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Homelessness kills, yet it seems like the world is still walking on by while it happens, says a senior Church of Scotland minister. On average a homeless person dies 30 years before their neighbours and while that statistic is shocking, it is no surprise, writes Rev Ian Galloway, Convener of the Kirk’s Church and Society Council, in his regular blog. Mr Galloway declares: ‘It’s not just the lack of a roof – it’s the lack of purpose, identity, place and belonging that grinds down the souls of those who have nowhere to lay their heads each evening. Homelessness kills and it seems like the world is still walking on
by.’ Mr Galloway writes: ‘It is not just beds, food and a roof we need to find that will cost a lot but when human lives are at stake, it seems a small price to pay.’
Pray: that the homeless will find purpose and identity in Christ. (1.Cor.4:11)
Church of Scotland has said that they may have to stop conducting wedding ceremonies if plans to redefine marriage go ahead. A representative from the Kirk told the Equal Opportunities Committee that the prospect of “years of exhausting legal challenge” is “very concerning”. Revd Alan Hamilton of the Church of Scotland Legal Questions committee said the Kirk’s General Assembly had asked him to look into whether it is worth them continuing to offer marriages in Scotland. He said they are, “concerned that this is an invitation to take religious bodies in particular through the court system”. He added: “It gives us considerable problems internally and we’re deeply concerned about the threat externally.” MSPs were warned about churches being challenged through the Equality Act and the European Convention on Human Rights. This follows a statement in July saying that Sikh temples have been advised to halt all civil marriage ceremonies on their premises to protect them from possible legal challenges for refusing to conduct same-sex weddings.
Pray: for all faiths groups to be able to be free to conduct marriages according to their beliefs and not feel pressured to abandon marriage services. (Ps.25:21)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/kirk-claims-it-may-stop-weddings-over-gay-marriage-2/
The World Congress of Families hosted a key conference on 29 June 2011. The conference, ‘The Future of the Family in Coalition Britain’, was held to help identify the causes of family breakdown in the UK and present possible solutions. The event was sponsored by Christian Concern and was opened by Bishop Michael Nazir Ali emphasising the need to restore the ‘public doctrine of marriage’, stating that the nuclear family was both a ‘natural’ and ‘normative’ form of family, not only beneficial to children but to society as a whole. A number of factors that have contributed to family breakdown were identified. These include ‘No-fault’ divorces, cohabitation, failure to recognise marriage as distinct in the tax system and sexualisation of teenagers. Stewart Jackson MP emphasised that public policy should strengthen as opposed to weaken marriage.
Pray: for political policy makers at all levels to recognise the importance of marriage in a stable, well-functioning society. (Heb.13:4)
More: http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/social/key-families-conference-held
There was no pressure for Kate Middleton to get confirmed - she did it because she wanted to. Confirmation is a public declaration of a Christian faith, so for once it is possible to talk about something Kate Middleton has done without having to rely on ‘friends’ and ‘palace insiders’. The latest generation of royals seem openly less religious than their parents. But this is evidence that Kate's confirmation really means something to her, rather than the contrary. She didn't have to do it, and seems quite capable of resisting any pressure to conform/confirm from those around her. It's not a big story - young woman indicates that she believes in God - but intensely irritating to those who tend to lump all their authority hate-figures together, especially if Kate continues to develop into a role model. Pray: for Kate as she declares her faith, enters into marriage and starts what will be a demanding public life. (1Co.16:3 ) More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2011/apr/14/kate-middleton-confirmed
The Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverend Justin Welby, has officially become the Archbishop of Canterbury at a ceremony, known as the ‘Confirmation of Election’, which took place in the context of an act of worship in St Paul's Cathedral today. The ceremony forms part of the legal process by which the appointment of the new Archbishop of Canterbury is put into effect. It was presided over by the Archbishop of York with the assistance of the Bishops of London, Winchester, Salisbury, Worcester, Rochester, Lincoln, Leicester and Norwich. All were commissioned for this purpose by Her Majesty The Queen – who is the ‘Supreme Governor’ of the Church of England. Bishop Justin’s name was put forward to The Queen some months ago by the Church’s ‘Crown Nominations Commission’ in accordance with constitutional arrangements that have been in place for many years.
Pray: for the Right reverend Justin Welby that he will be blessed by God in his new role at a time when the challenges to the church are so significant.. (Ac.20:28)
More: http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/5014/justin-welby-confirmed-as-archbishop-of-canterbury-at-st-pauls-cathedral
The incoming Archbishop of Canterbury has joined forces with the Labour Party to launch an attack on the Government over its failure to curb the excessive charges of legal loan sharks. The highly political intervention by Justin Welby, the Bishop of Durham, is his first since being announced as the successor to Dr Rowan Williams as leader of the Church of England. Bishop Welby has denounced payday loan firms and the levels of interest they charge as ‘morally wrong’ and even a ‘sin’. He is stepping up his campaign with a House of Lords amendment – jointly with a Labour peer – to a Coalition finance bill which would give regulators the power to cap the total cost of loans. He said ‘The reality is interest rates are in the thousands of per cent, which at any time in history would have been called usury, and which the church has always considered a sin, and I think that even now it is a sin to charge that level of interest.’
Pray: for the success of this amendment and also for all those affected by such exorbitant loan repayments. (Ex.22:25)
Senior Church figures are forcing a showdown with the judiciary over an allegation that some of the country’s most senior judges are prejudiced against Christianity. Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury (1991 – 2002) and other church leaders will urge the Master of the Rolls and other senior judges to stand down from future Court of Appeal hearings involving cases of religious discrimination because of the judges’ perceived bias against Christianity. Senior churchmen believe that Christians have little chance of a fair ruling if the latest significant hearing is heard in front of those judges who, they argue, have already shown a lack of understanding of Christian beliefs. Critics are particularly alarmed by a ruling by Lord Neuberger, the Master of the Rolls, on behalf of the Court of Appeal, that Lillian Ladele, a registrar who refused to conduct civil partnership ceremonies – because they were against her Christian beliefs – broke the law.
Pray: that the Judiciary comes to respect wholeheartedly our Christian faith. (Dt.17:8)
A High Court judge has criticised a lesbian couple and a male homosexual couple who are fighting over parenting rights for two little sisters they had by IVF. Mr Justice Hedley said: ‘The four adults in this case regard the price paid by these two children as an acceptable price for the pursuit of their own adult disputes.’ The judge also said: ‘The case provides a vivid illustration of just how wrong these arrangements can go.’ A social worker informed the court that the older girl has suffered serious emotional harm. The couples met after the women placed an advert in a homosexual publication in 1999 asking for ‘a gay man or couple who would like to start a family with a lesbian couple’. The men replied, saying, ‘We would love to be father and stepfather’. But relations broke down in 2008 when they fell into a dispute over the girls.
Pray: for the children in this case and for society to recognise the serious problems that may emerge in such flawed arrangements. (Pr.11:3)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/judge-slates-same-sex-couples%e2%80%99-fight-over-girls/
A judge has sided with a homosexual couple who were refused a double room at a Christian guest house. (see Prayer Alert 02-2011) Owners Peter and Hazelmary Bull implemented a policy of allowing only heterosexual married couples to stay in their double rooms when they opened the guest house, also their family home, in 1986. Their website gives notice of the policy on its booking page. They were sued by civil partners Steven Preddy and Martyn Hall for £5,000 in damages on the grounds that the policy discriminated against them under the Equality Act. Judge Andrew Rutherford ruled that the Bulls’ policy was unlawful and that the Equality Act requires that civil partnerships are treated in the same way as marriage. The Bulls must now pay Preddy and Hall £3,600 in damages. Responding to the ruling, Mrs Bull said: ‘Our double-bed policy was based on our sincere beliefs about marriage, not hostility to anybody’.
Pray: that the Equality Act be amended to distinguish between legal and behavioural rights. (Jas.1:21)
More:http://www.christiantoday.com/article/judge.rules.against.christian.guesthouse.owners.who.refused.civil.partners/27378.htm
A judge has blasted 24-hour licensing laws after sentencing yet another troublemaker for a late night drunken brawl. Supermarkets have also been slammed this week for slashing the price of a pint to 40p ahead of the World Cup. Judge Christopher Harvey Clark QC is calling for a review of 24-hour licensing laws after becoming frustrated at dealing with cases of drunken violence ‘almost on a daily basis’. This latest case involved a 31-year-old former soldier from Bournemouth, who attacked his victim after he flicked a kebab in his face during a night out. Judge Harvey Clark said: ‘Speaking as someone who has to deal with such violence, almost on a daily basis, there is far too much violence and drunkenness on the streets of Bournemouth late at night. It may, in part, be due to the relaxation of the licensing laws. I would hope that relaxation is reviewed in the foreseeable future.’
Pray: that the 24-hour drinking law will be reviewed in the near future. (Joel.1:5)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/judge-hits-out-at-24-hour-drinking/