Judges have been accused of diluting the rights of Christians after a key judgement on whether they can refuse to work on Sundays. A new ruling by a High Court judge - the first on the issue in nearly a decade - says that Christians have no right to decline working on Sunday as it is not a “core component” of their beliefs. The judgement - which upholds an earlier decision - means that individual Christians do not have any protection from being fired for not working on Sundays. Campaigners said the decision puts Christians at a disadvantage to other religions such as Muslims, Jews and Sikhs. and means the judiciary are deciding what the core beliefs of Christians can be, which they say is an interference in the right to practise religion. They pointed to cases where the courts offered protection to other religions even when only a minority of adherents were affected.

Pray: for all Christians around the world who find that secular requirements contradict their practice of faith. (Ex.20:8 and Mk.2:27)

More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9770825/Christians-have-no-right-to-refuse-to-work-on-Sundays-rules-judge.html

Christians in the UK are turning increasingly to social media sites like Facebook to share their faith, new research has found. In a survey on attitudes to online mission by Christian Vision and Premier Christian Media, 64% said they were using social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to share their faith in an intentional way. Of the 700 Christians surveyed, 84% agreed that the online space was a huge mission field. More than two-thirds (71%) said they post links to Christian sites or content with missional values, while 73% said they intentionally post or link to content in order to share their faith. Interestingly, the study found that interaction with social media was prolific across the age spectrum, rather than just among young people.

Pray: that the Church will grasp hold of the new technologies to share our faith. (1Cor.9:23)

More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.harnessing.facebook.to.share.faith/29753.htm

Christians feel that they are being forced to hide their religion because of “silly” interpretations of equality laws, a senior MP has said. Sir Alan Beith, chair of the Commons Justice Select Committee, has likened the misunderstandings to those surrounding health and safety regulation, where the rules can be over zealously applied for the wrong reasons. Referring to recent high profile cases involving people being told not to wear religious symbols in the workplace, Sir Alan said that many Christians feel that they have to keep their faith “under wraps”. But rather than being an issue of the law, the 70-year-old MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed said that an ill-informed sense of what it means for the state to be secular often led officials to try and hide anything relating to religious views while in “civil society”. “You get silly things happening, which were not the intention of any legislative change.”

Pray: for a clearer understanding of the law and of the freedoms of speech and religious faith by all quarters of our society. (Jn.14:27)

More: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/christians-forced-to-hide-their-faith-by-equality-laws-says-senior-liberal-democrat-mp-8817694.html

Christians in Britain are feeling persecuted because of ‘paradoxical’ human rights laws and the ignorance of local councils, according to a major BBC documentary to be broadcast on Easter Sunday. Nicky Campbell, the presenter of the corporation’s flagship programme for Holy Week, argues that Labour’s anti-discrimination legislation has led to clashes between religious conscience and equality for homosexuals. He blames local authorities for rebranding Christmas celebrations as winter festivals because of a misguided belief that they are standing up for minority faiths. He concludes that although Christians do not face violence and suppression in Britain as they do abroad, their treatment can seem unfair in a modern democracy. The programme, called Are Christians Being Persecuted?, looks into widespread claims that the faith is being driven out of public life in Britain while its followers are being treated less fairly than minority groups. Campbell believes council leaders have no understanding of what followers of any religion want.

Pray: that the message of this programme and the cross will be heard this Easter. (1Cor.1:18)

More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7540609/BBCs-Nicky-Campbell-Christians-feel-persecuted-by-human-rights-law-and-councils.html

Britain's most senior policeman has been urged to issue guidelines to his officers to protect Christians’ rights to free speech, amid claims they are suffering intimidation and discrimination from police. Christian activists have called on Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, to inform all his officers that it is legal to cite traditional Bible teaching which describes homosexuality as a sin when speaking in public. The campaigners say free speech is under threat after a series of cases in which street preachers were arrested for delivering sermons which referred to the traditional Christian view of homosexuality. Andrea Williams, the director of the CLC, has written to Sir Bernard insisting that human rights laws allow Christians to express their genuinely-held views without fear of arrest, providing they do not incite a breach of the peace. Mrs Williams suggested Christians were becoming “fearful” of expressing their lawful views because of the police’s “intimidatory tactics”.

Pray: for the police in their difficult role but that they will recognise the legality of free speech in these matters. (Dt.32:1)

More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/10206335/Christians-demand-free-speech-guidance-from-Scotland-Yard-chief.html

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has told a group of Christians in Bath not to make any claims which state or imply that, by receiving their prayer, people could be physically healed, reports Christian Concern for our Nation. A registered Christian trust, the ‘Healing on the Streets – Bath’ (HOTS) team, comprised of Christians from many different churches, have been praying for the public outside Bath Abbey for three years and regularly offer to pray for people who are sick to receive healing. But atheist Hayley Stevens took offence to the group’s adverts, complaining to the ASA that the claims by the Christians could 'not be substantiated'. Her complaint was upheld and the ASA have now ordered the group to stop stating on their website or in literature that God can heal. Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, said: ‘This decision strikes at the heart of freedom of belief in the UK.’

Pray: that the ASA ruling will not limit the work of the HOTS team but that God will use them more powerfully.. (Jn.16:33)

 More: http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue15373.html

The Association of Christian Financial Advisers (ACFA) has come out in support of calls for a mandatory code of conduct for the banking industry. The ACFA said it wants to see ethics put back at the centre of banking and a return to the founding Quaker principles of ‘honesty, integrity and plain dealing’. Arwyn Bailey, of the ACFA, welcomed the accountability shown in Mr Diamond's resignation. ‘In falling on his sword and resigning Bob Diamond has done the honourable and probably inevitable thing. The pressure must have been intolerable, for both him and his family,’ he said. Barclays chairman Marcus Agius, who announced his resignation one day before, will now become full-time chairman and oversee the process to appoint Mr Diamond's successor. ‘Without question Mr Diamond is the man who carries the can, but given such pressure for him to resign, who would be willing to step into his shoes?’

Pray: for much higher standards of moral integrity in international banking and commerce. (De.8:18)

More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.back.call.for.banking.code.of.conduct/30187.htm

 

Christian trade union leaders in the National Union of Journalists (NUJ)and the media and entertainment union BECTU, working at the BBC, are calling on church leaders to intervene against the deep cuts imposed by the government on the BBC World Service, as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review. Analysis by the NUJ on the impact of the cuts was handed to the Archbishop of York, the Rt Rev Dr John Sentamu, during his visit to the BBC on Sunday. He pledged to raise the issue in the House of Lords. David Campanale is the NUJ Father of Chapel in the BBC World News TV and a director of the Christian aid agency Tearfund. He said the World Service plays a vital role in truth-telling around the world. He is looking to the churches to speak out against the cuts, which the unions say will deeply damage an internationally respected and successful broadcaster. (See also Prayer Alert 04-2011)

Pray: that Christians will speak out boldly and defend the reputation of the World Service. (1Tim.3:7)

More: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/14153