China: Ten Commandments replaced
20 Sep 2019
A believer says the Chinese government doesn’t want Christians to know the Ten Commandments, which have been removed from nearly every state church and meeting venue and replaced with quotations from a 2015 speech by Xi Jinping. The government said that the core socialist values and Chinese culture will swallow religions of China and support religious communities to re-interpret religious thought, doctrines, and teachings in a way that conforms to the progress of the times. This means resolutely guarding against the infiltration of Western ideology, and consciously resisting the influence of extremist thought. Some churches have been closed for not replacing the Ten Commandments with the President’s quotes. Others have been threatened with blacklisting, which means that travel, schooling, and their children’s future employment will be impeded if they refuse to overhaul their church's teaching. A pastor said, ‘The Communist Party’s ultimate goal is to become God’.
Israel: Judaism’s place in politics
20 Sep 2019
Religious Jewish parties won nearly 20% of the vote in the national election on 17 September. Previously, those parties have united with the conservative Likud party to form a governing coalition. But now the religious-nationalist bloc fell short of a majority in the Knesset, winning only 56 of the 120 seats. Seven decades after Israel’s founding, the debate over Judaism’s place in public life rages on. Israeli political battle lines often fracture along balancing Jewish religion and liberal democracy. These tensions were a central issue in the election, and will influence the composition of Israel’s next government.
UK jet skiers save 100 people in Bahamas
12 Sep 2019
Fourteen members of a British jet ski club drove through driving wind and rain to save the minister of agriculture, Michael Pintard. He had been making calls for help, knowing his family was in grave danger when flood waters from Hurricane Dorian shattered windows and blew through the door of their home in Freeport. ‘They did a phenomenal job, not just with us. They continued to go back in, over and over again’, said Mr Pintard. In total they saved about 100 people, including a pregnant woman and a baby, while the storm caused havoc around them.
State trooper’s kindness
12 Sep 2019
A New York state trooper, Chris Mahoney, at a petrol station, noticed a man carrying several heavy bags. Striking up a conversation, the trooper learned the man was homeless and carried all his belongings on his back. When Mahoney asked him when he’d last eaten, he learned the man had only had a doughnut. When he offered to buy the man a meal, another customer took a photo of his kindness, which went viral. Now, Mahoney encourages more people to do kind things for others. Jesus said we are to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind and to love your neighbour as yourself.’
State trooper’s kindness
12 Sep 2019
A New York state trooper, Chris Mahoney, at a petrol station, noticed a man carrying several heavy bags. Striking up a conversation, the trooper learned the man was homeless and carried all his belongings on his back. When Mahoney asked him when he’d last eaten, he learned the man had only had a doughnut. When he offered to buy the man a meal, another customer took a photo of his kindness, which went viral. Now, Mahoney encourages more people to do kind things for others. Jesus said we are to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind and to love your neighbour as yourself.’
A nationwide call to pray
12 Sep 2019
On 30 August at Wembley, we prayed that in these days of national uncertainty, hostility and division, the church would stand in the opposite spirit of unity and humility, demonstrating the fruits of the Spirit in word and action, and in answer to our humility and obedience God’s fire would fall on the church and nation. God is calling us to persevere in prayer, standing on His Word and believing that despite what we see and hear, His purposes are being worked out. Whatever happens politically, it is time for the Good News to be preached, the broken-hearted healed, freedom for the captives, and release for those who are bound. A 61-day prayer call went out, focused on Isaiah 61; it is not too late for you to join in. To download its text, click here:
Intercessor Focus: prorogation of Parliament
12 Sep 2019
On 11 September Scotland’s highest civil court ruled that the advice given to the Queen by Boris Johnson was misleading and unlawful, believing that the reason for suspending parliament was to prevent or impede Parliament with regard to Brexit and allow the executive to pursue a policy of a no-deal Brexit without further scrutiny. Confusion and disarray is dominating the Brexit debate. Pray for God to turn the current chaos around and bring the politics of the UK back onto the paths of peace and purpose that He has prepared for the nation to move forward on. Pray for alienated politicians to unite, agree and act upon law-abiding truths, and for any flawed beliefs to vanish from agendas. Ask God to heal the painful wounds inflicted when political parties and relationships have been ripped apart, and pray for His wisdom, counsel and direction for everyone concerned.
ICO investigating collection of personal data
12 Sep 2019
The Information Commissioner's Office is questioning the Government about whether the collection of personal data on its Gov.uk platform complies with data protection laws. This follows a report that Boris Johnson had ordered the website to be used as a platform for ‘targeted and personalised information’ which would feed into Brexit preparations. The privacy rights campaign group Big Brother Watch claims that the report raises questions about ‘the legitimacy, urgency and purpose of such personal tracking’. The Gov.uk website brings together all the government's services, allowing people (for example) to file tax returns, pay for passports, or book driving tests.This development comes a day after the Advertising Standards Authority said that it was following up complaints about a Brexit-related government advertisement.