Mark Woods

C of E should adopt 'Teach First' training model to stave off shortage of priests
Numbers of ordinations need to increase by half by 2020, a report says.

Mark Woods: What Alex Malarkey, The Boy Who Didn't Come Back From Heaven, tells us about the afterlife
Alex Malarkey's retraction of his testimony has troubling implications.

Should Lord's Resistance Army commander Dominic Ongwen receive amnesty?
Accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, is there a case for forgiveness?

How to become a Saint
How do you get to be a saint? And would you really want to be one?

'The boy who came back from heaven' Alex Malarkey says best-selling book is false
The co-author of a best-selling book, a child at the time, says he made it up.

Bishop Pete Broadbent: Church of England is near Last Chance Saloon
The chair of a task group charged with sweeping away red tape warns parts of the Church may disappear.

Mark Woods: Britain's deadliest weapon against terror is tea
Politeness is an under-rated virtue; it's about putting ourselves in someone else's shoes.

Philippines: Pope flies in to security nightmare and tropical storm
Vast crowds and bad weather will greet Pope Francis as he arrives in Manila later today.

Christian florist who turned down gay wedding faces ruin
Barronelle Stutzman is doing battle with state attorney's office after refusing to provide flowers for a gay wedding.

Leaders before lay people - What the Church of England gets wrong about discipleship
The Church is failing to equip Christians to live out their faith in daily life, says a paper on discipleship for the General Synod.

Patriarch tries to stop mass emigration of Christians from Iraq
Emigration is a "personal decision", says Patriarch Louis Sako.

Outrage as pastor halts funeral for gay woman
Pastor Ray Chavez stopped a funeral after realising pictures of her partner would be shown.

Islamic State claims to hold 21 Coptic Christians in Libya
The extremist group says it was responsible for capturing Egyptian workers earlier this month.

Justin Welby and John Sentamu warn that Church of England must reverse its decline
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York say that urgent action needs to be taken.

One third of US pastors are obese
A third of US pastors are too heavy â but that can change, says a Baylor University researcher.

Mark Woods: Not marching for Boko Haram killings doesn't mean we don't care
That more people died in Baga than in Paris doesn't mean Sunday's demonstration shouldn't have happened.