Affinity discusses Covid lessons

The newly-formed Affinity Advisory Council has met in London.

The organisation describes itself as ‘a fellowship of churches, evangelical agencies and Christians’.

The council had a wide-ranging discussion about what could be learnt from the Covid lockdowns. This was kickstarted by papers from John Stevens (on the state of the churches) and Paul Yeulett (on the state of the nation).

Director Graham Nicholls (see photo) reported that his opportunities for radio, and now also TV, interviews continue to increase, giving a platform for Biblical truth in the public square at a time when it is often hard to gain such a hearing. He has recently spoken about assisted dying, gender pronouns for God and religious education in schools. He also put together a Sunday morning service for all BBC local radio stations in England.

He also reported on the work of a specially-convened working group of experts to produce a guide for churches on how to deal with allegations of pastoral malpractice and other forms of spiritual abuse when they arise, how to support those who have been affected, and how to create a church culture that makes such incidents less likely to occur.