Sermon for the New Parliament
The Archbishop of Canterbury preached at a Service for the New Parliament at St Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey. Used the words of Jesus ‘Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar’, he said. ‘You may or may not as an individual share the perspective of faith; but in the difficult years ahead it will be worth remembering that giving God what belongs to God is something that is not a matter of dry and unwelcome duty but a release of human possibilities that we all need to witness and in some degree to share. May this Parliament mark a new level of enthusiasm and imagination around the call to honour God-given dignities by creating strong citizens of our nation and of the world; May the work of our elected leaders be for the sake of gathering and not scattering and may the divine image in men and women, recognised or unrecognised, be the vision that directs us towards a fresh political energy and moral vision.’ Pray: for the Government and Opposition that they will honour God in their work for this nation. (1Ki.3:9)
Disappointment over nuclear disarmament
An alliance of nine UK churches has expressed disappointment at the failure of nuclear weapons states to agree deadlines for actions on nuclear disarmament. While the churches welcomed progress made on discussions on the Middle East and a declaration by the UK on number of warheads, they were highly critical of the refusal of the nuclear powers to agree timeframes for future discussions at the end-May conference in New York. Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Reading, said, ‘Nuclear weapons are a legacy of the cold war era and have little relevance to the threats that we face today’. There is a growing recognition that having one set of rules for some nations, and a different set of rules for others is unsustainable. The nine churches' campaign, entitled Now is the Time, calls on the British Government to make a commitment to achieving a world free of nuclear weapons, creating a safer future for all. Pray: that world governments will work positively to remove all nuclear weapons in the near future. (Mi.4:3) More: http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentogod.newsDetail&newsid=443
NI abortion guidelines - legal challenge
Efforts by the British government to bring legal abortion by ‘bureaucratic stealth’ into Northern Ireland will be met with a full legal challenge by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC). The High Court in Belfast has granted leave to SPUC to launch a challenge after the Department of Health, without explanation, reissued medical practice guidelines that had been rejected by the High Court for violating the province’s abortion laws, reports Hilary White at LifeSiteNews.com (LSN). For three years the guidelines have been the focus of an intense battle in Northern Ireland, where abortion remains a crime, between the pro-life movement and pro-abortion forces in the British government. SPUC’s Liam Gibson told LSN, ‘At present it's difficult to tell whether our case will be overtaken by events, but the department is hell-bent on pushing its abortion guidance forward no matter what happens.’ Pray: that any changes to the abortion guidelines in NI are fully and openly debated to protect the rights of unborn children. (Pr.10:9)
Prisoners convert to Islam
Inmates are converting to Islam in order to gain perks and the protection of powerful Muslim gangs, the Chief Inspector of Prisons warns today. Dame Anne Owers says that some convicted criminals are taking up the religion in jail to receive benefits only available to practising Muslims. The number of Muslim prisoners has risen dramatically since the mid-1990s - from 2,513 in 1994, or 5 per cent of the prison population, to 9,795 in 2008, or 11 per cent. Staff at top-security prisons and youth jails have raised concerns about the intimidation of non-Muslims and possible forced conversions. Dame Anne’s report, Muslim Prisoners’ Experiences, says that, although several high-profile terrorists have been jailed recently, fewer than 1 in 100 Muslim inmates have been convicted of terrorism. She says that prison staff are suspicious about those practising or converting to the faith and warns that treating Muslim inmates as potential or actual extremists risks radicalising. Pray: for a prison system that recognises the offence committed and matches punishment and treatment accordingly. (Ps.106:3)
Schools not teaching core Christian beliefs
Ofsted’s study suggests that teachers in English schools pay more attention to other faiths and that Christian pupils are being sidelined in class. It has found that the quality of RE in secondary schools is worse than it was three years ago when the last analysis of the subject was carried out, with inadequate teaching in nearly a fifth of lessons. Changes to the curriculum in the early years of secondary school, introduced by the Labour government to increase ‘flexibility’, were having a negative impact on RE; in some schools it has been amalgamated with other lessons and had all but disappeared. The report suggests that other religions are treated more seriously in RE classes. In non-faith state schools, Christian assemblies are being dropped in favour of multi-faith worship, despite a legal requirement for Christian collective worship, and children are no longer taught the Lord's Prayer. A recent survey of more than 500 12-year-olds found that only 54% knew that Christians celebrated the Resurrection at Easter. Pray: that those responsible for our education syllabus re-assess RE teaching to support Christianity. (Ac.3:18)
One million 'March for Jesus' in Brazil
An estimated one million Evangelical Christians in Brazil rallied for the 18th annual March for Jesus event in Sao Paulo. The event unites Evangelicals in the world's largest Roman Catholic country. Sao Paulo is one of the world's largest cities with over 10 million residents. In recent decades, Evangelical churches have grown rapidly to become a major influence. The latest figures available show the number of Evangelicals increased from 9 percent to 15 per-cent. Praise: God for this powerful testimony to the people of Brazil. (Ps.147:1) More: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2010/June/one-Million-March-for-Jesus-in-Brazil/
One million 'March for Jesus' in Brazil
An estimated one million Evangelical Christians in Brazil rallied for the 18th annual March for Jesus event in Sao Paulo. The event unites Evangelicals in the world's largest Roman Catholic country. Sao Paulo is one of the world's largest cities with over 10 million residents. In recent decades, Evangelical churches have grown rapidly to become a major influence. The latest figures available show the number of Evangelicals increased from 9 percent to 15 per-cent. Praise: God for this powerful testimony to the people of Brazil. (Ps.147:1) More: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2010/June/one-Million-March-for-Jesus-in-Brazil/
Weapons-4-Bibles scheme rolls out across the capital
‘Knife bins are making a difference and helping to prevent youth crime,’ said a practising Christian, Michael Smith, at the launch of his new weapons disposal scheme, Word 4 Weapons. Smith was inspired to do something to stem the increasing numbers of stabbings and killings amongst young people across the UK and as a result founded the charitable organisation entitled Word 4 Weapons in 2007. In partnership with The Salvation Army, Ascension Trust, Christian Police Association and churches of varying denominations, Word 4 Weapons ran a pilot project last year placing knife bins in strategic parts of London where people could dispose of their weapons. In exchange they received a trendy bag called ‘All I Need’ which contains a Bible, Cops and Robbers comic, book of help plus much more to help them positively to turn their lives around. They now have 10 knife bins strategically placed across London with a further 10 bins to be in place by the end of this year. Praise: God for the success of this scheme in 2007 and pray that this fresh initiative will be even more successful. (Is.52:7) More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/weaponsforbibles.scheme.rolls.out.across.the.capital/26054.htm
Weapons-4-Bibles scheme rolls out across the capital
‘Knife bins are making a difference and helping to prevent youth crime,’ said a practising Christian, Michael Smith, at the launch of his new weapons disposal scheme, Word 4 Weapons. Smith was inspired to do something to stem the increasing numbers of stabbings and killings amongst young people across the UK and as a result founded the charitable organisation entitled Word 4 Weapons in 2007. In partnership with The Salvation Army, Ascension Trust, Christian Police Association and churches of varying denominations, Word 4 Weapons ran a pilot project last year placing knife bins in strategic parts of London where people could dispose of their weapons. In exchange they received a trendy bag called ‘All I Need’ which contains a Bible, Cops and Robbers comic, book of help plus much more to help them positively to turn their lives around. They now have 10 knife bins strategically placed across London with a further 10 bins to be in place by the end of this year. Praise: God for the success of this scheme in 2007 and pray that this fresh initiative will be even more successful. (Is.52:7) More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/weaponsforbibles.scheme.rolls.out.across.the.capital/26054.htm
India: Hindu Nationalists plan ‘religious cleansing’
Over 100 Hindu extremists gathered to announce their plan to rid Madhya Pradesh of Christians ahead of a 2011 reconversion event ‘to drive away Christian pastors, evangelists and foreign aid workers from the district’. They said a holy Hindu assembly would be staged in February 2011 and they hope for 2 million participants. Previous gatherings prompted Christian beatings, homes and churches destroyed and the desecration of graveyards. The recent gathering of hate speeches and vows to ‘cleanse’ the region of Christians motivated at least one assault on Christians. Extremists repeatedly accuse Christians of forcing Hindus to convert and of paying them to follow Jesus. ‘How much have these Christians paid you?’ new believers are asked. 'We will pay you double for returning to Hinduism.’ Local police refused to provide security for Christians.
Pray: for the physical and spiritual protection of our brothers and sisters in Madhya Pradesh. (Ps. 18:2) More: http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/india/20289/