Of the six minority candidates standing for election as London mayor, only one who is standing on an explicitly Christian ticket has been invited to attend the main hustings event for churches in central London.

There have been all kinds of speculations about the religious convictions and background of US presidential candidate Barack Obama. Justin Thacker looks at his Christian outlook and asks what his relation is to evangelicalism.

Evangelical Alliance leader Joel Edwards is seeking to rehabilitate the word 'evangelical' and restore its links with the sense of good news (gospel) in which it has its roots. He is touring a new book called Agenda for Change.

Muslim lawyers say they are puzzled that Archbishop Rowan Williams raised the Sharia issue before they have had a chance to tackle some key concerns. But Evangelicals and a progressive interfaith group are calling for wider debate.

The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM) has compiled a dossier highlighting and criticising the record of one of the UK's newly appointed equality commissioners, Evangelical Alliance director Joel Edwards.

The surprise appointment of Evangelical Alliance UK head the Rev Dr Joel Edwards to the new Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has already caused some controversy, especially among campaigners for lesbian and gay rights.

The think-tank Ekklesia, which examines religion in public life, says that the controversial appointment of the head of the Evangelical Alliance UK to the new Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is "a historic opportunity for evangelicals to shift toward full acceptance of the equalities agenda."

Contrary to the popular media image, many evangelicals are not anti-gay, says a UK campaigning network which draws hundreds of evangelical Christians and their friends together. This week they are backing the launch of a church education initiative on Jesus and prejudice.

Church leaders and Christian activists are being urged to voice their commitment to being agents of change and inclusion to the Cabinet Minister responsible for the government's community agenda, at a Faithworks Conference later this year.