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Veteran civil rights campaigner and Baptist minister the Rev Jesse Jackson has urged Christians never to stop fighting for the poor - especially in this period of austerity. During a brief visit to the UK the Baptist minister, who founded the social change Rainbow PUSH coalition, said the church was compelled to challenge injustice. But citing his long record, which includes campaigning with Dr Martin Luther King, Mr Jackson said as long as Christians fought, they would inevitably secure victories that would make the world a fairer place. Mr Jackson was in the UK to speak at an event entitled A God of Justice, organised by Christian Aid in collaboration with the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Church.co.uk. He was also a guest speaker at a Christian Aid supporters day and lobby of Parliament in support of the world's poor. He said he had seen 'tremendous changes' in his 50 years as a campaigner. Pray: for all Christians to rise to Rev Jackson's challenge to keep fighting for justice. (Dt.16:20)
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has changed the frequency with which figures are published concerning children born outside of wedlock. Critics say that the changes are part of continued efforts to marginalise marriage as an institution. Figures for children born to unmarried mothers and those born to parents in ‘legal partnerships’ will now be released on an annual, as opposed to quarterly, basis. An ONS spokesperson said that the adjustments were due to spending cuts. There are fears that changing the publication of data in this way will make it harder to demonstrate the benefits of marriage for children. Patricia Morgan, of the think-tank Civitas, said: ‘This is a way of crossing marriage out of the public consciousness. It has been done one step at a time. The evidence that marriage is better for families and children is overwhelming, but if you don’t have the evidence you can no longer prove it’.
Pray: that despite these changes marriage will not be sidelined but the truth will out. (Ps.103:2)
A support group for people in the sex industry fears the high cost of further education will tempt more students into pole dancing, escort work and prostitution to make ends meet. The warning comes from Beyond the Streets, formerly the National Christian Alliance on Prostitution, after research by the University of Kingston found that in 2010, a quarter of students knew someone who had worked in the sex industry to fund their studies, a staggering increase on 1990 when the figure was just 3%. In a separate study by the University of Leeds, a quarter of lap dancers were found to have a degree and a third of the women interviewed were doing lap dancing work to fund training in other professions. ‘It may look like easy money to the desperate eye, but what it really is, let's not be fooled, is luring students into prostitution,’ the group said.
Pray: that with the increasing cost of education pray that the financial pressures will not attract students into prostitution. (Mt.26:41)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/fears.more.students.being.lured.into.prostitution/33102.htm
Parents’ responsibilities would come under attack from a Scottish Government plan to allocate a state guardian for all children, an MSP has said. Liz Smith said the proposal implies it is the state, rather than parents and families, that has the primary obligation for looking after children. The ‘named person’ idea, contained in the Children and Young People Bill, has already been criticised as “unhealthy” and potentially illegal. Now Scottish Conservative young people spokeswoman Liz Smith has said: “Implicit in this proposal to have a named person for every child is the insistence that the state has the primary obligation to look after children, rather than the parents and families. “That is entirely the wrong way round.” She also said the idea “threatens to take away resources from those children who are the most vulnerable”.
Pray: for the Scottish Government to focus on protecting vulnerable children rather than assuming responsibility for all. (Mtt.20:25-26)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/families-face-assault-from-snp-state-guardian-plan/
The Government's planned cuts in housing benefit for 25-34 year-olds will be a false economy that will end up burdening welfare services, according to the Christian Peoples Alliance party. Changes to be introduced in a few months' time will see an average cut in housing benefit of £47 per week for people receiving the Shared Accommodation Rate (SAR). This is because their benefits will only cover the cost of a room in a shared house, instead of a self-contained flat. The CPA says what may only affect 88,000 people could have huge consequences for their ability to keep their lives on track. As Crisis, the homelessness charity put it these changes ‘will be an absolute disaster’. According to the CPA, ‘There is a false assumption that multi-occupancy accommodation is already there and available. In many places in Britain it is not, and the result will be further pressure on temporary accommodation and homelessness’. Pray: that the government will reconsider and recognise the desperate needs of these young people. (Jas.2:16)
The number of people describing themselves as Christians has dropped 10% in England and Wales over the last five years. In 2005, 77% of the population said they were Christian, but according to the Citizenship Survey published this week, that figure fell to 70% in 2010. The government-commissioned survey looked at the views of more than 10,300 adults. In the same period, the number of people saying they have no religion rose by 6%, from 15% in 2005 to 21% in 2010. Christians were also far less likely to practise their religion than those of other faiths. Those most likely to practise their religion were Muslims. Despite the fall in people affiliating themselves with Christianity, those who do are more committed, with an increase in the number of Christians saying they go to church regularly, from 31 per cent in 2005 to 33 per cent in 2010.
Pray: for the Holy Spirit to move among the people revealing the light that brings life. (1Jn.1:1-7)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/fall.in.number.of.christians.in.britain/29082.htm
The Faith in Conflict conference, which brought together representatives from across the country last week, is a 'marker for the future of the church', participants in the event have said. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, spoke at the final plenary session of the ecumenical gathering which explored how conflict is handled across the churches. The conference sessions over the three days, at Coventry Cathedral, worked towards understanding the challenges that face the Christian church, gaining a renewed vision in viewing conflict differently and exploring options for intervention. Speaking about Faith in Conflict, the Archbishop said: “This conference [has been] some years in the making. I have always been hopeful that it would mark a step for the Church of England’s capacity when dealing with conflict. In fact, it is proving to be much more significant than that, setting a clear and radical path for our opportunity to be peacemakers and confidence builders in our society.”
Pray: for the Church to become leaders in conflict resolution and reconciliation. (2Co.5:18)
More: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/18113
‘Fairtrade Fortnight' runs from 28th February-13th March and the Archbishop of York is calling for people to support it by organising events and buying Fairtrade produce. Since the launch of the first Fairtrade label in 1988, the Fairtrade Foundation has been seeking to transform trading structures and practices to help the poor and disadvantaged all over the world. The Archbishop encouraged all to get involved in Fairtrade Fortnight by saying: ‘I encourage anyone who is organising an event during Fairtrade Fortnight. Remember your contribution and commitment can help make a difference to those suffering in poverty around the globe. ‘Fairtrade is not about charity, it is about justice. It is about people getting fair pay for the produce and products of their labours, no matter where they live in the world. Please join me in buying Fairtrade produce where you can – this small act makes such a big difference in the fight against global poverty.' Pray: for the work of Fairtrade and for a huge response to Fairtrade Fortnight. (Ps.145:7)
A historic Church of England diocese where Muslim worshippers outnumber Anglican churchgoers by two to one is set to be scrapped. Apparently the Dioceses Commission is drawing up proposals to axe the impoverished Diocese of Bradford in Yorkshire and merge it with neighbouring Ripon and Leeds. Some are pressing for both dioceses to be subsumed into the adjoining Diocese of York, to create a ‘super-diocese’. Religious statistician Peter Brierley said that as the Muslim population in Bradford is about 80,000, on a conservative estimate 20,000 are regular worshippers, i.e. more than double the number of their Anglican counterparts. Canon Rod Anderson, of St Barnabas Church in Heaton, Bradford, said that during his 16 years at the church the congregation had diminished from more than 100 on Sundays to between 40 and 60. He added: ‘I have seen a demographic shift with a large ethnic Asian influx’. Relations between the Church of England and Muslims are highly sensitive. Pray: that the Church of England in West Yorkshire earns an increased following through its outreach activities. (1Pe.1:13)
A report issued in the UK earlier this week, called ‘Too Much, Too Young,’ unmasks the extremely explicit nature of sex education material that public groups are pushing on school children as young as five-year-olds. Among other things, the controversial resources teach youngsters about oral and anal sex, as well as prostitution, masturbation, and ‘straight and gay,’ and include explicit depictions and descriptions of sexual intercourse, as well as real footage of full-frontal adult nudity. The issue of sex education has been a topic of much controversy in Britain with the recent debate of a compulsory sex education Bill in the House of Commons. While the coalition government has said sex education would not be mandatory in primary schools, the coalition is meanwhile reviewing the education guidelines and material. Even without a change in law, family groups are concerned over what guidelines the coalition may put in place. Pray: that this controversal material would be withdrawn. (1Th.4:3-4)