Peru: oil spill an ecological disaster
27 Jan 2022
The Peruvian government has asked for international support after 6,000 barrels of crude oil washed onto beaches in the ‘worst ecological disaster’ in recent history. Tonga’s volcano eruption caused unusual waves to disrupt an oil tanker unloading crude oil at Repsol oil refinery, and an underwater pipeline ruptured during the process. Twenty-one beaches are ‘a serious risk to health’, and the oil slick is the size of 320 football fields. Hundreds of fishermen are without work; two protected marine reserves for sea otters, Humboldt penguins and red-legged cormorants have been destroyed. A marine biologist said, ‘We are watching the destruction of the Peruvian marine ecosystem and the livelihoods of those who depend on it, because neither Repsol nor the state has the capacity to respond.’ The oil will be in the sea for months, affecting fauna, food and health. Dead seals, fish and birds are washing up on oil-covered beaches.
Youtube has removed a sermon on sexuality by American pastor John MacArthur. The sermon violated their ‘hate speech policy’ when he said ‘there is no such thing as transgender. You are either XX or XY’. MacArthur’s comments related to Canada’s legislation, Bill C-4, which became law on 8 January. Some pastors and church leaders fear it could lead to the prohibition of sermons on biblical sexuality. Christian organisations say the wording of the bill is so broad, it could be used for ‘the criminal prosecution of Christians who speak biblical truth’. Four thousand preachers have affirmed their opposition to the bill and their willingness to speak out against it. Conservative commentator Todd Starnes said, ‘YouTube affirmed the Canadian law by banning any opposition to transgenderism on their platform, and it won’t be very long before the sex and gender revolutionaries target the source of our beliefs - the Holy Bible.’
CAR: UN probing alleged killings
27 Jan 2022
The UN is investigating the death of people in the Central African Republic (CAR) by government forces and mercenaries with the Russian private military company Wagner. Over thirty civilians were killed, some by stray bullets, in the 16-17 January operation which targeted the Union for Peace rebel group. The UN mission known as MINUSCA received reports of the incident involving CAR troops and ‘other security personnel’. They sent a human rights team and security personnel there to assess the situation and take necessary measures to protect civilians. A military source, declining to be identified, suggested that the fighting is continuing, with forces and Russians committing massacres. ‘There have been summary executions and about fifty deaths.’ UN experts expressed concerns over ‘grave human rights abuses’ by the Wagner group, who take orders from the Russian defence ministry.
Global: masks in airlines
27 Jan 2022
Airlines reported nearly 6,000 incidents involving unruly passengers last year and 151 in the first two weeks of this year. Most incidents involved passengers refusing to wear masks. The latest incident, on 20 January, involved an American Airlines passenger who refused to wear a mask on a flight to Heathrow from Miami, which forced the Boeing 777 carrying 129 passengers to return to Florida. The American Airlines statement said the diversion was ‘due to a disruptive customer refusing to comply with the federal mask requirement’. See also
‘The Chosen’ TV series
20 Jan 2022
Why would an online television series about Jesus be breaking popularity records? It has no big-name stars or producers. The stories are ancient. Are viewers looking for hope amid pandemic uncertainty? Are they bored with working from home and turning to diversions their bosses cannot monitor? Maybe personal connection is driving all this. The episodes portray Jesus’ life with believable dialogue and characters whose genuine, heartfelt emotions - pain, confusion, fear, exhilaration, contentment, awe - help viewers relate these stories to their own struggles and joys. The producers also selected a unique distribution method: free of charge via online streaming. As of now, over 300 million people in over 190 countries have viewed it, and there are translations into fifty languages. A special Christmas 2021 episode was put on in a theatre to run for two days: it ran for 23 days!
North Korean parallel Bible
20 Jan 2022
A Bible using the idioms of North Korea in a side-by-side display with the form of Korean spoken in the south is ministering to the hearts of defectors and may be a tool God uses for the eventual reunification between north and south. It has been developed by Cornerstone Ministries, which spent eight years on the New Testament and 15 years on the entire Bible. The project began with a simple request: ‘North Korean believers who received and read the Korean Bible requested that we publish the Bible in Korean using idioms and phraseology they could easily understand.’ Cornerstone delivered the Bibles to 3,500 defectors in the South during the Christmas season. After one defector received a Bible and read it slowly he said, ‘The text was very nice and familiar. There are some parts of the revised Bible that we defectors had difficulty understanding. However, for me as a North Korean reading this translation the words “Yes” came out of my mouth.’
Pray for our Government
20 Jan 2022
As Boris Johnson battled through question time over parties at Downing Street, at home his baby daughter Romy was battling Covid. Pray for her full recovery and for Boris’s peace of mind. Also pray that Sue Gray will be able to understand about these parties and whether disciplinary action is needed. May her enquiry be led by God’s Spirit as she probes the morals and motives of our politicians. Pray for God’s truth and light to expose hidden deception, spoken or performed, that has invaded Whitehall. Pray for God to clean the corridors of Government from the works of the flesh, greed, folly and personal agendas. May His Spirit flow through every department releasing Kingdom plans. May mercy triumph over judgement as His purposes for this nation are released through the current shaking. On 25 January MPs can attend a lunchtime church service, giving them an opportunity for reflection in the midst of parliamentary life. May they engage with God in worship and hear Him speak.
Channel crossing: the asylum bill
20 Jan 2022
The Nationality and Borders Bill was proposed by Priti Patel to make provisions for asylum-seekers. However the Bishop of Durham, Paul Butler, said changes to the bill would make the asylum system less fair, not more so. If Patel is successful, those attempting illegal entry could face four years in prison, instead of six months; if they are stopped in the English Channel, they will be returned to France. The bill has already passed through the House of Commons and is currently in the ‘committee stage’ in the House of Lords. If the bill passes through the chamber, amendments will be considered before it is given the Royal Assent. Bishop Paul said, ‘We do not want to see any more people tragically losing their lives in the Channel. In its current form, the bill makes the asylum system more complicated, more cumbersome, and less fair; it provides fewer safe routes and is more expensive.’