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The BBC has chosen an atheist Hebrew scholar as the presenter of its new series on the Bible. In ‘The Bible’s Buried Secrets’ Dr Francesca Stavrakopoulou will guide viewers through some of the latest archaeological discoveries in the Middle East and consider how these may shape the world's understanding of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Some of the topics to be explored by the programme include the origins of the story of the Garden of Eden and the historical context of King David and his kingdom. According to The Telegraph, Dr Stavrakopoulou makes a number of assertions in the programme, notably about Eve. ‘Eve, particularly in the Christian tradition, has been very unfairly maligned as the troublesome wife who brought about the Fall,’ said Stavrakopoulou, a senior lecturer in the Hebrew Bible at the University of Exeter. ‘Don’t forget that the biblical writers are male and it’s a very male-dominated world. Women were second-class citizens, seen as property.’ Pray: that Dr Stavrakopolou will herself discover the truths of the Bible and that the Holy Spirit would speak through her. (Jn.4:24) More:http://www.christiantoday.com/article/atheist.to.present.bbcs.new.bible.series/27634.htm
Atheists recently went public with a new website aimed at creating a community for clergy who have lost their faith. The Clergy Project has grown to nearly 100 members since the launch of a private, invitation only, website in March. The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Science and Reason and the Freedom From Religion Foundation have now made the project public in hopes of drawing more pastors, priests, rabbis and other religious leaders who have chosen to ‘move beyond faith’. ‘We know there must be thousands of clergy out there who have secretly abandoned their faith but have nowhere to turn,’ said Dan Barker, a former evangelical preacher who now serves as co-president of FFRF. ‘Now they do have a place to meet, a true sanctuary, a congregation of those of us who have replaced faith and dogma with reason and human well-being.’
Pray: for all clergy who are finding faith challenging and pray that the Holy Spirit would bring fresh revelation. (Eph.1:17)
Doctors who are atheist or agnostic are twice as likely to take decisions that might shorten the life of somebody who is terminally ill as doctors who are deeply religious. Doctors with strong religious convictions are less likely to discuss such decisions with the patient, according to Professor Clive Seale, from the Centre for Health Sciences at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. Doctors are influenced by their beliefs just as other people are, said Seale. ‘It is easy for clinicians to present themselves as neutral appliers of science, but values do come into it,’ he said. That is accepted in abortion care, but the issue has not yet been widely discussed in the care of the dying. Seale's study, published in the Journal of Medical Ethics, was based on a survey of doctors specialising in care for people at the end of life, such as neurology, elderly and palliative care as well as general practice. Pray: for doctors, carers, patients and close family as they work together to care for the terminally ill. (3Jn:8) More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/aug/26/doctors-religious-beliefs-terminally-ill
Sara is from Ethiopia. Her mother died when she was young, and her father mysteriously ‘disappeared’ after the government was overthrown. Both Sara and her brother were arrested and thrown into prison where she was abused. When eventually set free she escaped to Sudan with the help of her father’s friends. From there she flew to England seeking asylum. Her experiences in England have been dreadful, living off handouts, working in a pizza parlour to make ends meet (but asylum seekers are forbidden to work and she was sentenced to four months in Styal prison). She was hospitalised in prison after trying to end her life. She is without hope. If she returns home, she faces imprisonment and torture. If she stays here she will be in ‘limbo-land’ stripped of her dignity, prevented from living a normal life.
Pray: for asylum-seekers in the UK to experience changes for improvement in the asylum system. (Lev.19:10 &Lev.24:22)
More: http://boaztrust.org.uk/
Police in Bristol have arrested four people after secret filming by BBC Panorama found a pattern of serious abuse at a residential hospital. Andrew McDonnell, who works with adults with mental disabilities, labelled some of the examples seen on film ‘torture’. The hospital's owners, Castlebeck, have apologised and suspended 13 employees. See: Frail elderly people will be left to suffer unless David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband can put aside their political differences to agree urgent reforms to the care system, an alliance of charities, think tanks and councils warned yesterday. In an open letter to the three party leaders, The Daily Telegraph reported the groups saying that time has run out for political wrangling over how to look after the millions of elderly and disabled people who need support. With the system at ‘breaking point’, MPs of all parties must now reach a ‘consensus’ or condemn generations of pensioners to a life of poverty, misery and pain.
Pray: that this incident in Bristol would raise awareness of the need for changes across the system. (Lev.19:32)
More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8548976/MPs-must-unite-to-reform-elderly-care.html
The Casualty Notifying Officer is the person, usually from the regiment, who tells the next of kin of the death of or injury to a soldier. A Visiting Officer is also appointed from the regiment to offer practical help and support during this difficult time and give guidance and advice when necessary. This officer will explain what help is available and can be contacted as often as needed. Many of these officers are young Lieutenants and Captains and although trained for this particular role some could be involved for a long time, 12 months or more.
Pray: for these officers in this extremely difficult role. Pray for God to give them wisdom beyond their years and sensitivity and compassion in handling the bereaved. (Pr.3:13)
More: http://www.veterans-uk.info/pdfs/publications/misc/death_in_service.pdf
‘Identity politics’ should not trump the common good, according to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He said: ‘Identity politics, whether it is the politics of feminism, whether it is the politics of ethnic minorities or the politics of sexual minorities, has been a very important part of the last 10 or 20 years because before that I think there was a sense that diversity was not really welcome.’ Dr Williams added: ‘We are now, I think, beginning to see the pendulum swinging back and saying identity politics is all very well but we have to have some way of putting it all back together again and discovering what is good for all of us and share something of who we are with each other so as to discover more about who we are.’ He continued: ‘Once we start saying this is my identity and that’s it then I think we are in danger of really fragmenting the society we belong to.’
Pray: for greater understanding of our differences that they may be respected, valued and allow people to live and work together in harmony. (Ps.133:1)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/archbishop-identity-politics-leaves-society-fragmented/
Christians risk falling victim to extremist elements in the wake of the Arab Spring, the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned. Speaking to the BBC this week, Dr Rowan Williams warned of a ‘very anxious time’ ahead for Christians in the Arab world and Middle East. He voiced concern over the level of attacks against Christians and the burning of churches in Egypt, suggesting people were unaware of the true extent of violence being perpetrated against believers in the region. He spoke of his hope for the emergence of democracy following the unrest of the last half year, saying that a participatory democracy would be in the interest of minorities because ‘good democracies look after minorities’. The Archbishop voiced concern, however, that in the immediate future, Christian minorities would be subject to attack amidst the ongoing upheaval. He told BBC Radio 4: ‘There is no doubt at all that it is a very anxious time for Christian communities.’ Pray: for Christians across the Middle East that God would protect them and use them to bring reconciliation and peace where they have been planted. (Jn.17:15)
In an initiative being spearheaded by Katharine Welby, daughter of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, churches across the country are set to start running special courses on happiness. Miss Welby, who recently spoke publicly about her own battle with depression, said it is part of the church’s “calling” to help tackle the often hidden causes of some of the most intractable problems in families and society. The so-called “Happiness Course” combines basic principles of secular popular psychology with ideas such as forgiveness and gratitude, promoted for centuries by Christianity. It is based on the principle that applying simple Biblical ideas such as “counting your blessings” or forgiving enemies could actively improve people’s psychological well-being. In its structure and style, it has parallels with the Alpha Course, the short introduction to Christianity which became a worldwide phenomenon, taken by more than 15 million people in churches, schools, workplaces and even prisons.
Pray: for those delivering this new course and that it will prove successful . (Ps.68:3)
More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/10064228/Archbishops-daughter-spearheads-drive-to-teach-happiness-in-churches.html
Preaching the Christmas Day sermon at Canterbury Cathedral Dr.Rowan Williams said the need to learn lessons had been made important by the riots and banking crisis. The most pressing question facing Britain is ‘who and where we are as a society, because bonds have been broken, trust abused and lost.’ In contrast to the fragmenting society, the Archbishop went on to say, ‘the language of the Book of Common Prayer offers society the means of binding together our obligations to God and to one another, in a dense interweaving of love and duty joyfully performed’. Adding, ‘We’re much the poorer for forgetting it and pushing it to the margins as much as we often do in the Church.’
Pray: that in 2012 the church would be more visible, prodigals would return and Christian teaching would be acted upon by those inside and outside the church. (2Cor.3:12)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/archbishop.warns.of.broken.bonds.and.abused.trust/29085.htm