creating the strategy was also to be welcomed. There was a genuine engagement with people who experience poverty, which went far beyond the usual calls for evidence and consulting with stakeholders groups. The mechanisms for real consultation and co-working with people with experience of poverty were genuinely innovative and not easy to do within the normal Whitehall culture. Alongside this there was an enormous effort to collect evidence and use it to describe poverty and its immediate drivers in the UK. This was not shallow, nor was it seeking evidence to justify a particular pre-decided policy. The strategy’s weakness comes with the next steps. We now have a well described and understood problem. The first step of removing the biggest block to progress – the two-child limit – has been taken, but the next steps outlined in the strategy are small and tentative. The faith leaders wrote to government on two occasions this year, in March and August, asking for a “bold and ambitious” child poverty strategy. The removal of the two-child limit is important, but it alone will not turn the tide on child poverty in the UK. The strategy has opened the door to bold and ambitious action, but it does not describe it. For the many groups that worked together to remove the two-child limit, we must take this moment to celebrate, but not think our work is yet done. Our task now is to build a movement for bold ambitious action from government and across society to create flourishing communities free from poverty. In short, to push the government through that now open door. Source
- Child poverty strategy “a welcome step in the right direction”, say faith leaders December 10, 2025 12:23 pm
Senior faith leaders have issued a joint response to the government’s recently published Child Poverty Strategy. In it, they “celebrate” the most significant policy change in the strategy, the removal of the two-child limit on benefits, which is set to directly lift 450,000 children out of poverty by the end of the decade. Faith groups had campaigned against the limit since its inception. Signatories to the statement include Bishops representing the Church of England and Roman Catholic Church, Senior Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, leaders from the Church of Scotland, Baptist Union, Methodist Church and United Reformed Church, a representative of Sikhs in Scotland, and the Territorial Leaders of the Salvation Army. The faith leaders have written jointly to the government on two occasions over the last year, encouraging an ambitious and decisive strategy to tackle rising levels of child poverty. Explaining their concern, they say “as faith leaders we are deeply aware of the effects of poverty on our communities, many of which increasingly feel forgotten and overlooked. It is simply wrong that millions of children across the UK have their health, wellbeing and opportunities blighted by poverty.” The strategy is commended as revealing “with depth and clarity the issues that need to be addressed to turn the tide on child poverty,” but the leaders go on to observe that “it is clear that this strategy alone will not deliver the lasting change we hope to see.” Beyond the scrapping of the two-child limit, the government’s figures show that the other measures committed to within the strategy, many of which are welcome changes, will nonetheless have limited impact. Calling for “sustained political focus, sufficient resources, and the ongoing involvement of those who bring direct lived experience of poverty” – building on the partnership approach taken to developing the strategy – the leaders commit to continuing to play their part “in pursuit of a better future for all our children”. Full statement: The Government’s Child Poverty Strategy is a welcome step in the right direction. As faith leaders we are deeply aware of the effects of poverty on our communities, many of which increasingly feel forgotten and overlooked. We wrote to the Prime Minister and Chancellor earlier this year calling for ambitious and decisive action to drive down child poverty. It is simply wrong that millions of children across the UK have their health, wellbeing and opportunities blighted by poverty. The strategy reveals with depth and clarity the issues that need to be addressed to turn the tide on child poverty. We celebrate the removal of the two-child limit, and commend the government for taking this bold action. People of faith have long opposed the limit because of our enduring commitment to the equal and immeasurable value of every child. Support through the social security system should be determined on the basis of need, not family size. It is regrettable, therefore, that the household benefit cap will continue to trap many families and households in poverty. It is clear that this strategy alone will not deliver the lasting change we hope to see. That will require sustained political focus, sufficient resources, and the ongoing involvement of those who bring direct lived experience of poverty. In our communities and places of worship we will continue to play our part, alongside national and local government, businesses, charities and people of goodwill, in pursuit of a better future for all our children. Revd Richard Andrew, President of the Methodist Conference, The Methodist ChurchRt Revd John Arnold, Bishop of Salford, Roman Catholic Diocese of SalfordRabbi Robyn Ashworth-Steen, former Co-Chair, Assembly of Reform Rabbis and CantorsDr Nicola Brady, General Secretary, Churches Together in Britain and IrelandMatthew Forsyth, Vice President of the Methodist Conference, The Methodist ChurchRt Revd Rosie Frew, Moderator of the General Assembly, Church of ScotlandRevd Lynn Green, General Secretary, Baptist Union of Great BritainMia Hasenson-Gross, Executive Director, René Cassin – the Jewish voice for human rightsCommissioners Jenine and Paul Main, Territorial Leaders, The Salvation Army UK and IrelandRavinder Kaur Nijjar, Advisor, Sikhs in ScotlandGenesis Padgett, Youth President, The Methodist ChurchPaul Parker, Recording Clerk, Quakers in BritainPaul Rochester, General Secretary, Free Churches GroupRt Revd Martyn Snow, Lord Bishop of Leicester, Church of EnglandCatriona Wheeler, General Assembly Moderator, United Reformed ChurchRt Revd Robert Wickham, Chief Executive, Church Urban FundRt Revd and Rt Hon The Lord Williams of Oystermouth (Dr Rowan Williams), former Archbishop of CanterburyRabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, Senior Rabbi, Masorti Judaism Source
- Is Tommy Robinson the person to put Christ back into Christmas? December 3, 2025 5:59 pm
What will Unite the Kingdom’s rally really put into Christmas? Every year, there are calls to ‘put Christ back into Christmas’. The gospel good news message of love, peace, goodwill and hope embodied in Christ’s coming is desperately needed in our society. However, this year that call is coming from a rather unexpected place. Following their ‘Free Speech’ rally in London in September, far right activist Tommy Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) and his Unite the Kingdom movement are organising an event in Whitehall next weekend which says it is about ‘putting the Christ back into Christmas’. Given the history of Tommy Robinson and his supporters, there are grounds for caution and careful discernment around this event. Robinson came to fame after founding the English Defence League and has served five terms in prison for a variety of offences, including violent assault and fraud. Last year he was given an 18 month jail sentence after pleading guilty to repeatedly breaching a court order by sharing untrue, Islamophobic and defamatory videos about a young Syrian refugee. The child had been a victim of violence, and Robinson’s videos led to a year-long campaign of hate and death threats that required the boy and his family to relocate. Christ is love Christ is self-sacrificial love. Christmas is a celebration of the moment that love entered into the world as a vulnerable human child. Many Christians will welcome any initiative that seeks to centre Christ at Christmas. But focusing on Christ compels us to ask, in relation to anything being done or said in Christ’s name, ‘Is this about love?’ If so, is it an easy love that includes only the likeminded, and those who belong to certain groups – or is it the challenging and all-encompassing love that came in Christ at Christmas, which extends to all? ‘The angel said to [the shepherds], “Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.”’ (Luke 2:10) Is this love? In May of this year, while in prison, Tommy Robinson made a commitment to follow Christ. We dearly hope that is a sign of God at work in his life, but as Matthew 7:15-20 reminds us, that will only be known by its fruits. ‘The fruit of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’ (Galatians 5:22-23). Upon his release from prison, Yaxley-Lennon was a key organiser of Unite the Kingdom’s ‘Free Speech’ rally in September. Speeches expressed hostility to refugees and immigrants, featured Islamophobic rhetoric, and saw the promulgation of the ‘Great Replacement’ conspiracy theory, which stokes fear that ‘other’ religions and races are seeking to overwhelm ethnic white cultures, and that ‘we’ must therefore – in the words of Elon Musk speaking at the rally – “either fight back or die”. Unsurprisingly, given such rhetoric, there was violent disorder towards police and bystanders, with punches, bottles and flares thrown. Perhaps more surprisingly, the event also featured Christian prayer and the use of Christian symbols. In September Christian leaders shared concerns about the co-option of Christianity during the Unite the Kingdom event, writing: “The cross is the ultimate sign of sacrifice for the other. Jesus calls us to love both our neighbours and our enemies and to welcome the stranger. Any co-opting or corrupting of the Christian faith to exclude others is unacceptable.” While the organisers claim that this month’s event is not about politics, immigration or ‘Islam or any other group’, the initial announcement about it included more ‘Great Replacement’ rhetoric and followed Yaxley-Lennon’s familiar pattern of making false and defamatory statements about non-white people in general and Muslims in particular. While there are many legitimate criticisms that could be levelled at London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the announcement labelled him “an unwelcome foreign invader” imposing “Sharia Law”. This is not about honest engagement with the Mayor’s record, policies or intentions, but a clear attempt to generate hostility towards him because of his background. Is this love? Love casts out fear There is a lot of fear around at the moment. Fear of declining living standards and rising costs, fear of violence and crime and, yes, fear of the other. Those fears are real and deep and legitimate, and political answers are needed to address many of them – answers that enable the needs of the poorest and most marginalised to be put at the centre. One of those answers came last week, with the long-awaited end of the two-child benefit limit. There is a posture of competitiveness at the root of the Unite the Kingdom movement. There is talk about making Britain great again, and about the superiority of the UK compared to other countries, of those born in the UK being more somehow deserving than those born elsewhere, and of Christianity compared to other religions. People fear loss, and one way to avoid loss is to beat down the other. But is this love? ‘There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.’ (1 John 4:18a) Why does perfect love cast out fear? Not because those fears are irrelevant or unjustified, but because fear is about blame and punishment, and God is about grace. Perfect love casts out fear by removing the divisions between us, by making it impossible to point the finger, by untangling the painful realities of life from the ways in which we treat each other. Love does not stoke fear of other human beings. We are called to love our neighbour as we love ourselves, not to hate ourselves, nor to hate our neighbour. Loving your community and country is an expression of this. But when love of nation manifests itself in the rejection of people from other nations, or other faiths, or other races, is this love? Loving the stranger Unite the Kingdom’s rally in September was infused with “them and us” language. ‘We’ – white people born in the United Kingdom – were portrayed as people who […]
- ‘Good news of great joy… for all!’ December 3, 2025 4:33 pm
Supporting churches to respond to the co-option of Christmas by the Far Right Local churches across the UK will already have well-developed plans for celebrating Christmas – both in our church buildings and with our wider communities. Each of us will have had a lifetime of sharing the message at the heart of Christmas, ‘good news of great joy… for all’. But this year, we have seen a ‘turning up of the volume’ of Far Right politics and the co-option of Christian language and symbols – including Christmas – for a nationalist agenda, overtly hostile to asylum-seekers and Muslims, and more covertly threatening to many more of us in our churches and neighbourhoods. This includes an event planned for central London on 13th December, led by ‘Tommy Robinson’ and ‘Unite the Kingdom’, with the explicit aim of ‘putting Christ back into Christmas’, but associated closely with aggressive patriotism, xenophobia and Islamophobia. We’ll be all too aware that within our church communities, and our wider neighbourhoods, there will be some people who find these events threatening or scary, some who will want to fiercely reject them, others who will be drawn to them for a variety of reasons, and still many others who will feel confused and bewildered by the mixed messages that they find themselves having to make sense of. We offer here a ‘rapid response’ resource for local churches wanting to navigate these complexities and discern faithful ways forward: to celebrate Christmas with a clear message of love for all our neighbours and (in small but significant ways) resisting agendas of division and hostility, while recognising that even within our own church communities there will very likely be a wide diversity of experiences, hopes and fears, and political views. We include here a call to focus particularly on Sunday 14th December (which some Christian traditions call ‘Gaudete Sunday’) with services, events and wider communications that embody the themes of welcome, hospitality and joy – for all! About this resource This resource has been compiled by Revd Dr Al Barrett, Hodge Hill Church (hodgehillvicar@hotmail.co.uk), in collaboration with Larger Us, the Centre for the Study of Bible & Violence, the Joint Public Issues Team (Baptist Union, Methodist Church & United Reformed Church), and a number other Christian leaders and organisations across the UK. Please note: as this is a ‘rapid response’ resource, with multiple contributors collaborating across different denominations and organisations, it does not claim to be comprehensive, ‘authorised’, or a single, unified position. All views expressed here are those of the contributors, who offer different and complementary perspectives on these complex issues. #JoyForAllDecember 2025 Additional downloadable resources ‘Good news great joy for all’: Created by Oasis Church Waterloo, this is free to use (you might want to add your own local logo to it). ‘Bus Stop Nativity’ by Andrew Gadd: Permission granted for free use. High resolution version coming soon, with the strapline ‘How will you welcome Christ this Christmas?’ Source
- Human Rights Day December 3, 2025 9:55 am
On 10 December, people around the world mark Human Rights Day. Human rights protected by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) include the rights to life, free elections, a fair trial, freedom of expression, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom from torture and freedom from discrimination. Last month, representatives of the Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed Churches signed a letter speaking up for human rights. The letter calls on the UK Government to defend the human rights that are protected by the ECHR, signed by the UK in 1951. Read more about the letter here. That post introduced the theological idea of the image of God as foundational to this discussion. In this post, I write about how theology has framed my own understandings of human rights. I end by suggesting some actions and offering a prayer. Human Rights and the Image of God Human rights are theologically significant, rooted in the Christian belief that humans carry the image of God. My own understanding of the image of the Trinitarian God is that God is known more fully through our relationships with each other. This has strongly affected my understanding of human rights, particularly our rights to freedom of thought and expression, and freedom from discrimination. ‘With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.’ – James 3.9 The image of God is reflected in how we speak to and of each-other. Every time that we speak or act towards another human being, we speak or act towards God.1 ‘Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen cannot love God whom they have not seen.’ – 1 John 4.20 Christian theologian Alistair McFadyen picked up this idea, writing, ‘Created in the image of the Trinitarian God, humans are thus in dialogue with God and in dialogue with each other’.2 He argues that how we communicate with each other either accepts and mirrors or rejects and distorts the image of God. McFadyen goes on to explore what it might be like to ‘actively image God’ in what we say and do.3 For McFadyen, imaging God accurately means gifting each other human dignity and rights, in respect of our human dignity. If the ways in which we actively image God reflect our understanding of God, we cannot discriminate against each other lest we limit or reject God’s image. ‘Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.’ – Galatians 6.2 Catherine Keller expands this idea of the relational image of God into a strong and compelling call for attention to the voices and rights of others in order to grow a ‘mindfulness that opens possibilities for shared life and ethical action’.4 In other words, our imaging of God relies on our openness to the lived experiences of other people – both those we are similar to and agree with, and those we differ from and – on some topics – disagree with. If we are to share life and act ethically as part of our God-like-ness, we must protect each other against manipulation and harm. ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.’ – John 1.1-4 We can learn even more about the image of God from Pacific theologian Jione Havea who uses talanoa, a method of conversational storytelling, in his work and emphasizes relational identity rooted in community. Before God is incarnate, God is a conversation – Jesus is spoken into being – and so the freedom to live, to speak, to be as we are; the freedom to tell our authentic stories – images God.5 If we are to be rooted in living out God’s story of relationships – all must be able to join in free communication. This is just a dip of one toe into one aspect of human rights. There are whole books about theology and human rights, and many perspectives on this conversation. I wonder what you think about human rights, and about how they impact and our impacted by our understandings of God, and of what it means to be human? Protect Human Rights So, on Human Rights Day, speak out for human rights. Live out the image of God by ensuring that everyone can live, can engage in the democratic process; can protect their own freedom; can be, think and speak freely; can be free from torturous harm and can live without fear of discrimination. Write to your MP The UK’s adherence to the ECHR is still under threat, risking there being no international protection of our human rights. Write to your MP today to back the ECHR and defend our human rights (Amnesty) – Defend our Human Rights – Tell Your MP to Back the ECHR Pray Pray that these rights may be protected on the Sunday before or after Human Rights Day. You might like to use this prayer: God – Father, Mother and Creator of us all, We thank you that we are made in your image, And that freedom to engage with each other with grace, Is part of our imaging of you. Holy Spirit, may we recognise the dignity of every human being, Protecting each person’s right to life, to democracy, To freedom, to think, speak and live authentically, To be protected from harm, torture and death. Jesus, our brother, may we respect the image of God in everyone we engage with, Listening to understand, rather than to respond, Seeking to be transformed, rather than to transform the other, Caring for each person with respect and grace, Knowing that, in doing so, we are caring for the Body […]
- What are the government’s asylum reform proposals? November 25, 2025 3:38 pm
On 17 November 2025, the government announced major proposed changes to UK asylum policy. Drawing on similar policies implemented in Denmark, the stated aim is to “restore order and control to our borders” and deter people from seeking asylum in the UK. In response, leaders from the Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed Churches expressed concern that the changes did not reflect an approach that prioritised human dignity, but instead would “place more demands on vulnerable individuals and an overstretched system”. What is proposed? Making refugee status temporary People granted refugee status will have to apply for this to be renewed every 30 months, compared to five years at present. Far longer routes to permanent settlement People seeking asylum who have entered the UK via irregular routes, such as by crossing the English Channel, would have to wait 20 years before they could apply for indefinite leave to remain. Currently, it’s five years. It should be noted that for most people there is no option to apply for asylum in the UK without entering through an irregular route, even though under the Refugee Convention people have the legal right to seek refuge here. Returning refugees home if their country is deemed “safe” During this 20 year wait period, refugee status could be revoked at any time if people’s country of origin is deemed to be or become “safe”. This would also affect Ukrainians who are in the UK under temporary protection, should the war in Ukraine end. It is not clear what would happen to children born to refugee parents in the UK if their parents lose their leave to remain. Removing automatic housing and financial support for people seeking asylum, who would otherwise face destitution Assistance could be removed from people who have the right to work but are unemployed, or those working illegally, who have broken the law, or not complied with removal directions. It’s important to note that most people seeking asylum do not have the right to work, unless they have specific skills in a limited list of fields, and they have waited for more than a year for a decision on their asylum claim. Narrowly reinterpreting the ‘right to family life’ Articles 3 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which relate to the right to family life, are grounds on which people can challenge asylum decisions. The government intends to legislate to narrow the acceptable interpretation of this right by the courts, to only refer to immediate family members. The right to refugee family reunion will also be removed. New safe routes A new safe regulated route will be introduced for people to seek refuge in the UK with sponsorship support from individuals or communities. The numbers will be capped. What impact will these changes have? There is very little evidence that ‘deterrent’ approaches work. The Home Office’s own research has found the main reasons why people choose to seek refuge in the UK are factors like language and community connections. However, it is clear that the proposals would place addition burdens on the already overstretched asylum system, as well as on those seeking asylum. They would also not serve to encourage new arrivals to settle and integrate into communities. The changes come alongside wider proposed reforms to immigration policy, announced in May 2025, for those coming to the UK on visas via legal migration routes. These would see a doubling of the standard qualifying period for permanent residence (also known as indefinite leave to remain or settlement) from five to ten years, and require visa applicants to have a higher standard of English. These changes are currently subject to a government consultation. Source
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