Asia: Christian persecution
02 Feb 2023
Persecution remains present in all South Asian countries, although location, social context and time frame all affect the intensity. In India and Nepal Christians are persecuted mostly by Hindus; in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Maldives by Muslims; and in Sri Lanka by Buddhists. Some of this is a response of resentment and fear of church growth. But some persecution results from lack of sensitivity and wisdom by Christians ministering into these situations. Pray that evangelists, church planters and missionaries might share the gospel with love and boldness, but also with humility and wisdom. The Church in South Korea is a large and influential minority, an integral part of society. North Korea has an underground movement hunted down and reviled by the autocratic regime. But we can praise God for the recent growth of the Church in Asia through national workers, local evangelists and ordinary believers. These churches are Asian in structure, style and leadership. See also
Australia: domestic violence
02 Feb 2023
Australia has a huge domestic violence problem and police spend more time responding to that crime than any other. Recently 648 people were charged in a four-day police blitz targeting ‘dangerous’ domestic violence offenders in New South Wales. Some 1,153 charges for domestic violence, drugs and weapons were made during the operation, and an array of illegal items, such as guns, daggers, a sword, metal knuckle dusters, and drugs were seized. During ‘Operation Amarok’ 164 of those charged were among the state's most wanted domestic violence offenders. Some had warrants out for their arrests; others had breached court-issued protection orders. The UN has said violence against women in Australia is ‘disturbingly common’, but experts say it is not notably different from other developed nations. The new strategy of targeting high risk offenders is aimed at stopping violence before it escalates to homicide.
Rabbi uses AI to write sermon
02 Feb 2023
In what might be the latest sign of things to come, a rabbi in New York has become the first Jewish teacher to deliver a sermon written entirely by artificial intelligence. Before teaching on Genesis 44, Rabbi Joshua Franklin of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons, told his congregation that his AI-written sermon was, in fact, written by ChatGPT. Following the crowd’s reaction and applause, Franklin said the real issue is how AI will impact what the world considers spiritual. He asked, ‘How does spirituality function in a world that’s driven by data and driven by information?’ AI has jumped from simple task management to being used to design self-flying planes, paint works of art and consider ‘moral dilemmas’ for AI-driven ‘driverless’ cars.
USA: protests over police brutality
02 Feb 2023
Protests in Memphis on 27 January blocked a major highway and small-scale demonstrations were held elsewhere when over an hour of video footage was released of police violently arresting Tyre Nicholas twenty days earlier. There were no signs of Tyre resisting arrest. He was beaten unnecessarily and died in hospital three days later. Five officers were charged with his murder before the videos were released, to avert anticipated protests against police violence. Protests are spreading. Two thousand miles away in Los Angeles, demonstrators vandalised eight businesses and one person in possession of spray paint and a glass-breaking tool was arrested for felony vandalism. Marchers met in Hollywood, and Black Lives Matter continue to press for an end to traffic stops by police.
66 kidnapped women & children rescued
27 Jan 2023
Burkina Faso has been suffering a decade-long insurgency that has displaced nearly two million people. On 12th & 13th January, 66 women and children were kidnapped by the militant jihadists in the north of the country while they were gathering food. The military found them 125 miles away boarding a bus at an airport security checkpoint. It is not clear if their captors have also been detained.
Jody Greene, the sheriff of Columbus County, who's gained national attention for refusing to remove a Bible verse from a wall at his office cited ‘a need for more Jesus’ as the reason for his decision not to comply with the demands of an atheist legal organisation to take it down. The organisation’s concerns about the Bible verse Philippians 4:13 being displayed on a wall at the Sheriff’s Office was posted in a Facebook post two weeks after they sent a letter to Greene asking him to remove the ‘exclusionary’ and ‘unconstitutional religious display,’ which proclaims, ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.’ Green said the scripture is ‘very motivational to me and my staff.’ Companies spend thousands on motivational classes to come up with motivational slogans. My motivation comes from the greatest motivational speaker of all time, Jesus Christ.’
Benefits worth millions unclaimed
27 Jan 2023
Three months ago, Christians Against Poverty (CAP), the debt relief charity, launched an online calculator service that over 21,000 have used to check if they are entitled to extra benefits. Over £6m in potential extra annual income has been found that was previously left unclaimed - meaning an extra 2,000 people are likely to see a boost to their household budgets. CAP’s Director of External Affairs said, ‘£15bn every year goes unclaimed in social security and benefits. That's money that you and I pay in our taxes to be there for us when life happens. But that’s currently sat on a desk in Whitehall when it should be in people's pockets.’
The Christian legal organisation ADF UK says local authorities fined army veteran Adam Smith-Connor as he ‘stood still and silent’ on a street for a few minutes before being approached by community safety officers. He had his back toward the clinic to be mindful of the privacy of staff and people attending the facility. But a buffer zone preventing prayer in the area of the clinic is established. He told the officers he was praying for his son, who is deceased. He said, ‘Twenty-two years ago I paid for my girlfriend to have an abortion. The consequences of this grieves me years later as I realise I lost my son Jacob to an abortion I had paid for. I stood outside a similar facility and prayed to God for my son Jacob. In my army medical training, I assisted in abortions, but now I pray for those who perform abortions. Adam is challenging the fine.