Billboards have emerged across Sydney, Australia, carrying the slogan “Jesus: a prophet of Islam.” The advertising campaign is being run by Islamic group “MyPeace,” which has said that the purpose of the campaign is to encourage interfaith relations between Christians and Muslims.

However, a number of Christians in the region have condemned the controversial campaign and called for the billboards to be removed, labeling them as provocative and offensive to Christianity.

Catholic bishop Julian Poreous, of the Archdiocese of Sydney, has clarified that for Christians Jesus was “more than a prophet” as the campaign suggests. more >>

The military regime in Egypt has attempted to ease interfaith relations by ordering the restorations of an Egyptian church destroyed by Islamist extremists earlier this month.

A group of craftsmen have been dispatched and are working to restore St. Mary’s Church in Imbaba, a suburb of Egyptian capital Cairo.

Rising tensions between Christians and Muslims in Egypt have seen an escalation in violence over recent months. However, the country’s military rulers are looking to calm both sides and have ordered that the gutted church be restored immediately. more >>

Leading Ecumenicals from around the world have asked for forgiveness for Christianity’s history of being complicit in violence, injustice, racism and discrimination.

At the conclusion of the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) nearly 1,000 delegates pledged to work closer with other faiths to establish peace in global communities.

Delegates expressed their regret at the complicity of Christians in violence: “We realise that Christians have often been complicit in systems of violence, injustice, militarism, racism, casteism, intolerance and discrimination,” they said. “We ask God to forgive us our sins, and to transform us as agents of righteousness and advocates of just peace.” more >>

A three-year study led by Oxford University concluded that humans are predisposed to belief in God – in some form or fashion.

The study, known as the "Cognition, Religion and Theology Project" involved 57 academics in 20 countries in an attempt to determine whether our belief in divine beings and an afterlife were learned or part of human nature.

"This project suggests that religion is not just something for a peculiar few to do on Sundays instead of playing golf," said Professor Roger Trigg, from Oxford University and the project's co-director, according to U.K.-based The Telegraph. "We have gathered a body of evidence that suggests that religion is a common fact of human nature across different societies. more >>

Infamous Quran-burning pastor Terry Jones has hijacked the Christian voice and caused misunderstanding about the faith as well as the U.S. government among Muslims around the world, said a Florida imam who last year prevented Jones from burning the Islamic holy book.

Imam Muhammad Musri, president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, said many overseas Muslims who saw the video of Jones putting the Quran on trial and then subsequently burning the book as punishment believe that it was done in a U.S. court and the U.S. government was behind the intentionally offensive act.

Jones, in the video, had set up his church as a makeshift court with a judge, flag, a jury box, a prosecutor, and defense stand. During the March 20 mock trial, the Quran was found “guilty of causing murder, rape and terrorism” and was burned as punishment. Jones maintained that a separate jury delivered the guilty verdict. more >>

Highly respected evangelical pastor John Piper made a startling yet insightful comment Tuesday when he compared the burning of the Islamic holy book to crucifying Christ.

His comment comes amid reports that at least 24 people have died, including seven United Nations employees, in Afghanistan since Friday over the burning of the Quran by a fringe Florida pastor in March.

To help explain Muslims’ violent rage over the Quran burning, Piper cited the writing of U.K. scholar Andrew Walls, founder of the Center for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World, in his book The Cross-Cultural Process in Christian History. more >>