Displaying items by tag: United Kingdom

The Prime Minister used a dinner in Salzburg to make the case for her Chequers strategy for future relations, and told the EU they must ‘evolve’ their stance on the Irish border. Before the event, she said Chequers was the only credible plan to allay concerns on the Irish border and trade disruption. However, the EU chief told Theresa May her Brexit plan needs to be reworked. We can pray for God to pour His wise insights into all European and British leaders as they continue to create workable plans for the future. May God powerfully bring about His purposes for the nations through what is agreed and done at this time. The media are saying that leaders do not want to disclose their thoughts and plans fully at this stage for fear of their being rejected, and caution will result in decisions not being made until the very last minute. See also

The United States has admitted 40% fewer Christian refugees in the past year. As the US administration implements stricter immigration policies, almost 11,000 Christians looking for a safe place to go were reportedly refused entry. Christians from the Middle East who have lived in the USA for years are also affected. Dozens of Iraqi Christians are in detention centres, facing likely deportation. ‘This suggests that the president has no real interest in religious persecution or the tenets of religious freedom,’ said the director of Refugee Council USA. Last year the Pew Research Centre reported that the net number of Christian arrivals to the USA was shrinking. Figures released in the UK showed that during the first quarter of 2018, a ‘very low number of religious minority Syrians were recommended for resettlement by the UNHCR and resettled by the UK government’.

HOPE are delighted by the number of churches using Mission Academy Live with their young people, and they are excited by the opportunity to recruit and train 60 more young evangelists in the coming year. Mission Academy Live, in ten innovative video-based sessions, aims to empower young people as missional disciples within a small group context. With a focus on peer-to-peer evangelism, each session provides an understanding of today's contemporary context, with teaching, discussion, and testimony, all leading to a practical response. Through accountable relationships, this first-of-its-kind evangelism and discipleship tool encourages young people to be intentional, authentic, united, and obedient to the call and command of Christ to ‘go,and make disciples’.

The worst thing our journalists could do would be to distort the truth, and it would be appalling if MPs acted in their own interests, or the interests of louder tempting voices, rather than their constituents’ interests. However, according to the media, there have been discussions in Westminster around bringing down the Prime Minister. The Independent ‘reported’ that Theresa May faces a leadership challenge within days, and fifty hard Brexiteers are in ‘open revolt’ against her while ‘Boris Johnson prowls the Palace of Westminster’. Robert Peston reported that rebel MPs in the European Research Group, led by Jacob Rees-Mogg and Steve Baker, were having detailed discussions around leadership election rules. We can pray for the Holy Spirit to cool the heated atmosphere in Westminster and for refreshing currents of Godly wisdom and truth to flow through media comments. Pray for Jesus to remove all confusion and divisive conversations, and lead MPs in the direction that best serves their constituents.

Responding to the final report by the Commission on Religious Education, the CofE’s education officer said, ‘This report calls for a new vision for religious education, which is vital if we are to equip children for life in the modern world where religion and belief play such important roles. It is also timely, given the falling numbers of students taking RE at GCSE and A level since the introduction of the English Baccalaureat.’ The CofE’s education vision is deeply Christian, with Jesus' promise of 'life in all its fullness' at its heart. It was good to see the commission endorsing an approach already being used in church schools. However, further work is needed to ensure children develop religious and theological literacy as part of their understanding. The Secular Society’s response was that they were in broad agreement with the suggestions, but wanted the last say to be from educationalists, not the pre-existing religious education community. See

Guidance for teaching about relationships and sex in schools is being drafted, and will soon be put before Parliament. It is an important time in the development of sex and relationships resources. Sex education is intended to influence attitudes and behaviours and improve sexual health. Whether or not improvements occur depends on the curriculum. It is currently driven by STIs concerns, the adequacy of consent, and teenage pregnancy (the UK has the highest rate in Western Europe). Advice given by leading campaigners is devoid of references to morality, marriage, or family life. It talks about sex as a normal and pleasurable fact of life for youngsters, stressing contraception as most important. It has nothing to say about the moral context in which sex is to be enjoyed; no reference to fidelity and exclusivity. For the full report from the Christian Medical Fellowship, click the ‘More’ button.

Christians in Politics is an all-party, non-denominational organisation which encourages and inspires Christians to get involved in politics and public life. Emphasis is placed on membership of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, as opposed to the earthly allegiances which may separate us. Their vision is for Christians to respond to God's call to engage in party politics and government. Their mission is to make the biblical case for participating in party politics heard by Christians, and then to connect them and their churches to people or organisations which can help them engage politically. At this time of Brexit debates and disputes, we can pray that more Christians participate in decision-making, rather than criticising or commentating from the sidelines. May there also be a growing movement of wise, informed prayers for all our leaders in the coming months.

A YouGov poll for the Sutton Trust indicates widespread cheating among middle-class families to win a place at the school of their choice. One in three parents know families who have used ‘ethically dubious’ tactics, though they are less likely to admit to fraudulent tactics themselves. 16% from all social groups personally knew families who used a relative’s address to secure a place. 20% from the highest social group knew someone who had either bought or rented a second home in the catchment area of a good school. The most commonly used tactic to get into more desirable schools is to develop a newfound faith and attend religious services to meet school admissions criteria where pupils are selected on the basis of church attendance.

Brexiteer Tory MPs say a hard border on the island of Ireland can be avoided by using ‘established’ technology and ‘modifying’ existing arrangements. They called for streamlined customs checks and closer working between Belfast and Dublin, to allay compliance and smuggling fears. The Democratic Unionist Party welcomed the ‘positive and timely’ report, Sinn Fein said it was ‘pure fantasy’, and the EU insists on a ‘backstop’ to ensure the single market is protected. After two years of debating the border issue, the Chequers blueprint envisages a free trade zone for goods moving between the UK and the EU, backed up by a ‘facilitated customs arrangement’, as the only credible and negotiable option. However Ireland's foreign minister Simon Coveney said the proposals were an ‘unworkable distraction’.

Child mental health has been a key priority for the Scottish government. But specialist services are struggling to cope with increasing demand, and mental health minister Clare Haughey said the situation was ‘unacceptable’. The target of 90% of children and young people starting treatment or having referral to specialist services within 18 weeks has never been met. Instead, waiting times have increased since the target was set. About one in ten Scottish children aged between 5 and 16 have a clinically diagnosable mental illness, and there has been a 22% increase in the number being referred for specialist treatment in recent years. Children may receive little or no support or advice while waiting for treatment, causing conditions to deteriorate or make it more likely they will drop out of the system during the process. Early intervention services are patchy across Scotland.