SEEN IN PASSING Items of interest from various sources of religious news and opinion, in print and on the web.
New Bible Design Offers Help for Dyslexics. “The lines land with slightly thicker strokes and dashes at the bottom. The letters leave little spaces inside as they curve up, like a stencil. This new typeface, a curly variation of a slab serif font, is called Grace—made especially for millions of Christians who struggle to read Scripture due to dyslexia. Major Bible publishers partnered with a specialty design firm to develop the Grace typeface and are now releasing Bibles using the new lettering. Lifeway Christian Resources has made two dyslexia-friendly versions of its Christian Standard Bible (CSB): CSB Grace Bible for Kids, out now, and the CSB Grace Bible, coming in February. Crossway Publishing, which prints the English Standard Version (ESV), plans to release the ESV Holy Bible: Dyslexia-Friendly Edition in January. Graphic design company 2K/Denmark specializes in typesetting and production of complex texts like Bibles and spent years developing the typeface.” Pfeiffer, Rachel. “And the Word Became Accessible: Publishers Release Dyslexia-Friendly Bibles.” News. ChristianityToday.com, 13 Nov., 2024. Web. 8 Dec., 2024.
Silent Prayer Now a Crime in England. A British army veteran has been convicted for silently praying outside an abortion clinic, in what experts are calling “a legal turning point of immense proportions” for free speech and religious liberty in the U.K. Adam Smith-Connor, who served 20 years in the Army Reserves, was found guilty in October of violating a buffer zone around a Bournemouth clinic in 2022. The court ruled that despite his silent prayer, his clasped hands and bowed head were enough to show “disapproval of abortion,” the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, said in a statement. The veteran was given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay nearly $12,000 in court costs. Mr. Smith-Connor, expressing shock at the verdict, said he didn’t know how the courts could so viciously turn on the tenets of religious expression that England once fully espoused. “I served for 20 years in the Army Reserves, including a tour in Afghanistan, to protect the fundamental freedoms that this country is built upon,” he said. Catholic MP Sir Edward Leigh called the ruling a grave assault on personal liberty. “It is disgraceful that in Britain in 2024 someone can be put on trial for praying silently in his head.” Ayers, Emma. “U.K. convicts pro-life veteran of thought crime for praying outside abortion clinic.” Higher Ground News. WashingtonTimes.com, 18 Oct., 2024. Web. 8 Dec., 2024.