Queensland Synod News

Tony Blair has told an audience of 1600 people at Westminster Cathedral that his faith foundation, to be formally launched in May, will aim to bring together people of all major religions in pursuit of the United Nations’ millennium development goals for improving conditions in the developing world by 2015. Speaking on 4 April in his first detailed public speech ...

“Conviction and Conflict: Islam, Christianity and World Order” was the title of the 2005 Scott Holland Lectures and then the latest book by the Pakistani born Anglican Bishop of Rochester (UK) Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali. From his lifelong engagement with Islam and Muslims, as a theological lecturer, then as a bishop in Pakistan, and general secretary of the Church Mission Society ...

After Kenya’s disputed elections in December, when the nation’s churches were accused of being biased in favour of certain ethnic groups, Christian groups in Zimbabwe have, like the country’s citizens, waited in silence for the declaration of the result of their presidential elections. At the same time, the common call of Southern African church leaders in the region has been ...

Welsh Anglican clergy have narrowly voted against a measure, supported unanimously by their bishops, to allow women to be appointed to the episcopate. At a meeting of the Church in Wales synod in Lampeter on 2 April, the bill to provide for the ordination of women bishops failed to get a necessary two-thirds majority in one of the three chambers ...

The reputation of the Netherlands as being a country with many Christian denominations has been boosted by the publication of a new reference book detailing churches. The authors have tallied a list of 648 churches, congregations and meetings, making the Netherlands the country with the second-largest number of Christian denominations and religious movements in the world, after the United States. ...

Some church-backed non governmental organizations and church groupings are calling for action to stop what some observers say is an attempt by President Robert Mugabe and his ruling Zanu-PF party to steal power following the country’s 29 March polls. Both the Christian Alliance and the Save Zimbabwe Campaign, a network of civil society, church and political parties, issued statements urging ...

The Director of UnitingCare Australia and Frontier Services will join other Uniting Church leaders at Parliament House for the Prime Ministers’ 2020 Summit in April. Kevin Rudd is convening the Summit to bring together some of the best and brightest brains from around the country to tackle the long term challenges confronting Australia and help shape a long term strategy ...

The Moderator of the Uniting Church in Queensland Rev Dr David Pitman has claimed the final payment to indigenous claimants of stolen wages announced this week by the Premier of Queensland is inadequate. Dr Pitman said the Government, both in its initial response, and now in this latest offer, has chosen to ignore the rights of Indigenous Australians and reject ...

Moving away from traditional religious beliefs to trendy, self-focused religions and spirituality is not making young adults happier, according to new Queensland research. A University of Queensland study found that young adults with a belief in a spiritual or higher power other than God were at greater risk of poorer mental health and antisocial behaviour than those who rejected this ...

Roman Catholic groups in Poland have demanded the withdrawal of billboard posters by a local clothes firm, depicting teenagers in erotic poses with rosaries. "These peculiar adverts offend against good taste – hence the protests," said Jakub Mlost, chairperson of the Catholic Youth Association in Poland’s Krakow archdiocese. "We know there’s been liberalisation in certain areas of life, but these ...