A senior Church of England bishop says Britain should assert its Christian identity rather than becoming a “multi-faith mishmash.” Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali of Rochester also said Prince Charles was misguided in saying he wanted to be “defender of faiths” rather than “defender of the faith” when he becomes king. Nazir-Ali told the BBC that in the coronation service, the monarch “takes oaths to defend the Christian faith.” He added that “you can’t defend every faith, because there are very serious differences among them.” Bishop Nazir-Ali, who was raised Roman Catholic in Muslim Pakistan, was among several runners-up in 2002 for appointment by Prime Minister Tony Blair to be archbishop of Canterbury and lead the Church of England and international Anglican Communion.

- AP

The West Virginia annual conference of the United Methodist Church is considering resolutions opposing the Iraq war and stripping pastors’ of their authority to decide who can join a congregation. The first resolution would urge Methodist churches to distribute and study a statement opposing the Iraq war. The statement, which was signed by more than half of the United Methodist bishops, denounces what it calls an “unjust and immoral invasion and occupation of Iraq.” The second resolution, calling for open membership, is in response to a Virginia pastor’s refusal to let an unrepentant homosexual man become a member of his congregation. A church court ruled that the pastor was acting within his proper authority.

- AP