Former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, has urged Christians in the UK to be more public about their faith in Jesus Christ. Writing in the Telegraph, he also highlighted the reluctance of Western governments to acknowledge the suffering endured by Christians in many parts of the world and called upon the UK Government to take action. His encouragement to Christians came in the closing paragraphs of his Christmas article: ‘Closer to home, I admit I am worried about the future of faith in the West. Many Christians I meet say there is a pressure on them to be silent about their faith. Though there can be no question of a comparison with the powerlessness and weakness of the Church in the Middle East, there is an increasing timidity on the part of churchgoers in the West – about even admitting that they have a faith in the workplace’.

Home for Good is a church-based fostering and adoption campaign. A joint initiative of the Evangelical Alliance, Care for the Family, and CCPAS, the campaign is using a network of churches across the UK to encourage and support Christian families to consider adoption. There are currently 4,600 children waiting to be adopted in England alone, something the Evangelical Alliance's mission director Krish Kandiah calls a "scandal". Having fostered a total of 16 children, one of whom he and his wife eventually adopted, Krish is passionate about the Home for Good campaign and hopes that through it, more Christians will be encouraged to open up their homes to children who don't have a family of their own. "The Bible is really clear that God cares about vulnerable children. He describes himself many times as a Father to the fatherless and protector of widows and orphans," Krish notes. "That's what drives our campaign."

Parents who believe in traditional marriage are being sidelined by draft sex education guidance, Scotland for Marriage has warned. The pro-marriage group said under the proposals, teaching about marriage will be downgraded in sex education. Scotland for Marriage also warned that teachers who have concerns about the issue will not be protected. ‘The new draft sex education guidance is a real shocker, and shows where things are heading’, the group said. The organisation also voiced concerns that the new guidance undermines parental rights. It said children could be taught certain aspects of sex education in other classes despite parents removing them from formal lessons on the topic. The draft Government guidance on Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) education has been released following the Bill to redefine marriage in Scotland. The guidance removes reference to children learning about ‘the value placed on marriage by religious groups and others in Scottish society’.

The devil, it is sometimes said, is in the detail. But in an experimental service from the Church of England, it is the absence of Satan from the small print which is causing a furore. A trial liturgy for baptising children in church has been making waves because, while parents and godparents have traditionally been asked whether they ‘reject the devil and all rebellion against God,’ the suggested alternative format merely asks them to ‘reject evil’. Also proving contentious is the omission of any question asking whether those bringing a child to be christened are willing to repent – as has been the case up until now. The service is currently being trialled. To come into permanent use, it would need to gain approval from the church's governing body, the General Synod. The existing wording in the Common Worship service book, with its references to the devil and to repentance, will remain in use either way.