TRAGIC ANNIVERSARY
17 Oct 2017
He did it out of compassion – responding to the horrors of botched ‘back street’ abortions performed on scores of desperate women who felt they had nowhere else to go – but David Steel MP’s 1967 Abortion Act resulted in the destruction of 8.5 million lives. This year marks the 50th anniversary of his Private Member’s Bill becoming law in the UK, except in Northern Ireland, and is a timely opportunity to prayerfully consider the practical and spiritual implications.
Over 120,000 unborn lives were aborted in England, Scotland and Wales during 2016, and abortion not only destroys unborn lives but deeply wounds the women who decide to terminate their pregnancy. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service – a major abortion provider – claims that one in three women in mainland Britain will have had an abortion by age 45. Many of them belong to our churches, probably feeling deeply guilty and unable to share their secret with anyone else. That’s why CARE’s initiative ‘Open’ reaches out with healing and hope to Christian women who have had terminations – and miscarriages too – through healing retreats, training for church leaders and speaking. www.weareopen.org.uk. There are also scores of Christian centres around the country living this out, by offering advice and support to those affected by abortion. www.pregnancycentresnetwork.org.uk.
Currently there is heated debate in Northern Ireland, with those resisting any change in the law to allow abortion sometimes caricatured as judgemental and uncaring. Earlier this year CARE was part of the ‘Both Lives Matter’ campaign, which put out an advertisement saying ‘100,000 people are alive today because of our laws on abortion – why change that?’ There were more than a dozen complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority but they ruled that this statement was perfectly reasonable – so not only was the objection dismissed but the ad received far more publicity than before!
We face a considerable battle at this time. There are many who favour making abortion more accessible by removing the legal requirement for two doctors to approve and allowing anyone to have a termination for any reason. Not wanting a girl for example, or aborting a child on grounds of disability. MPs have already framed Bills to present to Parliament and the battle continues.
Please consider being part of an important commemorative event CARE is hosting to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Abortion Act, at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster on Saturday 28 October at 2pm. You can apply for your free tickets at www.care.org.uk/event, by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phoning 020 7233 0455. We would so appreciate your support.
Lord, please have mercy on our nation which has sanctioned the wholesale killing of our most vulnerable citizens – those not yet born. May Your forgiveness and grace be received by those who are affected and Your wisdom given to every Christian organisation working in the political sphere to oppose still further liberalisation of the law.
Source: CARE
Ukraine: 500,000 praise Jesus on the streets
13 Oct 2017
The streets of Kiev were filled with songs of praise and thanksgiving from 500,000 evangelical Ukrainian Christians who had gathered to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. People travelled from all four provinces to celebrate and thank God for the freedom to worship, to preach the Gospel in their country, and to celebrate His faithfulness to His Church. The gathering took place after Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko signed an order recognising the anniversary of the Reformation.
Digital Bibles in balloons
13 Oct 2017
A North Korean defector, Jung Kwang-il, has used 350 helium balloons to send 1,000 flash drives loaded with portions of the Bible from South to North Korea. The flash drives were donated by college and high school students in the United States. Jung said, ‘It was confirmed by GPS that all balloons dropped in the Mount Kumgang area of North Korea. This launch is the last one for the year, because the direction of the wind is due to change.’ Fifty-four-year-old Jung, who was sentenced to three years in a North Korean prison camp, is now based in South Korea and often sends USB drives, SD cards, and other devices carrying Christian material and testimonials from North Korean defectors across the border.
Friday Focus: talking about Jesus
13 Oct 2017
It is usually easier to pray for someone than to talk with them, but the Great Commission is not ‘Go into all the world and pray...’ Perhaps now is the time to start a conversation. Ask questions. Be a listener. You could maybe suggest, ‘Have you ever tried praying about that?’ See what opens up!
(David Hill, trypraying)
Proposals for new deal with the EU
13 Oct 2017
In a statement to MPs, Theresa May called for a ‘unique and ambitious economic partnership’ with the EU after Brexit. ‘Progress will not always be smooth’, she said, but the UK can ‘prove the doomsayers wrong’. Following her speech in Florence, when she gave assurances on payments to the EU and citizens' rights, she said the ball is now in the EU court. Her statement came as the fifth round of negotiations began in Brussels, the final set of talks before EU leaders meet on 19 October to decide if enough progress has been made to enable them to move forward and talk about post-Brexit trade relations with the UK. Two white papers, covering future trade and customs options, are being published (see next article). Justice minister Dominic Raab said that while the UK had to ‘strive for the very best Brexit outcome’, it must also ‘prepare for all eventualities’. ‘No-deal Brexit planning is under way'.
Parliament ‘must not be shut out of trade deals'
13 Oct 2017
The Trade Justice Movement has welcomed the Government’s recognition, in its white paper, that our trade policy should be ‘transparent and inclusive’. However it has criticised its commitments so far as woefully inadequate, in particular the lack of any clear role for parliament in scrutinising trade deals. The white paper outlines the contents of the forthcoming trade bill, a cornerstone of the Government’s planning for Brexit. Trade deals have profound effects across domestic policy: health, environment, jobs, inequality, and climate. As a result, campaigners are calling for a democratic and transparent process for negotiating and agreeing trade deals after Brexit, with parliamentary oversight at its heart. So far 90 MPs have signed an early day motion supporting the campaign, calling for clear legislative frameworks guaranteeing the role of Parliament in trade policy.
Sixteen-year-old singer Rai-Elle Williams has battled through to the next round of the X Factor by singing the gospel classic 'Break every chain'. She was forced into a sing-off to decide who would go through. Three artists had to sing in front of thousands gathered at Wembley. While the two others blasted out mainstream pop hits, Rai-Elle shocked the judges by singing the words 'There is power in the name of Jesus'. Her performance saw judge Nicole Scherzinger rise to her feet, along with many in the audience. Sharon Osbourne, who is mentoring the girls' category of the ITV show, said, ‘You are fearless for a sixteen-year-old - you're unbelievable.’
Pray for our police
13 Oct 2017
‘For the past ten years I’ve been a police response officer. A colleague, summing up our lives, recently wrote: “Last week I was hit, spat at and punched. There wasn't one day that I ate my lunch. I held a man's hand who had just lost his wife. I took a child from his father who was wielding a knife. I pulled a girl who was mentally ill off a bridge. I locked up a worker who had nicked from the till. I persuaded a battered woman finally to speak - after seeing her every day, week after week. This is our job and we are all proud to do it.” We are proud. And that’s why we work earlies, lates and night shifts. But I want to challenge a policy that puts the public and the police at risk. It’s called “single crewing” and it means that officers like me are sent out on jobs alone and face being attacked. Our team of 24 will have three double-crewed cars during most shifts: the rest of us will be on our own. That’s why I’ve started a petition calling on Amber Rudd to stop this.’