Tackling the causes of knife crime
18 Aug 2017
A Christian youth charity has warned that ‘knife crime will continue to go up and down if we don't tackle the causes of why it happens in the first place’. Despite a new London-wide strategy intended to reduce knife crime, more needs to be done to prevent young people from carrying knives. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner said they are looking again at stop and search and sentencing, but that is looking at symptoms and trying to get knives off the street. It is not looking at why young people are carrying knives in the first place. A lot of it is down to fear and believing that 'since everyone else is carrying a knife, I should carry one just in case'. The Centre for Social Justice said that crime-linked poverty, family break-down, educational failure, and the idea of worklessness are all reasons why people are growing up in situations where carrying a knife seems like a good option.
People to pick their own gender?
18 Aug 2017
The Government is planning to reform gender identity rules to make it easier for people to choose their own gender in law. Under plans being considered by ministers, adults will be able to change their birth certificates at will without a doctor’s diagnosis, while non-binary gender people will be able to record their gender as ‘X’. Changes to the law will be consulted on and will ultimately be included in a planned Gender Recognition Bill, set to be published in the autumn. Under current laws, established in 2004, a person who wishes to transition must apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate. This requires a doctor's diagnosis of gender dysphoria and the person must spend two years of living as a member of the opposite gender.
Religious freedom
18 Aug 2017
‘Preach the Word, but if you want to preach the whole gospel of God, the state wants to shut you up. Rev Barry Trayhorn, a Pentecostal minister, worked in HMP Littlehey, a prison for male sex offenders. Barry provided music, ministry and sermons at the chapel service, which prisoners could choose to attend or not. During a service, he quoted from memory 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11 and then continued, ‘You may want to complain about this, but this is the Word of God. God loves you and wants to forgive you.’ A single complaint was put in by one of the ‘cross-dressed’ prisoners to the equality and diversity officer of the prison, saying that his human rights had been violated by the preaching. Barry lost his job, went to the Employment Tribunal and then an appeal tribunal, but lost his case. The judge questioned whether 1 Corinthians 6 should be preached in a prison chapel service.
Modern slavery 'prevalent' in UK
18 Aug 2017
In October, the Church of England will launch a three-year project aimed at helping people in dioceses across the country to tackle modern slavery. It is the latest in a series of moves the CofE has made to help the government address this phenomenon. Over 200 years since Britain abolished slavery, there are still an estimated 11,700 potential slave victims in the UK. A new report from the National Crime Agency says that modern slavery is now 'prevalent' in every large town and city in the country. The Church of England, with a presence in every parish, is uniquely placed to be the eyes and ears of communities, and will be able to spread a message of awareness further afield. Churches are already running English classes for survivors. See also article 3 in this week’s World section.
Bishop attacks Trump and ‘Christian Right'
18 Aug 2017
The Bishop of Leeds, Nick Baines, has launched a scathing attack on the 'narcissistic amorality' of 'lying' Donald Trump, along with the American 'Christian Right' for failing to recognise the president's traits before he was elected last November. This assault on Trump and his evangelical backers was in a blog written in the wake of violence by white supremacists in Charlottesville, which Trump failed specifically to condemn on two occasions. But the blog goes broader than Charlottesville; it charts Trump's 'consistent' positions on domestic and international areas including North Korea, Russia and Nato. Bishop Baines blames what he calls the 'Christian Right' for failing to see this disastrous presidency coming. ‘His misogyny, amorality, financial track record, sexual behaviour, narcissism and nepotism would have ruled out the candidacy of any other semi-reputable politician for the presidency of the USA.’
Islamic worship introduced at Greenbelt
18 Aug 2017
The Christian festival Greenbelt (next weekend) will this year feature opportunities to learn Islamic worship chants. The Ansari Qadiri Rifai Tariqa, describing itself as 'an international non-profit spiritual organisation in service to the Divine', will be teaching 'basic universal Sufi chants'. The Greenbelt website says they 'are rhythmic, healing, and a unique form of worship'. The Ansari UK website says its mission is to promote Sufism which is 'founded on the Holy Quran, the Holy Scriptures and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and other Prophets (peace be upon them)'. Its primary mission is 'to be available to guide seekers of Allah'. There will also be Muslim contributors offering Islamic music and poetry, and a discussion led by a British Muslim convert entitled 'Scriptural Reasoning Remixed'. Greenbelt's creative director said they intend to introduce Islamic programme feeds to help build better religious literacy.
Friday Focus: freedom behind bars
18 Aug 2017
When Jesus sets us free, we each have a story to tell. Later this year a new book called 40 Stories of Hope brings together the stories of prisoners who have discovered the hope and freedom Jesus gives. Join with Prison Hope, praying that this collection of testimonies, Bible readings and prayers will inspire many people inside and outside prison.
(written by Catherine Butcher)
Networking Canada's prayer ministries
18 Aug 2017
With the second largest landmass in the world and a very sparse population, it's easy for a Canadian prayer ministry, house of prayer or city-wide worship ministry to feel isolated. ‘Ears to Hear’ responded to this need with a network which for ten years has connected and united the senior leaders of these ministries for mutual encouragement and support. As a result, they have been able to move together when a national or regional need arises, help one another grow, and endeavour to support the emerging expressions of prayer in the nation. Their website says, ‘We’re in this for the Kingdom and for the prayer of Jesus - that they might be one - to be fulfilled in Canada.’ The network meets regularly in video conference calls, praying, discerning and learning from each other.