Christian Daily International

Anticipating a hope that will be fulfilled: The Christian hope is not misplaced or empty. As advent begins, we need to cling to a hope eternal, one that seeks the glory of God not our earthly desires. The pathway to that hope leads through suffering, but following that path will not leave us disappointed.

UK charity guides churches on supporting children with speech and language problems, once dubbed 'Cinderella Sector': “Cinderella Sector”: that was once the description for the under-supported demographic that members of the U.K. parliament used in 2018 when debating the needs of young people with long term speech and language problems. A therapist for Growing Hope, a Christian charity in London, is suggesting methods for churches to better support these youngsters, estimated to number around one million (7.6% of all children).?

European Evangelical Alliance head on Lausanne 4: the large crowd was a challenge, but a renewed focus on discipleship is hopeful: The Rev. Jan C. Wessels, who serves as Co-General Secretary of the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) alongside Co-General Secretary Connie Main Duarte, recently shared some of his reflections with Christian Daily International about his personal experience at the Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization (Lausanne 4) in Incheon, Korea.

Caught in the crossfire, Christians in Sudan among those hit hardest by the war: As the war in Sudan enters its second year with no clear resolution in sight, there are real fears that an escalation of hostilities between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) will further aggravate the humanitarian situation in Sudan.?Speaking to Christian Daily International, the General Secretary of the Sudan Evangelical Alliance, Rafat Samir notes that Sudanese Christians have “long been ignored and neglected in humanitarian relief” increasing their vulnerability

Australia to enact world’s toughest social media ban for children under 16: Australia has passed legislation to ban children under 16 from using social media, a move that will enforce the world’s strictest regulations on platform usage by minors. The ban, which will not come into effect for at least 12 months, allows for penalties of up to A$50 million ($32.5 million; ￡25.7 million) for tech companies that fail to comply. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described the new law as essential for protecting young people from the "harms" of social media, a concern echoed

Denial of Christian’s effort to correct religion on ID in Pakistan overturned: A judge has overturned a verdict that denied a Christian’s effort to correct his name and religion on his national identity card as he was a victim of fake conversion to Islam, his attorney said.

'Focus on the gifts of God': Churches hold Thanksgiving Day worship services: While for most Americans, Thanksgiving is a time allotted for big family dinners, catching up with relatives and watching football games, for others, it involves going to church.

Thanksgiving in Latin America: an evolving tradition: Thanksgiving, traditionally celebrated in the United States and Canada, is gaining ground in some Latin American countries due to cultural influence and geographic proximity. In Mexico, for example, although it is not part of local traditions, the date has become popular among communities near the border and U.S. expatriates, who celebrate family gatherings with traditional dinners such as turkey and the classic side dishes of this holiday.

Two theological training centers in Switzerland agree to merge: 'less competition, more cooperation': Two Swiss theological training institutions are joining forces with a complementary outlook with hopes to attract, inspire and bolster the numbers of younger people for pastoral training.The brands for the Theological Seminary of St. Chrischona (TSC) based in Bettingen-St Chrischona and Institute for Community-Orientated Continuing Education (IGW) in Zurich, with campuses in Germany, will remain–as will the independent sponsoring associations of TSC, IGW Switzerland and IGW Germany–but from Jan.

What we can learn from how the anguish of suicide was handled in history: Life can be difficult for some people to bear. The Church should not make it even more difficult for them or those caring for them. Suicide is an extreme response to those difficulties. We need to appreciate better how complex that issue is and respond with greater pastoral sensitivity.