A split looms in The Church of England amid recent developments that may lead to adopting a more liberal stance with regard to same-sex relationships in the clergy.

The House of Bishops in a statement said that it will review existing teachings on homosexuality to see whether or not gay clergy who are engaged in civil partnerships will be eligible to become bishops. The review will be completed and a decision rendered by next year, according to The Telegraph.

The statement has led to warnings from conservative leaders in the church that a policy shift could cause a split. On the other hand, church liberals said they are disappointed that any policy changes will only be announced in 2013, The Telegraph said.With the announcement of the review, openly gay priests with civil partnerships will be barred from promotion within its duration. Presently, gay male priests are only eligible to become bishops if they are celibate. To date, no openly gay priest has been made a bishop. One former candidate, Rev. Jeffrey John, dean of St. Albans, was twice rejected; first, in 2003 as a candidate for Bishop of Reading (he was forced to withdraw when his long-term gay relationship was revealed); and secondly, last year as a candidate for Bishop of Southwark.

Schism

Rod Thomas, who is chairman of the conservative evangelical group, Reform, told The Telegraph that while he supports the ban, “The bishops know that if they veer in a liberal direction on sexuality they risk splitting the church.”

Thomas pointed out that conservatives may opt to join the Anglican Mission in England, a newly-formed group that poses a threat to the Archbishop of Canterbury, as it supports conservative evangelicals, The Telegraph said.

“We’re not actively preparing to join it, but we need to work out what is in place if the church ends up going down a more liberal line that sits light on the constraints of scripture,” Thomas told The Telegraph.

2005 statement

The Rt. Rev. Graham James, bishop of Norwich, said (on behalf of the House of Bishops) that the last time the church issued a statement about gay clergy was in 2005, and according to the Associated Press, the bishops failed to sufficiently address the matter.

The 2005 statement said, “sexual intercourse, as an expression of faithful intimacy, properly belongs within marriage exclusively.” It also said marriage is by definition, “a faithful, committed, permanent and legally sanctioned relationship between a man and a woman, central to the stability and health of human society.”

Under the statement, clerical candidates should expect to be asked if they have a civil same-sex partnerships, and if they do, must clarify if the relationship is celibate and in agreement with the teachings of the church.

The 2005 statement was made in the same year that a law was passed allowing same-sex civil partnerships, entitling them to the same rights and obligations that are legally required of married couples.

Legal opinion

Last month the church issued a legal opinion that clergy could not be rejected as potential bishops on the grounds of homosexual orientation. It also opened the doors to the possibility that clergy who are openly gay and have civil relationships may become bishops—provided they are celibate, The Telegraph said.

James told the AP that under the pending review, “The bishops will produce a consultation document in 2013. The House’s decision is motivated by a desire to help shape the continuing debate constructively and not by any view about what the outcome should be.”

James said to the Telegraph, “The (House of Bishops) has committed itself to a wider look at the Church of England’s approach to same-sex relationships,” The Telegraph reported.

The Anglican Church is also still debating on whether or not women clergy, whether they are gay or not, can become candidates for bishops.

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NFL Pro Bowler Aaron Kampman traveled recently to El Salvador to visit a group of children who are being sponsored by an international Christian organization.

Kampman and his wife, Linde, visited El Salvador along with Compassion International to visit the underprivileged children, and to meet a child that they have been sponsoring, Christian Telegraph said.

The Kampmans are also planning to adopt a little girl in the forthcoming weeks.

Along with Kampman were Jacksonville Jaguar teammate Russell Allen and his wife Ali; and Seattle Seahawk’s Craig Terrill who came with his wife, Rachel.

Kampman told Christian Telegraph, “The reality is that two-thirds of the world live in situations that most of us in the United States can’t even comprehend. So we’ve got to see how the majority of the world lives.”

The three professional athletes also visited the children that they are sponsoring. The Kampmans are sponsors of 10-year-old Jonathan; the Allens sponsor seven-year-old Natalie; and the Terrills sponsor nine-year-old Katharine, Christian Telegraph said.

The children are given funds for their health needs, education, nutritional supplements, daily meals and spiritual support, according to Christian Telegraph. Compassion International has also facilitated family spiritual ministry, especially for the families of the children who are given sponsorships.

The NFL players also visited a 13-year-old child named Rudy, who is being sponsored by Green Bay Packers’ Super Bowl Champ Jordy Nelson, according to Charisma Magazine.

Allen told Charisma Magazine, “Rudy didn’t care about the T-shirts and sports paraphernalia we brought him—which was surprising for someone who has probably never received his own brand-new shirt. The entire time we spent with him, he gripped the photo of Jordy and asked repeatedly, ‘you really know my sponsor?’”

Kampman told Christian Telegraph, “Compassion works with the local church. It allows local pastors who know the communities and know the families to really help equip them to best serve their community’s needs and family needs.”

Kampman told Christian Telegraph the trip to El Salvador also aspired to help NFL players have a sense of ‘other centeredness,’ and give them a means to “create real change in the two-thirds world.”

Kampman told Charisma Magazine, “A lot of times here in the States I am recognized as a NFL player, and many think that gives me great value. While I love the game, it is through the eyes of these Compassion children that I can see a greater value and importance for my life beyond the football field and the potential we each have to help a child.”

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A BBC survey revealed recently that viewers believe the BBC has an anti-Christian bias, but officials are dismissing the findings of their own survey.

According to the survey, respondents believe that Christians are portrayed as “derogatory stereotypes” and are often shown to be “dogmatic,” “unsympathetic,” “weak” and “bigoted” in BBC’s programs, the Daily Mail said.

The survey also revealed that viewers and staff (who comprised a part of the survey’s respondents) believe that BBC has a “liberal bias,” and other religions are better represented than Christianity, The Telegraph said.

The BBC survey, which was taken as a component of the company’s diversity strategy, said, “In terms of religion, there were many who perceived the BBC to be anti-Christian and as such misrepresenting Christianity,” The Christian Institute reported.

The BBC report added, “Christians are specifically mentioned as being badly treated, with a suggestion that more minority religions are better represented despite Christianity being the most widely observed religion within Britain,” according to The Christian Institute.

A survey respondent is quoted in the study saying, “As a Christian I find that the BBC’s representation of Christianity is mainly inaccurate, portraying incorrect, often derogatory stereotypes,” The Christian Institute reported.

Another respondent said Christians are shown to be “dogmatic and unsympathetic or as weak and washy and woolly, or as old,” according to The Christian Institute.

Box ticking

BBC nonetheless dismissed the findings of its own report. A spokesman said, “We have strict editorial guidelines on impartiality,
including religious perspectives, and Christian programming forms the majority and the cornerstone of our religion and ethical output,” The Telegraph reported.

However, the BBC survey noted concerns about a tendency towards ‘box-ticking’ and ‘tokenism’ as a means to portray diversity, according to The Telegraph.

BBC retains a number of religious programs, including Songs of Praise which has 2.5 million viewers weekly, but this program is scheduled in the afternoon. On Radio 4, there is a Thought for the Day slot, but usually the thoughts are secular socialist in nature rather than Christian, Daily Mail said.

There is also a 15-minute Daily Service slot which is basically a sermon, but there is no use of the Book of Common Prayer and Daily Mail questioned whether using it is prohibited in BBC.

Prime time

The larger issue however is primetime and the tendency to portray Christians in a negative manner on these slots. For example, the series EastEnders has this story line, the Daily Mail said: “Christian preacher Lucas Johnson leaves his ex-wife to die, murders his wife’s ex-husband, drowns his son’s dog, and strangles his wife and locks her in a basement, kills another woman who looks like his new wife.”

Another BBC TV show, Spooks, depicts evangelical Christians as terrorists who are out to kill Muslims. And then there is atheist comedians and soap opera script writers who like to insult Christianity, Daily Mail said.

The BBC has cautioned against seeing things such as the above in isolation. However, the Daily Mail asked, “Where are the equivalent pro-Christian story lines in their soaps?” and “Where are the equivalents presenting Muslim characters in such a negative way?”

BBC executives told Daily Mail that while they would show a scene where a bible is thrown into the dustbin, they would not show a similar scene with a Qur’an, the Daily Mail said.

Peter Sissons, a former BBC news anchor whose memoirs are being serialized in Daily Mail, said, “Islam must not be offended at any price, although Christians are fair game because they do nothing about it if they are offended.”

The BBC survey polled some 4,500 people, including a number of BBC employees. The survey revealed that many viewers think BBC has either a leftwing or laissez-faire partiality in its programming, The Christian Institute said.

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Kate Middleton’s recent confirmation to the Anglican Church has raised questions and doubts about the reason why she did it.

Middleton, who will marry Prince William on April 29, was baptized into the Church of England–but she had never undergone confirmation rites until just prior to her wedding, Alexander Chancellor wrote in The Guardian.

Furthermore, Chancellor noted in The Guardian, “[N]either [Kate Middleton] nor other members of her family appear until now to have been regular churchgoers.”

Middleton was confirmed by Bishop of London Richard Chartres, in private rites that were held in St. James Palace last March 10, according to The Telegraph. Also present were Middleton’s family and Prince William, Reuters reported. Chartres will also deliver the address during the wedding ceremony.

Chartres confirmed William in March 1997 at Windsor Castle when the heir to the throne was 14 years old. At the time, this was a departure from tradition as such royal services were usually done by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Reuters said.

The timing of Middleton’s confirmation raises speculation that the 29-year-old bride-to-be only did it because of her pending wedding. Chancellor wrote in The Guardian that if Middleton were truly serious about the Church of England she would have been confirmed much earlier.

Chancellor wrote in The Guardian that Middleton attended private boarding schools such as Downe House and the posh Marlborough College, where she would likely have been given the chance to receive confirmation rites when she was still in her teens.

Sources close to Middleton told The Daily Mail that the future bride was confirmed as a result of a “personal journey,” Chancellor wrote in The Guardian. However, he also muses on the fact that without the confirmation Middleton would not have been able to receive Holy Communion during the wedding ceremony.

Furthermore, in marrying Prince William she also becomes the wife of the “future Defender of the Faith,” Chancellor wrote in The Guardian, which raises suspicion that “she did it more for convenience than from conviction.”

Not so

Others however say that it is not so. Rowan Pelling wrote in The Telegraph that she can understand why Middleton might sincerely choose to be confirmed just before her wedding, as that was her own personal experience as well.

Pelling explains in her opinion piece in The Telegraph that in her personal case, it was the desire to have a church wedding that made her think it would be hypocritical on her part to do so without being personally committed to the church.

Pelling wrote in The Telegraph, “Like Kate, I was baptized into the Church of England while I was a baby, but, although my family attended church throughout my childhood, my mother believed confirmation was a decision for the individual.”

Pelling added that in her school there was “no real pressure to join the fold.” This, she says looking back, was a better approach as “it suffers the big children, as well as the little ones, to come unto it,” she wrote in The Telegraph.

Pelling wrote in The Telegraph, “Kate may have had some of the same conversations and wobbles of conscience that troubled me 16 years ago: that solemn vows have little weight unless you trouble yourself to consider the splendid solemnity of the forces that underpin them. It seems to me that one part of becoming an adult is to take responsibility for your faith, or, indeed, your lack of  it.”

In the 16^th century, King Henry VIII broke ties with the Roman Catholic Church and declared himself supreme head of The Church of England. Currently, Queen Elizabeth II holds this title, which will be passed on to William when he becomes king, Reuters reported.

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The European Commission’s Christmas gift to students this year was copies of Agenda Europa, a diary for the year 2011—except that it didn’t mark Dec. 25 as Christmas, a Christian holiday.

Instead, the section dated Dec. 25 is blank and on the bottom is a secular message: “A true friend is someone who shares your concerns and will double your joy,” The Telegraph reported.

According to The Telegraph, 330,000 copies of the diary were given to British students (a total of 3 million were printed). It has references to Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, Chinese and Jewish holidays, May 9 is labeled as Europe Day, and there are 51 glossy pages of information about the EU. But there is no mention of Christmas, Easter or any Christian holiday.

Euro Scrooges

Laurent Wauquiez raised the issue at a press briefing, AFP reported. “Are we ashamed of our Christian identity? Are we ashamed that the Europe of church towers was the base of our European identity?” Wauquiez asked.

However Wauquiez did not demand that the diary, which has already been sent to schools across the 27 EU countries, be recalled, the AFP said. Instead, he called for a correction in next year’s diary.

 Martin Callanan of the European Conservatives said, “Given that 2010 was the year when the EU was haunted by its own ghosts of the past, present and future, it comes as no surprise that the commission is turning into a bunch of Euro Scrooges,” The Telegraph reported.

Callanan then asked, “Why is the commission spending money sending calendars to millions of schoolchildren in the first place? I’m sure that the children could manage without a present of this nature,” according to The Telegraph.

 “Blunder”

Frederic Vincent, commission spokesman in Brussels, apologized for the “blunder” and said it wouldn’t happen again. Future editions may eliminate all mentions of religion. Vincent said, “We’re sorry about it, and we’ll correct that in next edition. Religious holidays may not be mentioned at all to avoid any controversy,” AFP reported.

Spokesman Johanna Touzel of the Catholic Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community said the error is “just astonishing. Christmas and Easter are important feasts for hundreds of millions of Christians and Europeans. It is a strange omission. I hope it was not intentional,” AFP reported.

Touzel dded, “If the commission does not mark Christmas as a feast in its diaries then it should be working as normal on December 25,” according to the AFP.

Pope Benedict XVI, in an address to the diplomatic corps at the Vatican, lashed out earlier this week at the failure of secular governments to recognize Christian religious days in the hope of not offending religious minorities.

Benedict decried the increasing “tendency to consider religion, all religion, as something insignificant, alien or even destabilizing to modern society.” Benedict also warned of attempts “to prevent it from having any influence on the life of society,” LifeSiteNews reported.

Last year the EU also came under fire when its Christmas card didn’t make any reference to the birth of Jesus Christ. Instead, it read “Season’s greetings,” The Way reported.

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An elderly Christian couple in the U.K. may close their small hotel in Cornwall if a judge rules against them for not allowing a gay couple to stay overnight.

Peter and Hazelmary Bull, owners of Chymorvah Hotel in Marazion, U.K. said they turned down Martyn Hall and Steven Preddy in Sept. 2008 because their faith does not permit unmarried couples to share a room together, the Guardian reported.

The Way reported that Hall and Preddy, who are civil partners, sued the Bulls for £5,000 under Equality Act Regulations 2007. The Bristol Crown Court deferred judgment on the case until after Christmas.

Peter, 70, and Hazelmary, 66, said they have a policy not to allow unmarried couples, whether heterosexual or gay, to share a bed in their hotel, which they have adhered to since they purchased it in 1986, The Telegraph said.

Hazelmary said in court, “We accept that the Bible is the holy living word of God and we endeavor to follow that.” Their faith does not believe in sex before marriage, according to The Telegraph.

Of the judge’s decision to defer his ruling, Hazelmary said, “The judge has reserved his judgment and obviously we hope for a decision that lets us live and work in line with our faith as we approach retirement,” The Way reported.

Hall and Preddy are represented by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, while the Bulls are supported by a charity called the Christian Institute, according to the Guardian.

Did not know of policy

The Telegraph said that Preddy told the court that he found the hotel online and booked a room by telephone. He did not see the hotel’s room policy, which is displayed on its booking form.

The Telegraph quoted Preddy saying in court, “When we arrived we spoke to a lady and she got Mr [Bernie] Quinn [a staff member of the hotel] to come and talk to us and explain the hotel’s policy.”

Preddy said “The body language wasn’t great and it was clear we were not welcome in the hotel. It’s fair to say he didn’t raise his voice,” the Telegraph reported. Afterwards, Preddy and Hall reported the Bulls to the police.

Possible setup

Quinn told the court the hotel may have been a setup, the Telegraph reported, as a month earlier Stonewall, a gay rights group, wrote to the Bulls informing them of new equality legislation.

Quinn said hours before Preddy made the booking by phone in a “Mrs. Preddy” called and spoke to him to ask questions about a double room. Later, Preddy spoke to Hazelmary, who took the booking,” The Telegraph said.

Hazelmary said she was ill at the time, and she failed to explain the hotel’s policy. When she brought the matter up to Quinn afterwards, he reassured her there was nothing to worry about, The Telegraph reported.

The Telegraph said Bulls’ lawyer, James Dingemans said, “It is not part of the defendants’ case to undermine the rights of same-sex partners. The defendants do submit their policy is directed to sex and not sexual orientation and is lawful.”

Dingemans said, “Without the protection of the law, they will simply not be able to operate their business. As they limp towards retirement they have the right to live and work within their religious beliefs,” the Guardian reported.

Preddy told the court that while he and Hall are members of Stonewall, they didn’t know that the organization sent a letter to the hotel before they booked the hotel room, The Telegraph reported.

Significance of case decision

The court ruling will set a precedent that will determine whether or not Christians who operate their own hotels can determine whether or not to restrict room accommodation to unmarried couples, the Guardian said.

Last November, another court case related to religion was filed because the petitioner felt a Christian couple was not fit to adopt children because of their beliefs, The Way reported.

The case caused some bishops of the Church of England to decry the suppression of religious beliefs by gay rights advocates, The Way said.

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A tree in Glastonbury, U.K., that is believed to have grown from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea was vandalized recently, triggering a police investigation.

The Holy Thorn tree on Wearyall Hill is a historic and religious landmark with tourists coming to see the tree that is believed to be 2,000 years old, BBC News said.

The tree, once among the most famous trees in Christian tradition, sat on a bare incline on a hill beside a footpath, until its branches were cut off by vandals, leaving only a part of the trunk, the Guardian said.

The iron rail that surrounded it is still there, covered with ribbons and prayers, the Guardian said. Glastonbury Thorn is said to flower twice a year, every Christmas and Easter.

There are other Holy Thorns located in Glastonbury’s Abbey, St. John’s Church, the rural life museum, the Chalice Well garden and other gardens around the town, but the Glastonbury tree is said to be the very spot where Joseph visited, making it the most significant one of all, the Telegraph said.

The Guardian said many people felled tears at the sight. Katherine Gorbing of Glastonbury Abbey told the Telegraph, “The vandals have struck at the heart of Christianity. Like the whole town, we are shocked and appalled.”

Motive

The Guardian said some suspect the day of the attack, Dec. 8, was intentional, as it is the day when a sprig cutting ceremony from St. John’s Holy Thorn tree takes place.

The sprig is sent to the Queen and is placed on her dining room table on Christmas Day, a tradition that is over 100 years old, BBC News said. The Holy Thorn tree was vandalized after the cutting ceremony, the Telegraph reported.

A possible religious motive has not been ruled out, the Guardian said. Police have trailed the surrounding area and made house-to-house inquiries for possible witnesses.

The owner of Wearyall Hill, Edward James, 70, was arrested this week for the Crown Currency Exchange collapse, where he is a major shareholder. The company has 8,000 creditors and owes over $25 million. Asked if the vandalism could be a vendetta against him, James told the Telegraph, “This was a very holy tree. It’s weird.”

Legend

Joseph of Arimathea, believed to be the uncle of Mary, the mother of Jesus, is said in the bible to have given his tomb to bury Jesus’ body. The Guardian said it is believed that Joseph went to the West Country after the crucifixion.

Legend says Joseph reached the Isle of Avalon by boat, then climbed up Wearyall Hill where he thrust his staff into the ground, then it blossomed. The Telegraph said he was believed to have brought the staff from the Holy Land.

The Guardian cites other versions saying the staff came from the wood of Jesus’ cross, or that it was the actual staff of Jesus. Many Christians consider the tree to be sacred.

In the Middle Ages pilgrims traveled to the Holy Thorn. Some legends link it to the Holy Grail (Joseph is believed to have hidden the Holy Grail in the Chalice Well), others to King Arthur and Guinevere (their graves are believed to be within Glastonbury Abbey), the Guardian said.

During the English Civil War Parliamentarians chopped it chopped down, but it was re-grown by townspeople who saved some of the cuttings, according to the Guardian.

Paul Fletcher, who is a trustee of the Chalice Well, told the Guardian, “People in the town have felt this like a physical blow. It’s an act of violence, really, against a living thing, a tree which was so special and symbolizes the very origins of Christianity to so many people. There has been a vigil at the site all through the day, and I am sure people will come together to replant the tree.”

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A bishop in the United Kingdom was asked recently to temporarily pull out from public ministry because of derogatory comments he made on his Facebook page about the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

The Rt. Rev. Richard Chartres, bishop of London issued the reprimand to Rt. Rev. Pete Broadbent, Bishop of Willesden, after the later wrote, among other things, that Prince William and Kate Middleton are “shallow celebrities” and predicted their marriage would not last beyond seven years, the Daily Mail reported.

Chartres, in a statement, said the posts were “deeply offensive,” adding, “I was appalled by the Bishop of Willesden’s comments about the forthcoming royal marriage,” according to Sky News.

In the statement Chartres also said, “In common with most of the country I share the joy which the news of the engagement has brought,” according to the Daily Mail.

Chartres is a close friend of Prince Charles and is rumoured to be likely to perform the royal wedding scheduled next year on April 29 at Westminster Abbey, The Telegraph said.

In his statement, Chartres said, “I have asked [Broadbent] to withdraw from ministry until further notice. I have been in touch with St. James’ Palace to express my own dismay on behalf of the church,” The Telegraph reported.

Broadbent’s comments came out on the day that the Queen, as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, opened the church’s national assembly, or General Synod in London, The Telegraph said.

Apology

Bishop Broadbent was relieved despite issuing an apology where he expressed “sincere regrets” adding, “I recognize that the tone of my language and the content of what I said were deeply offensive, and I apologize unreservedly for the hurt caused,” according to the Daily Mail.

He added, “It was unwise of me to engage in a debate with others on a semi-public internet forum and to express myself in such language. I accept that this was a major error of judgment on my part,” the Daily Mail reported.

In conclusion Broadbent stated, “I wish Prince William and Kate Middleton a happy and lifelong marriage, and will hold them in my prayers,” according to the Daily Mail.

Facebook comments

On his Facebook page Broadbent wrote, “Need to work out what date in the spring or summer I should be booking my republican day trip to France. I think we need a party in Calais for all good republicans who can’t stand the nauseating tosh that surrounds this event,” the Telegraph reported.

The Telegraph said Broadbent also wrote, “I managed to avoid the last disaster in slow motion between Big Ears and the Porcelain Doll, and hope to avoid this one too,” referring to Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

The Daily Mail said Broadbent wrote that there are “more broken marriages and philanderers among [the royal family] than not. Count them up, back through the ages. They cost us an arm and a leg.”

Broadbent also wrote, “Talent isn’t passed on through people’s bloodstock. The hereditary principle is corrupt and sexist. As with most shallow celebrities…they will be set up to fail by the gutter press.”

Broadbent wrote that the marriage is not likely to last beyond seven years, according to the Daily Mail.

He followed up his Facebook posts with a Twitter post that said, “Need to work out what date in the spring or summer I should be booking my republican day trip to France,” according to Sky News.

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A woman professor from Oxford University filed charges recently against the school, claiming she was discriminated against when she converted from Judaism to Christianity.

Dr. Tali Argov of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew & Jewish Studies told the Reading Employment Tribunal hearing that she was unfairly dismissed and discriminated against after she became an Anglican in 2008.

Argov said she was bypassed for promotion, lost her privileges and was treated coldly by her peers at social gatherings.

She said the staff wanted to check her lectures to ensure she does not criticize Israel. Eventually she was dismissed although she had offered to undertake new roles, the Telegraph said.

Argov said, “It is my belief that, following firstly the conversion of my husband and then the conversion of myself, the treatment which I received as an employee of the Respondents was very different and a number of incidents occurred which led me to believe that I was being discriminated against,” the Telegraph said.

Argov said she and her husband, Eran, were raised as Jews and formerly lived in Israel. In 2000 they moved to England when Argov was offered a lector of modern Hebrew post at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew & Jewish Studies, the Telegraph said.

At first she was well accepted by her peers, but when her husband converted to the Church of England in 2005, “all those kind, heart-warming gestures disappeared overnight,” the Telegraph said.

She was treated even worse when she also became an Anglican in 2008, and became active with St. Mary Magdalene church, which is situated at the center of Oxford, the Telegraph said.

Argov said, “It is very rare for an Israeli Jew to convert to Christianity and I was aware that not only would this be frowned upon but many Jews would believe I was a traitor who had betrayed the faith,” the Telegraph said.

She said she noted strange looks from some colleagues and hushed silence whenever she approached. When she applied for a lectureship post a colleague told her, “Don’t bother – you will be kicked on your teeth.” She claims a less qualified candidate got the post.

She also said she felt humiliated as the only full-time staff who was not included in a photo shoot for a brochure. In due time her office was taken from her, as was her pigeonhole, the Telegraph said.

A lesser title was placed on her University ID card, which meant loss of her email account and admission to the library. These privileges were later reinstated, the Telegraph said.

She was not invited to a London fundraising event, but she and her husband were permitted admission. However the Center’s president at the time, Peter Oppenheimer, seemed to sneer at the couple and gave her a “limp handshake” when they arrived, she said. Other colleagues ignored them and made them feel very uncomfortable, the Telegraph said.

Argov also said that in 2008, the year when she became an Anglican, she was told that her lectures would need to be cleared in advance. She regarded this as an insult to her professionalism and an incursion on her academic freedom, the Telegraph said.

In October of that year she was also told that she would henceforth be paid hourly because the Center was confronted with financial difficulties. However, she noted that new staff were still being accepted. She was later dismissed, the Telegraph said.

Dr. David Ariel, president of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, declined in a statement to comment on the case because it is still ongoing. However, he said the Center adheres to a policy of respect for the religious beliefs of all its employees, the Telegraph said.

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The Oklahoma Senate overrode recently a veto by Governor Brad Henry and set into law restrictions on abortion, setting off a string of protests by pro-abortion clinics and advocates.
According to the Christian Telegraph, pro-life bills HB2780 and HB2656 were passed by the Oklahoma senate.
HB 2780 states that one hour before their abortion, all women must undergo an ultrasound so that the sonographer can give a detailed explanation of the results.
Earlier, Governor Henry vetoed the bill calling it a violation of privacy which could cause physical and mental trauma to the patient, the Christian Telegraph said.
Linda Meek, manager of Reproductive Services, an abortion clinic, said patients have shed tears in the ultrasound room but still went through with an abortion, the Associated Press said.
Pro-life advocates say the law gives women access to all information about their choice.
Rep. Lisa Billy, who sponsored the bill, said women should have the choice to see the image and added that complete information will empower them, the Christian Telegraph said.
The same report said that recently, studies by Live Action discovered that oftentimes some abortion clinics give women incomplete or wrong information about the stages of development of the unborn fetus.
Others who support the bill say it is one way to protect the life of the unborn child and to prevent psychological trauma to pregnant women.
The second bill, HB2656, prohibits “wrongful life” lawsuits.
These are suits which women file against their doctors if they give birth to children with abnormalities. The basis of such claims is that the doctor did not inform them in advance, which would have allowed them to abort their child, according to MercuryNews.com.
The Christian Telegraph said other pro-life bills recently passed in Oklahoma and signed by Governor Henry are:
• SB1891 or the Freedom of Conscience Act for health care workers who do not want to perform or participate in abortions.
• SB1902 which says only doctors can give patients the abortion drug RU-486.
• HB3075, which protects women from forced abortions.
• SB1890 which bans abortions based on the baby’s sex.

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