Having been a faith-based and committed Christian for over a decade, you could easily think I had become accustomed to the strange looks when I tell people more about myself; for example, that on Sunday mornings I go to church instead of recovering from a boozy session with friends, that my life manual is the Bible, and that I have a personal relationship with God.

However, with so many prejudices attached to Christianity, it can sometimes be hard to speak candidly about my faith.

In addition to ‘being strange’, the common labels attached to Christians these days vary from the ‘party pooper’ to cult follower.

As part and parcel as they are of being a Christian today, stereotypical generalisations are not without their impact. A law student and friend of mine recently confided that he was annoyed by the ignorance of many who equate the church with a religious cult without asking what the Christian faith is actually about.

Recently I had a conversation with a group of non-Christians and aside from analysing current affairs, we somehow ended up talking about evangelical Southern Americans. It was clear that the consensus in the group was against …

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The head of the Scottish Episcopalian Church has added his voice to the chorus of criticism surrounding the decision to strip former Royal Bank of Scotland boss Fred Goodwin of his knighthood.

The Most Rev David Chillingworth said the move “says as much about the Honours system as it does about Fred Goodwin”.

“Stephen Hester gives up his bonus and Sir Fred Goodwin is stripped of his knighthood. But it seems to me that these responses fail to satisfy.

“They feel more like unhealthy scapegoating than an atonement which resolves.”

There had, he continued, been a “rather unsatisfying pursuit of bankers as a substitute for a comprehensive political and social response which would make some clear statements about the kind of society which we are now going to build”.

He said Hester’s pay had been “excessive” and called for “proportionality” to return to the earnings of Britain’s top tier of business leaders.

“I believe that societies in which the gap between rich and poor is smaller tend to be more contented societies. And we have lost that.”

Goodwin was knighted for his “services to banking” in 2004, four years before the bank …

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The Roman Catholic Church and Oriental Orthodox Churches in the UK have welcomed an “unprecedented” move towards unity this week.

They have launched a new book entitled “Joint Statements” outlining areas of theological agreement between the two denominations.

The book was developed by the Catholic-Oriental Orthodox Regional Forum (COORF) and presented by the body’s co-chairs Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK, and the Catholic Archbishop of Southwark Kevin McDonald.

Bishop Angaelos said that the areas of common faith and witness outweighed the issues that had separated them for the last 1,600 years.

“It is very well for us to stand at our pulpits and preach love, but if our faithful do not see our Churches working together they see this as being quite hypocritical,” he said.

“If we, as Church leaders, as priests and pastors and shepherds in the Church cannot actually portray this, if we cannot have this relationship and the wider relationship in this room and indeed between our Churches in this land that we live in, then we will find it very difficult to stand and preach love and forgiveness and acceptance, that …

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The head of Christian Aid has told government representatives at the Davos World Economic Forum to respect human dignity.

Loretta Minghella added her voice to calls for economic reform before the five-day meeting wound up in Switzerland today.

“Our economic models need to be built around the unique beauty of every person, the inherent dignity of every person, the infinite worth of every person,” she said.

There was little to cheer about for Europe’s leaders after they were told by top bankers, policy makers and academics to get a grip on the eurozone crisis.

Minghella, chief executive of the financial services compensation scheme during the bank failures of 2008, was invited to speak at Davos as part of the faith community.

Earlier in the month, she called for a new economic model underpinned by a value system in which growth and financial prosperity do not come at the expense of the poor.

Delivering the the Chaplaincy Lecture at Alleyn’s School in London, she said: “It appears that the World Economic Forum is realising that we need new economic models based on sound values in order to make them sustainable.

“That gives me …

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The head of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK has offered his prayers for people in Egypt a year to the day since the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.

In a statement to mark the anniversary, Bishop Angaelos offered his prayers for those who have lost their lives or suffered as a result of the social and political upheaval in the last year.

He noted that the uprising had still to meet the people’s expectations of a more free and fair democratic Egypt.

“In reality, at least in the short term, the transition has brought greater social divisions and subsequently given rise to increased attacks on minorities, mainly Christians,” he said.

“We therefore offer our prayers for all those who have suffered at this time as a result of these challenges, as well as those affected by an ailing economy, increasing unemployment and general breakdown in law and order.”

Despite the difficulties for Christians, Bishop Angaelos said they would not “live in a spirit of defeat or self-pity” but continue to witness their faith in their daily lives.

He called for “all necessary steps” to be taken to ensure that accountability, justice …

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