Ashers Bakery back in Belfast supreme court
04 May 2018
Ashers Bakery in Northern Ireland, which was found to have discriminated by refusing to make a ‘gay cake’, had their appeal heard by the supreme court on 1 and 2 May. They challenged the 2014 ruling over their decision not to make a cake iced with the slogan ‘Support Gay Marriage’. Appeal court judges upheld the original decision in 2016. The Christian owners of the bakery argued, ‘We didn't say no because of the customer; we'd served him before, we'd serve him again. It was because of the message. But some people want the law to make us support something with which we disagree.’ Their QC David Scoffield said, ‘They have been penalised by the state for failing to create and provide a product bearing an explicit slogan “Support Gay Marriage”, to which they had an objection of conscience.’
Shortage of male teachers
04 May 2018
School leaders gathered in Liverpool for their union’s annual conference and voted to support a motion calling for more male teachers in early years education (currently men only make up 3% of the workforce). They agreed that it is important for all children to experience positive male role models, and understand that men can be interested in education, science or reading, just as much as in football. A diverse early years workforce can help children, especially those from deprived backgrounds, to visualise their futures and fulfil their educational potential. The shortfall is partly due to the perceived lack of status and importance this phase of education can have, and the subsequent lower pay such roles can attract.
Pray for Justice event
04 May 2018
On Saturday 12 May there will be the first ever ‘Pray for Justice’ event at St. Mark’s Battersea Rise, London. Intercessors from across the UK are being invited to be at the start of a pioneering move of prayer to end slavery. Delegates will go behind the scenes in the International Justice Mission (IJM) immersive prayer rooms, and an undercover investigator will guide people through the scene of a crime, showing them firsthand why IJM do what they do and why it is so vital that people pray to stop crimes like these from happening. They will hear about some of the most unjust situations on this earth, reflect on God's goodness when freedom and justice are restored, and contemplate his word and heart for justice in the new Lectio Divina prayer room. Pray for Justice is more than a prayer gathering: it is an entire community of game-changers across the UK praying for an end to slavery.
Brexit talks on Irish border
04 May 2018
At the time of writing Brexit talks are continuing between the EU and British officials. Time is limited to solve the Irish border issue, with just four more rounds of meetings scheduled before the summit. Pray for David Davis and Olly Robbins leading the negotiations for the UK and Sabine Weyand, Michel Barnier’s deputy, negotiating for the EU. Brussels wants the whole withdrawal agreement, including citizens’ rights, the financial settlement, transition period, and Northern Ireland border to be agreed by the October meeting of the European Council, so that they can be scrutinised and approved by the European parliament. DUP leader Arlene Foster accused Mr Barnier of not understanding the Unionist position on the border.
Malta: volunteer pilots’ search and rescue
04 May 2018
Two French pilots were not content with doing nothing about the annual tragedy of hundreds perishing in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe in small makeshift boats. José Benavente and Benoît Micolon invested all their €130,000 savings to buy a light plane and establish the non-profit organisation Pilotes Volontaires to provide aerial observation support to the non-governmental organisations carrying out rescue operations in a part of the Mediterranean where over 3,000 people die each year. Based in Malta, they will be attached to a rescue plan already in place and coordinated by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Rome, and be in strict contact with all organisations in the area.
Pakistan: religious intolerance
04 May 2018
Pakistan came into being in the name of the religion of Islam. Islamisation is integral to government policy. Constitution, laws and policies restrict religious freedom and the government enforces these restrictions. Acts of violence and intimidation against religious minorities by extremists increases and exacerbates existing religious tensions. Extremists in some areas demand that all citizens follow strict versions of Islam, with brutal consequences if they don’t abide by it. Society is deeply opposed to amending the blasphemy laws and some religious leaders use incendiary rhetoric to convince much of the population that any attempt to amend the laws is an attack on the sanctity of Islam. In the name of religion people are silenced by the military, civil bureaucracy, and Jihadists. Issues involving the blasphemy law generate extremist responses. Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman, was sentenced to death in 2010 for blasphemy. Her lawyer says international support is encouraging, but he is not hopeful for clemency. See
Brunei: the next stage of Sharia
04 May 2018
Brunei is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coastline, the country is completely surrounded by Malaysia. In 2014 the government announced the phased introduction of a penal code based on Sharia law, which will eventually include hudud penalties such as amputation and death by stoning and potentially the death penalty for apostasy. It is about to implement the next stage of this process. The Islamic Religious Council and Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah signed off the measure on 10 March. Implementation was delayed, but now appears to be going ahead, despite international pressure and criticism from Brunei citizens on social media. Christians comprise around ten percent of the population of the oil-rich state, where there are already tight restrictions on teaching Christianity. Pray for protection, spiritual maturity, and Biblical training for those leading the underground Church.
Armenia: update
04 May 2018
Prime minister Serzh Sargsyan was forced to step down after weeks of mass demonstrations. Many hoped he would be replaced by a more honest and honourable man, Nikol Pashinyan. On 2 May 96% of Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, came to a standstill as thousands blocked roads when parliament refused to elect Mr Pashinyan as the new prime minister. They blocked roads to the airport, and roads to government buildings. Protests are expected to continue; even government employees have joined the protest movement called the ‘velvet revolution’.