The Church and mental health
03 Nov 2017
Poor mental health costs £99bn and causes 300,000 people to leave work each year. NHS antidepressant drug prescriptions more than doubled in ten years, and mental health provision is in crisis. Christians struggle to know how to engage with this growing problem. Our silence has compounded the sense of isolation by those with poor mental health; alternatively, our easy answers or immediate spiritualising of the issues leaves people feeling misunderstood or stigmatised. Experts agree that relationships and community are important for our mental health. Therefore churches can play a significant role as they seek to be communities of authentic relationships where people don’t have to hide their struggles but appropriate boundaries are also respected. Nonetheless we struggle to find a framework out of which to form our response.
IS fighters return from the battlefield
03 Nov 2017
As IS control erodes in Iraq and Syria, about half the foreign fighters from the UK, Sweden, and Denmark have returned. IS kept detailed records of fighters, and captured computers and cell phones have helped those fighting IS to create a membership profile. Nearly 20,000 names have been shared with Interpol. It is highly likely that, as the territorial caliphate shrinks, its leadership will look to supporters overseas, including returnees, to keep the brand alive. Rory Stewart, a government minister, caused a stir when he said, ‘They are a serious danger to us, and unfortunately the only way of dealing with them will be, in almost every case, to kill them.’ Meanwhile, Max Hill QC, who advises the government on such matters, says that former IS fighters should be reintegrated into society. See:
Spain: depths of division
03 Nov 2017
Half the electorate in the wealthy north-east region of Catalonia oppose secession from Spain, but recent events have brought the long-running debate to a head. A poll showed unionist parties winning 43.4% support and pro-independence 42.5%. Madrid called the situation ‘the country’s worst political crisis in four decades’. The chaos has caused an exodus of businesses, about 1/5th of Spain’s economy. Tourism has dropped and markets go up and down, reflecting fast-moving developments. After the Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont held an independence referendum despite Madrid's opposition, the constitutional court declared the vote illegal. Spain's central government has now taken direct control of Catalonia. Many believe that it might look over, but the Spanish region’s independence bid has long-lasting repercussions. See
A started life in a Bucharest institution. Staff fed him. He was seldom held. At ten months he weighed under a stone, couldn’t sit, could barely hold up his head. He’s now 16, tall, well-spoken, likes comics, drawing and animals. He hopes to attend the Academy of Economic Studies. What caused the turnaround? At 10 months he was fostered by a loving family. Recently images of severely neglected children in institutions in Belarus, Hungary and Ukraine shocked the world. In Ukraine alone, tens of thousands of children are in institutions. Many are invisible, often not counted or monitored; they’re vulnerable to neglect, abuse, violence and exploitation. The time has come to give millions of children enduring institutional ‘care’ a future and a hope. Central and Eastern Europe has over five times the global average of children in institutions. In some countries disabled children account for 70% of the total.
Balfour Declaration centenary
03 Nov 2017
Prime Minister Theresa May hosted her Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, to mark the centenary of the Balfour Declaration. It was a British pledge that paved the way for Israel's creation by supporting a Jewish national home in Palestine. Israel and Jewish communities view the pledge as momentous, while Palestinians regard it as an historical injustice. The UK has rejected calls to apologise for their actions and support of Israel as a nation and has said it is proud of its role. Mr Netanyahu had dinner with Mrs May and the shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, a long-time critic of Israeli policy towards the Palestinians, declined an invitation to attend. The Balfour Declaration was meant to bring peace between two peoples, but 100 years later there is still no peace.
Iran: weapons-grade uranium warning
03 Nov 2017
Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran’s nuclear programme chief, said on 29 October that Iran can begin producing weapons-grade nuclear material quickly if the nuclear deal with foreign powers fails, and insisted that international inspectors would not be given access to Iranian military sites. In early October President Trump told the world, ‘Iran is not in compliance with the deal, and it needs to be renegotiated even though our allies, and even our enemies, do not agree.’ Mr Trump said that the agreement had not curbed Iran’s missile programme and destabilising activities in the Middle East. Mr Salehi said that, although Tehran prefers to keep the agreement intact, they could quickly ramp up uranium enrichment to produce 20% enriched uranium in four days. He made these comments after meeting the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano. Mr Amano also met President Rouhani and foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. See
Jordan: slavery
03 Nov 2017
Jordan is a destination for women and men from south and southeast Asia for the purpose of forced labour. There have also been reports of women from Morocco and Tunisia being subjected to forced prostitution after coming to work in restaurants and night clubs. Women from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines migrate willingly to work as domestic servants, but some are subjected to conditions of forced labour, including restrictions on movement, withholding of wages, threats, and physical or sexual abuse. $90 is the average cost of a human slave. Pray for Malays and others from different nationalities who get trapped into forced labour. Pray for God to open the eyes of the world to this enormous issue that is happening in Jordan and the surrounding countries.
Global: 42,000,000 abortions a year
03 Nov 2017
42 million people is more than the entire population of Iraq. Abortion is not just confined to one region or people group. It is a global tragedy, with roughly 83% of all abortions taking place in developing countries and 17% in the developed world. It is being called the silent Holocaust. This year’s ‘40 Days for Life’ campaign finishes on Sunday 5 November.