The greatest threat to evangelical Christianity is not Islam, but rather secularism, consumerism and pop culture, a new study has found. In a survey of nearly 2,200 evangelical leaders from 166 countries, 71% identified the influence of secularism as a 'major threat' to evangelical Christianity. This was followed by consumerism (67%), and sex and violence in pop culture (59%). Only 47% of evangelicals identified the influence of Islam as a major threat. The survey, by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life, also found that evangelicals in the Global South are more optimistic about the future of evangelicalism than their brothers and sisters in the Global North. While seven in ten evangelical Protestant leaders (71%) living in the Global South expected the state of evangelicalism in their countries to be better in five years than it is today, in the Global North evangelical Protestant leaders expected the situation to either be the same (21%) or get worse (33%).

Pray: that God would be our protector against the enemies of His church and people. (Ps.60:11)

More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/evangelicals.see.secularism.as.greater.threat.to.christianity.than.islam/28208.htm

Education Secretary Michael Gove has said that he will ensure that the Church of England plays a greater role in the provision of schooling. He told the House of Commons yesterday (April 16) that ‘we praise and cherish the role of the Church of England in making sure children have an outstanding and inclusive education’. He ‘looked forward to working with Bishop John Pritchard to extend the role of the Church in the provision of schools.’ He also praised the Church for ‘driving in the first instance’ the provision of education. His remarks have been interpreted to signal his backing for new Church of England schools, and may provide some reassurance to those who have questioned whether Mr Gove’s support for faith schools was ebbing. The Church currently supplies education to more than a million children, and is involved in 4,800 schools. The review discussed the viability of opening new academies, adding to the 154 academies it currently has.

Pray: that the Church will be able to take up the additional requirements for education in the UK. (Ps.34:11)

More: http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/social/education-secretary-supports-increased-church-role-in-schooling
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Secret documents that have hidden the truth behind the recent changes in the marriage laws, have been exposed by the Daily Mail. Schools could be required to teach children about gay marriage, Government documents reveal. Officials at the Home Office and the Department for Education concede that teachers may be under a legal obligation to inform children about same-sex marriage once it has passed into law. Under the Education Act 1996, pupils must learn about the nature of marriage and its importance for family life in sex education classes. Officials and ministers knew there was an issue, but said nothing to the public. The secret Government emails came to light following a Freedom of Information request. They show that Government officials were worried about how the media (and therefore the public) would react if it became known that redefining marriage would affect school lessons.

Pray: that the truth would be exposed and those responsible would not continue to hide or distort the truth. (Ps.25:5)

More: http://www.theway.co.uk/feature.php?id=8869&this=Secret_documents_exposes_Gay_marriage_law_

‘Open Doors’ has launched a prayer initiative called Secret Children: 49 Days of Prayer. Launched last Sunday on the International Day of Prayer, Open Doors is encouraging as many people as possible to get involved in daily prayer between now and Christmas Eve for children persecuted for their Christian faith. The organisations says ‘Who knows how many there are? We estimate 30 million, maybe more. And they come from all over the world: North Korea, Algeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Egypt, and Colombia. With your support we can put a child through school, help them learn a trade, support them while their parents are in prison, or paying for their medical care. We use safe houses to protect them from harm. and provide trauma counselling for children living with 'horror movies' inside their heads.’ Their parents face terrible choices: between staying faithful to Jesus or protecting their children; between raising their children as Christians or keeping them physically safe.

Pray: for these children and for the work of Open Doors. (2Cor.4:8-9)

More: http://www.opendoorsuk.org/resources/secretchildren/

2014 will be a big year for Wycliffe Bible Translators with the relocation of their headquarters and celebrations to mark their 50th anniversary in the UK. The charity has announced the sale of the Wycliffe Centre in Buckinghamshire, where they have been based for the last 40 years. Wycliffe executive director Eddie Arthur said the facility, with its training and conference centre, was larger than what was needed for its operations. There are plans to move to office space nearby and change the way they engage with supporters. "The Wycliffe Centre has been a wonderful home for our mission, providing us with office space, a training centre and allowing us to host church groups and conferences. "However, changing patterns in missionary training worldwide mean that we no longer need such a large facility for our own needs. From this August, Wycliffe training courses will be available to a wider audience through Redcliffe College in Gloucester.

Pray: for the staff and work of the Wycliffe Centre especially during the period of transition. (Lk.4:43)

More: http://www.christiantoday.co.uk/article/season.of.change.for.wycliffe.bible.translators/31805.htm

Pioneer minister Sean Stillman will be hitting the road next month to tell other Christians about his experience of mission on the margins. Stillman has spent the last 25 years on the road engaged in pioneering work with people he describes as removed from church culture. He rides a Harley and much of his work is among biker communities, where he operates in a missional and chaplaincy role. He also founded Zac's Place in Swansea. It started in the late Nineties when Sean hired a function room in a local bar every Sunday night to answer the deep spiritual questions his biker friends were putting to him. Now Zac's Place meets in its own venue in The Gospel Hall in George Street, Swansea and it has evolved into a ‘church for ragamuffins’ that also does outreach during the week, including a daily breakfast for the homeless, a weekly Bible study and an evening soup kitchen. Sean's tour will take him to Reading (10 September), Cambridge (11 September), Derby (12 September), Leeds (13 September), and Stoke (14 September).

Pray: for Sean, his work, his tour and all those at Zac’s Place. (Isa.6:8)

More: http://www.christiantoday.co.uk/article/sean.stillman.shares.stories.of.biker.mission/30521.htm

The UK Scouts Association has launched a public consultation on whether an alternative non-religious pledge should be introduced for atheists. The existing Scout Promise reads: ‘On my honour, I promise that I will do my best, to do my duty to God and to the Queen, to help other people and to keep the Scout Law.’ But the National Secular Society wrote to the Scouts in March to say that atheist children and potential leaders were being excluded because of the reference to God. The Scouting movement is 105 years old but numbers of children joining are on the increase. Membership is up from 444,936 in 2005 to 525,364 this year. There are a further 35,000 young people on waiting lists. UK Scout Chief Commissioner Wayne Bulpitt said, ‘We are regularly seeking the views of our members and we will use the information gathered by the consultation to help shape the future of Scouting for the coming years.’

Pray: that pressure from a small atheist minority will not cause the movement to revise its founding principles. (1Cor.3:10)

More: http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/social/scouts-consider-removing-god-from-

Wigtownshire Women's Aid started as a counselling service 25 years ago but quickly extended its operations to women’s refuges. Co-ordinator Hazel Maider said they continue to see the need for this service rise in south west Scotland. ‘In part I think some of it is due to people being more aware of ‘abusive relationships’ now and should be asking for help sooner than they did in the past. ‘The service has been praised by the region's Deputy Chief Constable who said the role played by non-statutory organisations such as Women's Aid was vital. Women’s Aid UK reported - 2 women a week are killed by a current or former male partner - 1 in 4 women will be a victim of domestic violence in their lifetime, many of these on a number of occasions - one incident of domestic violence is reported to the Police every minute.

Pray: for crimes against women to receive increased attention, and for more professionals to be trained in recognising and addressing abuse within families. (Ps.140:4)

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-19049586

Scotland has the second highest percentage of teenage abortions in the world, new statistics show. A study from researchers in the US revealed 24 per cent of all abortions in Scotland occurred in the under-20 age group. Only Cuba had a higher proportion of teenage abortionsfigure, at 29 per cent. Report author Gilda Sedgh, of the Guttmacher Institute in New York, said: ‘We can only speculate that the levels of unprotected intercourse among adolescents are relatively high in Scotland’. The study showed that 15 to 19-year-olds make up just 15 per cent of the total population of Scotland, and yet account for almost a quarter of all Scottish terminations.

Pray: that the trend for teenage abortions be reversed and adolescent education improved.

More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/scots-teen-abortion-percentage-second-highest-in-world/