Today

Wednesday's Briefing: A Westminster Defeat, and Grief in Nigeria

By The FaithDaily Desk

Good morning. The United Kingdom's assisted dying bill was defeated last week by 286 votes to 270, and Christianity Today reports that Christians came together to help defeat it. The outlet reports that Alicia Edmund, head of policy for the Evangelical Alliance in the UK, was shocked when she heard the count. She had spent long hours on the question. The margin was sixteen votes.

Elsewhere the news was grave. Charisma News reports that a pastor and a church worker were killed in a massacre in Nigeria. Truth Nigeria's Masara Kim told CBN News that the attackers were Fulani gunmen who ambushed the two men. Charisma News describes the killings as part of what it calls an ongoing genocide in the country.

The picture is not only one of division. Religion News Service reports that, amid surging kidnappings and attacks on communities and places of worship, Christian and Muslim leaders in Nigeria are forming partnerships meant to counter religious division and build peace.

There was violence further east. Religion News Service and Charisma News both report that Neria Leiter, an IDF reservist and the son of Israel's ambassador to the United States, was seriously wounded in a car-ramming attack near the Maccabim checkpoint on Route 443, in the occupied West Bank. Leiter is an American citizen. Religion News Service, citing the Associated Press, reports that Israeli forces at the scene opened fire on the attacker as he tried to flee and killed him.

Two church bodies faced questions of governance and order. United Methodist News reports that the Baltimore-Washington Conference has filed a federal lawsuit against a church to defend the denomination's trust clause, while developments continue in a Texas lawsuit involving Highland Park United Methodist. Anglican Ink, separately, published a communique from the September meeting of the Southern African synod of bishops.

The day also brought debate away from the courtroom. Religion News Service reports that Meryl Streep will play Aslan in "Narnia: The Magician's Nephew," and that some evangelicals have called the casting blasphemy. Charisma News reports that more than 125,000 people have signed a petition urging US leaders to protect the word "gender" in international law, citing The Christian Post, amid concerns over United Nations policy. Charisma News also reports, citing The Jerusalem Post, that the Gaza Board of Peace has unveiled a six-month, $2.45 billion reconstruction plan for the territory.

Zoom out: Across Wednesday's reporting the churches appeared at once in legislatures, in courtrooms, and amid violence.

What we're following

Anglican Ink: Communique from the Southern African synod of bishops meeting, September 2026 Read it
Religion News Service: Meryl Streep as Narnia’s Aslan: Why some evangelicals call it blasphemy Read it
Charisma News: Pastor Killed in Latest Nigeria Massacre, Gunfire Erupts as Christian Reporter Visits Scene Read it
United Methodist News: Court cases test United Methodist governance Read it

Sources

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