Turkey: EU membership and Christian persecution
25 Nov 2016
The European Parliament has voted to suspend Turkey's EU membership talks because of the Turkish government's crackdown since the coup attempt in July. The MEPs' non-binding vote has already been dismissed as "worthless" by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Meanwhile the Church in the country is being affected by the presence of radical Islam, the ethnic conflict, and a regime that aims to Islamise the country. The renewed fighting between the government's military forces and the Kurds is stimulating Turkish nationalism to new heights, which is impacting all believers, but converts from Islam most of all. Pressure on Christian converts from both family and community is acute. The presence of Islamic fundamentalists has already proved to be a huge threat for Protestant pastors; Open Doors say that Muslim-background believers can expect similar treatment. But we can praise God for signs of reconciliation between Armenian and Turkish Christians; ask Him to make the Church in Turkey healthy and strong. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38090121
A new initiative hopes to drop evangelistic messages into people's Facebook news feed. Not cheesy cliché-ridden content, but attention-grabbing Christian content. This resource is focusing on the hundreds of millions of unchurched who need the gospel in the UK, Europe and America. Lost Media’s mission is to reach those who have no connection to Christianity and build a bridge with entertaining, relevant content which challenges their perceptions of Jesus, the Bible and Christianity. They will do this exclusively on Social Media. Lost Media TV will create and distribute high-quality Christian content across social media channels to promote the Gospel message and they hope to launch this Christmas if they get enough funding.
England, N.Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brexit
25 Nov 2016
The Government is appealing against a High Court ruling that MPs must vote on triggering Article 50. The Scottish and Welsh Governments’ senior law officers will also take part in the appeal. Further, an ancient Scottish ‘Claim of Right’ is to be used - triggering article 50 without MPs’ vote would be in breach of a Scottish 1689 ‘radical revolutionary tradition’ that has been ‘enshrined in Scottish law for more than 300 years’. Northern Ireland’s Attorney General is expected to take part in the court hearing, increasing the chances that the cross-border deal with the Republic of Ireland in the Good Friday agreement will also become part of the legal argument. We can pray that the activation of Article 50 and Brexit deadline will align with God’s timing and that the influence of the Scottish Parliament, Welsh and Northern Ireland assemblies, every Court Decision and vote of Parliament will come together in God’s timing.
Ashers may be able to appeal gay cake case again
25 Nov 2016
Ashers bakery has been told it may be able to take its fight against a discrimination ruling to the UK Supreme Court. The Christian-owned bakery was ruled to have broken discrimination laws by refusing to make a cake with a slogan supporting gay marriage. It appealed the verdict but the Court of Appeal rejected it. The Christian Institute, which is supporting the McArthur family who own Ashers bakery, said in a hearing on Tuesday that it could potentially launch another appeal in the Supreme Court through what the Institute called ‘a little known legal provision’. The Court has asked the McArthur family's lawyers to provide written submissions ‘probably within the next week’, according to the Institute. At Tuesday's hearing it was also said that the Attorney General, who intervened in their earlier case at the Court of Appeal, was seeking to refer the Ashers’ case to the Supreme Court ‘on devolution issues’.
'JAMS' will be crushed over 5 years
25 Nov 2016
The Autumn Statement offers little help to the ‘Just About Managing’ classes. Their overall incomes are set to be squeezed even more severely over the course of this Parliament than previously thought, according to a new analysis by the Resolution Foundation think-tank. They calculate that the inflation-adjusted incomes of the entire bottom third of the income distribution - the least well-off thirty per cent of households - will fall between 2015 and 2020. We can pray for the finances of the United Kingdom to function according to Kingdom values and the purposes and that plans in the recent Autumn Statement will bless the people. We can also pray for an end to greed, excesses and mismanagement by organisations.
#JoyToTheWorld this Christmas!
25 Nov 2016
1 December sees the launch of www.achristmasnearyou.org which allows people to find their nearest Christmas church services wherever they live in the UK. The Church of England already has nearly 19,000 Christmas services and events registered online but now they want to upload other denominations on to the site and are asking churches to go to www.achristmasnearyou.org/upload to enter their individual churches and their service details so that people across the country can find out about the nearest service to where they live and join the #JoyToTheWorld campaign. The organisers will be sharing four Christmas videos throughout December and encouraging people to share their #JoyToTheWorld on social media. People can also download resources for their church at www.achristmasnearyou.org/resources.
Autumn Statement
25 Nov 2016
Denis Healey delivered the first version of the Autumn Statement In 1975 and made it a duty for the Government to publish two economic updates a year. On Wednesday the Chancellor of the Exchequer said, ‘I am abolishing the Autumn Statement’. The Budget which happens in the spring will in future be the only update to the country on UK economic situations. Wednesday’s Autumn Statement on taxation and spending plans was based on updated independent economic forecasts and projections by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). We can pray for our nation to be blessed and not cursed by these projections, that we lend and not borrow, create wealth and steward wealth wisely. We can pray also for Philip Hammond, civil servants and all working at the Treasury, for this year’s economic projections, departmental spending allocations and Budget taxation plans to be wisely and successfully implemented and not blurred.
There is a desperate need today for Christians of understanding and wisdom, who are able to pray strategically and witness to the truth in their sphere of influence in these dangerous days for Britain and the USA. Both are seeing an unprecedented level of social and political unrest. Both have had national referendums, democratically conducted. But both are now seeing these democratic resolutions challenged. In the US, 4 million people have signed petitions calling upon the Electoral College to reverse the decision of the people and appoint Hillary Clinton as President-elect. Technically this could happen. In the UK the Lib Dems, backed by Tony Blair, are campaigning for a second referendum to overturn the referendum decision which they do not like. The UK party that championed democracy is now seeking to undermine democracy and to defy the will of the people. Many Christians on both sides of the Atlantic sense a great spiritual battle is raging over our nations for the soul of the West.