The collect for today, the Epiphany, or The Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles, from the 1962 Canadian Book of Common Prayer:
O God, who by the leading of a star didst manifest thy only-begotten Son to the Gentiles: Mercifully grant, that we, who know thee now by faith, may be led onward through this earthly [...]

In one of the great tragedies of church history, one of the most ancient Christian communities is being destroyed before our very eyes. The Assyrian, Chaldean, and Orthodox churches of Mesopotamia appear headed for a bloody end. As recently as 1970, Christians made up 5-6 percent of Iraq’s population; today, they are less [...]

The Supreme Court of India has told the Orissa state government that, if it cannot protect Christians from mob violence, then it should resign.
The Supreme Court today said it would not allow “persecution” of minorities and asked the Orissa government to resign if it was unable to protect Christians who were targeted in recent riots [...]

Christians for Fair Witness on the Middle East comments on the reaction of some church leaders to the current Middle East conflict.
Christians for Fair Witness on the Middle East (”Fair Witness”) is greatly disturbed by the escalating violence in Israel and Gaza and the tragic loss of innocent Palestinian and Israeli lives. As many church [...]

In a decision with far-reaching implications, a Swedish court has approved an application for asylum made by an Iraqi Christian family, despite an agreement signed by Sweden and Iraq designed to obviate such applications.
In early 2008, Sweden and Iraq signed an agreement under which the Iraqi government pledged to protect religious minorities and returning refugees [...]

In a rare legal victory, a Pakistani court has ordered police to rescue a Christian teenage girl held against her will by a Muslim woman.  Police even carried out the order.
Police carried the order out on December 13th, successfully returning Nousheen Bibi to her parents after three months as a hostage to her former employer, [...]

I came across this disconcerting passage in How To Read A Church by Richard Taylor.
Images of Jesus with a beard may also have developed through a wish to symbolize ugliness. There was some debate in the early Church as to whether Jesus was in appearance the most handsome, or the most repulsive of men. [...]

“When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy” — St Matthew 2:10
This morning’s recessional hymn on The Second Sunday After Christmas at Christ Church, Windsor. Hymn #97 in The Book of Common Praise (1938), official hymn book for the whole of The Church of England in Canada (later Anglican Church of Canada).
As [...]

The collect for today, the Second Sunday After Christmas, from the 1962 Canadian Book of Common Prayer:
Almighty God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure Virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and [...]

An unnamed Anglican priest in the Solomon Islands was reportedly attacked and injured by a local Muslim on 16 December.  The suspect is still at large. Police say the attack was motivated by “religious differences”.
Solomon Star reports that Malaita’s Provincial Police Commander David Diosi confirms police is searching for the suspect Jack Rade - leader [...]

The collect for today, the Circumcision of Christ, from the 1962 Canadian Book of Common Prayer:
Almighty God, who madest thy blessed Son to be circumcised, and obedient to the law for man; Grant us the true circumcision of the Spirit; that, our hearts, and all our members, being mortified from all worldly and carnal lusts, [...]

Some contemporary biblical scholars and historians believe that the early church was awash with gospels, epistles, and apocalypses that are not found in today’s New Testament.  These other texts, according to this view, were allowed to circulate within the early church more or less freely and were judged heretical and tossed out only after Emperor [...]

David and Fiona Fulton have each been sentenced to a year’s hard labour by a court in The Gambia, West Africa. The Fultons, who have three children including a two-year-old adopted daughter, were charged with sedition over e-mail correspondence in which they criticised President Yahya Jammeh and the influence of Islam in the tiny [...]

The collect for today, the commemoration of John Wycliffe, (c 1320-84),  Scholar, translator of the Scriptures into English, (source):
O Lord, God of truth, whose Word is a lantern to our feet and a light upon our path: We give you thanks for your servant John Wyclif, and those who, following in his steps, have labored [...]

For well over a thousand years, the world of Christianity looked something like this map, a flower with three petals—Africa, Asia, Europe—centred around Jerusalem. Not until around 1500 did Christianity and Europe become synonymous: Christianity became essentially European and Europe essentially Christian. Before then, the Christian church survived and flourished in Egypt and [...]