Displaying items by tag: Religion

Christian mission is no longer restricted to going overseas. Interserve have 36 full-time missionaries and 21 associates who are working with the least reached people in many UK cities. They are touching the lives of those of Asian and Arab background in culturally appropriate ways. They are helping the ‘hidden communities’ to see, hear, understand, and respond to the good news about Jesus. Serving cross-culturally can be like a roller coaster, but as experienced missionaries help the local church in mission by sharing their experiences, many lives can be saved. Pray for more individuals willing to learn the culture and language of their neighbours, so that they can see the Kingdom grow amongst the local unreached people groups.

Bible translator Angus Abraham Fung, working with the Aghem Bible translation project in Cameroon, was among seven people said to have been killed in an overnight attack. His wife’s arm was cut off, according to a ministry source. The attack was carried out by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Cameroon’s violence-ridden Anglophone region where separatists are fighting for independence. Fung, in his sixties, had worked for years on a New Testament translation in the Aghem language. Although it was completed in 2016 and over 3,000 copies have been published, distribution has not happened because of the war in the region. Pray for the swift recovery of his wife and for God’s comfort to all who mourn the death of the seven men. Pray also for the success of all literacy efforts to bring the word of God to people whose language has never been written down before, both in Cameroon and across the nations.

Twenty-five CofE bishops have issued an open letter on the prospect of a 'no-deal' Brexit and the need for national reconciliation, notwithstanding the prorogation of Parliament. They are concerned about political polarisation and the use of language that appears to sanction hate crime, and the ease with which lies can be told and misrepresentation encouraged. Leaders must be honest about the costs of political choices, especially for those most vulnerable. The Irish border is not a mere political totem, and peace in Ireland is not a ball to be kicked into touch by the English: respect for the concerns on both sides of the border is essential. The levels of fear, uncertainty and marginalisation in society among poor people, EU citizens in the UK, and UK citizens in Europe must be listened to and respected. For the full text of the letter, click the ‘More’ button.

With Boris Johnson becoming prime minister, the likelihood of an election this autumn has increased. If this happens, many believe that more Christians should engage in politics and consider how their faith influences the way they vote. Although Christians in good conscience will support a variety of different options, how should they re-assess these options ahead of an election? We are called to be salt and light in our world - salt both to preserve what is good and to add flavour and distinctiveness, light to shine in a world that is too often too dark for goodness to be seen. Regardless of the context, this command holds firm. The more challenging the context, the more important is Christian witness. This does not disregard the problems Christians in politics are likely to face, but focuses on what they can bring. In the weeks ahead, may one person’s salt as seasoning not be another’s salt in the wound.

Charity struggled with depression after her husband became a Muslim, abandoned her, and threatened to take their three children. ‘I just couldn’t let my children become Muslims, but I trusted the Lord to help us through this challenge’, she said. Her prayers were answered when a mission worker gave her persecution-response support. Charity’s children are now in school, and her financial burden is lightened. She asks us to pray that her husband will return to the Lord. Pray also for Sharifa, a Christian who was forced to flee home because she converted from Islam. 20-year-old Asuman needs your prayers. He was beaten and disowned by his family for becoming a Christian. In East Uganda a Christian primary school in the predominately Muslim Kabuna village was demolished because it educates Christian children who converted from Islam and whose parents remain Muslim. Christians across Uganda are experiencing death threats and chaos.

University students are attending chapel services at a higher rate than the rest of the population, challenging the notion that young people aren't interested in church. When 54 college chapels in Durham, Oxford and Cambridge universities were surveyed, the figures showed that there were twice as many students making their way to church on Sunday than there were adults in the rest of the population attending services at regular churches. Meanwhile a separate study showed that from 2017 to 2018, the total number of young people sitting the Religious Studies GCSE fell from 282,193 to 253,618, and 701 schools in England stopped entering students into the subject altogether. However, GCSE reforms now state that pupils must study at least two religions, so the subject has a more secular ethos and is not particularly relevant to Biblical Christian study. 

There have been calls for protection for churches in Northern Ireland after 445 incidences of criminal damage to religious buildings, churchyards, or cemeteries in the last three years. Belfast’s synagogue and Islamic centre have also been damaged in the last ten years. The leaders of all the political parties have been urged to make more support available to religious buildings and to commit to setting up an initiative like the ‘Place Of Worship Fund’, which helps to protect religious buildings in England and Wales. Ulster Unionist MLA Robbie Butler said, ‘Places of worship, no matter what faith or denomination, should be a cherished place of peace and sanctuary. Attacking a church is an attack against its entire congregation.’

Two teenage asylum-seekers have won their battle to escape deportation to Pakistan. Brothers Somer Bakhsh and Areeb have spent most of their lives fearing that they could be forced to leave Glasgow and sent back to the country of their birth where Christians are persecuted. They now have some certainty in their lives, but they have only been granted ‘limited leave to remain’ until February 2022. Somer, who got four As and a B in his Highers and aspires to be an astrophysicist, said, ‘Scotland is my home. I have grown up here, all my friends are here, and I feel like a Scottish boy.’ First minister Nicola Sturgeon described the brothers as a ‘credit’ to Scotland, and Jeremy Corbyn urged the Home Office to grant the family leave to remain.

Jennie Powell was 22 weeks pregnant when she went into labour while on holiday. She was taken to a specialist neonatal unit 190 miles away. Despite being given tiny chances of survival, Ruben and Jenson Powell were born, and cared for extensively, and are alive today - a wonderful example of protecting the most vulnerable in our society. The inspiring story demonstrates the humanity of very young children - before they even have meaningful protection in law - at least within England and Wales. Last year, thousands of children were aborted after 20 weeks of pregnancy in England and Wales alone. Nearly 1 in 4 pregnancies ended in abortion (excluding miscarriages and stillbirths). All these children didn't get a chance. Pro-life advocacy has fought against the culture of abortion for over 50 years in the UK, and now the culture of death could spread to Northern Ireland.

A third of the world call themselves ‘Christians’, but many are missing from our churches; others are present, but don’t have the joy of knowing and following Christ. Something has to change! Mission to nominal Christians is missing from the global church agenda. We need to confess and pray: ‘Father, we confess that we have overlooked nominal Christians in society and in our churches. We confess faltering witness, defective discipleship, and lack of concern for those who bear the name of Christ but through ignorance, sin, or rejection are far from the way of Christ and his church. We are quick to judge and slow to listen - especially when they come from a different church tradition. We ask you, Father, to touch the lives of nominal Christians with your powerful Holy Spirit so that they will come to a saving faith in Christ.’