AP

SYDNEY ANGLICANS BACK CLERGY AGAINST GOVERNMENT ‘CONVERSION PRACTICES’ OVERREACH

In a time that requires courageous Christian leadership, the Anglican Diocese of Sydney has passed a powerful Synod motion in response to the NSW Conversion Practices Ban Act 2024. The resolution, passed on 17 September 2025, declares the church’s unwavering commitment to proclaim “the truth of God’s word” and to minister faithfully regardless of political pressure. This move comes amid controversy over the Anti-Discrimination NSW’s (ADNSW) interpretation of the law, which suggests that certain Christian prayers and pastoral care practices will be investigated as conversion practices. Archbishop Kanishka Raffel has pledged to support any pastors or church workers brought before a tribunal or court under the new law. As Australia’s oldest church speaks out, the Diocese has drawn a clear line in the sand: the gospel will not be silenced.
When the Act came into effect in April 2025, ADNSW released compliance guidance that immediately raised alarm across the Christian community. Their interpretation of the Act appeared to ban certain prayers and pastoral conversations, even when consensually sought by individuals navigating issues related to sexuality or ‘gender identity’. The ADNSW’s official position states: “Telling a person who is same-sex attracted they must be celibate or never marry… could be regarded as suppressing a person’s sexuality and may be unlawful.” Yet this is precisely the orthodox Christian view, that sex is reserved for marriage between a man and a woman, and celibacy is the appropriate path outside of that covenant.
The guidance further asserts: “Praying with or over a particular person in an attempt to try to change or suppress that person’s sexuality or gender is unlawful.” This language leaves no assurance for pastors who, at the voluntary request of an individual, pray in line with Christian teaching—for example, for strength to live a celibate life or to align one’s identity with their biological sex. Further concern arises from ADNSW’s communication and resource materials, which exclusively depict religious, specifically Christian, contexts in examples of conversion practices. Case studies feature individuals from Christian and Muslim families, while linked comic scenes show churches, crosses, and pews, with no examples from secular settings. ADNSW’s guidance directly contradicts the NSW Premier’s commitments that prayer, preaching, and voluntary support would not be banned in any ‘conversion’ act.
Church leaders have stressed that the work of the Church – to preach the Gospel, disciple believers, and offer hope and healing in Christ, must not be silenced by unjust laws. Whatever the cost, God is our judge: “For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver; the Lord is our king; He will save us.” (Isaiah 33:22)
[Source: The Daily Declaration]

IRANIAN CHRISTIAN CONVERT RELEASED FROM PRISON
Mina Khajavi, a 61-year-old Christian convert, was released from Iran’s Evin Prison on Oct. 20 after serving nearly two years in jail for activities related to her Christian faith. Authorities arrested Khajavi during one of several raids conducted on Christian house churches in Iran between June 30 and July 1, 2020, in several cities. An undercover informant reportedly conveyed information to authorities and aided them in uncovering the Christians’ church meetings.  Khajavi was charged with “acting against national security through promoting Zionist Christianity” and was detained for three weeks before being released on bail. In 2022, an Iranian court sentenced Khajavi to six years in prison, a sentence that was later reduced to two years, and she began serving her sentence in January 2024 in Evin Prison. The court considered the initial detainment after her arrest as part of Khajavi’s time served. Evin Prison is known for its egregiously poor living conditions and its neglect of inmates.
During her time in Evin Prison, Khajavi was allegedly denied adequate medical care for a broken ankle she sustained before her imprisonment. She suffered with pain and difficult mobility, particularly when attempting to reach the second-level bunk bed she had been given in her cell. Christian converts are routinely intimidated and persecuted in Iran.  The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has reported that Iranian authorities on Oct. 31 denied proper medical treatment to prisoner Aida Najaflou, an Iranian Christian convert, after she fell and fractured her spine. She was taken to a local hospital, where medical professionals diagnosed a fractured T12 vertebra. Authorities refused to allow Najaflou to obtain treatment and, instead, used a stretcher to bring her back to the prison that same day.
Najaflou, along with two other Christians, was arrested in February 2025 for their Christian activities, including “praying, performing baptisms, taking communion, and celebrating Christmas”, according to Middle East Concern. She has also been charged with “propaganda activity against the Islamic Republic of Iran in cyberspace,” as well as “propaganda in favour of groups or organizations opposed to the Islamic Republic of Iran.” These additional charges stem from Najaflou reportedly criticizing a former Hezbollah leader, and advocating for the Women, Life, Freedom protests. The Centre for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), citing Article 18**, reported in April 2025 that arrests of Christians increased sixfold between 2023 and 2024, and that in 2024 alone, 96 Christians were sentenced to a combined total of 263 years in prison. [Source: Persecution.org]**Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 18 states that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.]

THE STUNNING RESURGENCE OF SOME CHURCHES IN THE UK ISN’T SLOWING DOWN
The Quiet Revival’ – to use the term of the UK’s Bible Society report – uncovered a something of a resurgence of Christian faith among British youth. That report included the following statistics from YouGov:
*Church attendance in England and Wales has grown 50% since 2018, now at 5.8 million monthly.
*Young adults are driving the surge: 16% of 18–24s attend, while 1 in 5 young British men now attend regularly.
*Catholic and Pentecostal churches are growing, while Anglican numbers are in decline.
*Faith is becoming intentional, with most churchgoers reading the Bible and praying regularly.
Christianity is increasingly seen by Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2012, and who have been undeniably shaped by the Great Recession of 2007–09, the COVID-19 pandemic and the era of the iPhone,) They see Christianity as a source of hope, purpose, and belonging.  
Former BBC journalist, Emily Maitlis, who begins by recalling her experience at Billy Graham’s 1985 crusade in Sheffield — an event that drew young people seeking purpose, though she suggests it had little lasting impact on British culture. “Four decades on, the fire and brimstone has gone,” she remarks. “Billy Graham is dead.” But, she continues: “The narrative that young people are lost and must come to Christ remains. Only this time, it seems they are.” She cites the YouGov data, showing that the number of 18- to 24-year-olds who believe in God has doubled in the last five years.
Wildfire’s founder Peter Grigg, describes what’s happening in the UK as a profound spiritual awakening among under 25s. “There is a sense, I think, of people waking up spiritually,” he explains. “They’re realising that some of the narratives that they have been fed are not fulfilling. They’re not answering the most profound questions in life. I think there’s a sense that atheism is what your parents did. And it didn’t really work.” For the most part, these GenZ converts are still so new to the faith that they have yet to fully think through the various (political, social, family and marriage etc) implications of their Christian identity. So any changes of attitude in society to these areas, may take some time.
Sadly, in Britain, those among the 45–64 age group are, by and large, missing from the Quiet Revival. Jamie Bambrick, a pastor in Northern Ireland argues that this generation made a lot of ‘bad decisions’ — embracing the New Atheism, woke politics, and policies severely at odds with Christian values. Acknowledging those missteps, he suggests, is the first step toward their participating in the work of renewal God is doing.
Jamie goes on to say: “The Quiet Revival as a truly national movement. From Northern Ireland to England, churches that are faithful to Scripture and prayer are seeing unprecedented growth. It’s a sign of spiritual hunger across the UK, not limited to one place or denomination.” 

Note: Wildfire is a worship ministry based in Scotland, with the aim of bringing renewal throughout the UK. Source: The Daily Declaration plus relevant information sites]

– compiled by Guido Kettniss