Displaying items by tag: United Kingdom

British evangelist Rico Tice spoke at GAFCON, warning that God would take His power, spirit and gospel outside the Anglican institution if Anglicans leaders do not submit to scripture and repent of sin. He said he could relate to Rev Behan when he said he wept and grieved over New Zealand’s church; adding, ‘To come here and see the largest collection of Anglicans for the last 50 years meet together and have a Nigerian bishop rebuke us about our sin was so refreshing.’ He said that the road to ruin in Britain is defined by tolerance and permissiveness, doing what you please, thinking what you please. ‘In a way I come to GAFCON partly grieving but also delighted to find a family that is Anglican, that I can trust, who submit to the Lord Jesus and to Scripture. There’s a loss of nerve in the Church because culture is intolerant of people holding onto the uniqueness of Jesus and his high and holy standards.’

Cannabis plants contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which affects minds and moods. While giving a ‘chilled out’ feeling, it can also cause hallucinations, paranoia and long term psychosis. The risk of schizophrenia is higher when used by younger people as THC interferes with the still-growing brain. Cannabis also contains cannabidiol (CBD), which shows promising results for reducing seizures in children with severe epilepsy. Caring for a person suffering epileptic seizures is heartbreaking, and can be frightening if a seizure is prolonged and leads to status. Status happens when one seizure follows another without the person recovering in between. Severe seizures can cause brain damage. Pray for God to give peace and strength to families currently caring for a person experiencing epilepsy. Pray for God to inspire MPs to make rapid, accurate decisions regarding the use of CBD.

Theresa May has welcomed the passing of the Brexit bill through Parliament as ‘a crucial step’ in delivering a ‘smooth and orderly Brexit’. Peers accepted the amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill sent to them from the House of Commons, meaning the bill becomes law. The important decisions agreed on 20 June give Britain a brighter future, in control of its money, laws, and borders. The PM promised more detail on the UK-EU's future relationship soon, and said that after a white paper is published with more details of a proposed future relationship with the EU, the Trade and Customs Bills will be brought back to the Commons. International trade secretary Liam Fox said that the option of a no-deal Brexit had been left firmly on the table. He said the Government has to be able to hold out in our negotiations with the prospect of no deal, otherwise the EU will get the upper hand in future negotiations.

Christians in Parliament, at their annual national prayer breakfast, gave 470 leaders time to stop and reflect, sing hymns, pray, and hear the American Presbyterian pastor Tim Keller. One of the themes was, ‘What role can Christianity play in contemporary public life?’ Theresa May said that Christianity had transformed the United Kingdom with its values and teachings, helping to shape the laws, customs and society of the country. She added, ‘Whether you are a Parliamentarian or a constituent, I encourage you to continue your engagement as Christians in public life for the common good of all.’  The Christians in Parliament ethos is for more Christians to respond to God's call and engage positively in party politics and government. Their mission is to make the biblical case for participating in party politics at high-quality events, and connect Christians and churches to people or organisations that can help them engage politically.

Documents used to investigate the deaths at Gosport Hospital have revealed that 456 people died from the staff practice of prescribing too many painkillers without medical justification. An additional 200 patients were ‘probably’ similarly affected between 1989 and 2000. The inquiry, led by Rt Rev James Jones, did not ascribe criminal or civil liability for the deaths. He said that a number of nurses raised concerns about prescribing diamorphine. Their warnings went unheeded, the opportunity to rectify the practice was lost, deaths resulted, and 22 years later it had become necessary to hold an inquiry to discover the truth of what happened. Health secretary Jeremy Hunt said that a catalogue of failings had been identified, and apologised to the grieving families. Hampshire’s chief constable said that police would assess any new information contained in the report,, and consult their partners in health and the Crown Prosecution Service in order to decide the next steps.

On 21 June the Archbishop of York Youth Trust hosted a regional conference, for primary head teachers in church schools across the Diocese of Manchester. It provided an opportunity for them to learn more about the Young Leaders Award delivered at Key Stage 2 and to share in the experiences of those completing the award. To date the Youth Trust has enrolled over 550 primary and secondary schools in these award schemes, empowering 63,000 young people to put leadership into action and make a difference in other people's lives through acts of service and community volunteering.

You recently prayed for a change in visa rules regarding trained medical staff because they were not working in the best interests of NHS patients. The Home Office has now decided that foreign doctors and nurses will be excluded from the government's visa cap. This will be a huge relief for NHS trusts across the country, which have been really struggling to fill their doctor and nurse vacancies. Some believe that Home Secretary Sajid Javid’s latest move could indicate a new direction for immigration policy post-Brexit.

Maqsood Bakhsh, a Christian, who has sought asylum in the UK for six years, has appealed to the Prime Minister to allow him to stay, fearing that he and his family face death if they return to Pakistan. He fled Pakistan with his wife Parveen and their sons Somer and Areebs, after Islamic extremists threatened to kill him because of his faith. The catalyst was the murder of two Christians shot outside a court, while in police custody. Pastor Rashid Emmanuel and Sajid had been accused of writing a pamphlet critical of the Prophet Muhammad. Those responsible for the murders believe Maqsood was in league with them, and will kill him and his family if they have the chance. The Home Office has repeatedly rejected their asylum applications. They have no right to appeal, but plan to launch a legal challenge.

300 human rights organisations, including several Christian charities, sent a joint letter to North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un, urging him to make lasting improvements to his country’s dire human rights situation. The charities welcome increased dialogue with other countries, but state that they have yet to see actions on the part of the government ‘that would signal clear improvements in the lives of citizens or their basic rights and freedoms’. The letter urges Kim to increase engagement with international human rights systems, end abuses in detention and prisons, establish regular meetings for separated families of foreign nationals with relatives in North Korea, and accept international humanitarian aid with appropriate monitoring to ensure it reaches needy people and communities. Pray for the families of those executed or in labour camps; ask God to bless and protect North Korean Christians who face daily terror as they live out their faith. See also the article in the World section.

Over a two-day debate MPs reversed or partially reversed 14 defeats on the EU withdrawal bill in the House of Lords. However, Teresa May only averted defeat on an amendment to give the Commons a ‘meaningful vote’ on Brexit by promising to rewrite the legislation in accordance with proposals drawn up by Tory rebel Dominic Grieve. At the time of writing the row is not fully defused, and further rebellion next week seems quite possible. Rebels want to force the Government to prioritise single market access in the final Brexit deal. Theresa May said the Government’s own amendment could not allow MPs to bind its hands or open it up to the risk that Brexit could be reversed. She intends not to allow parliament to overturn the will of the British people. She said, ‘Parliament gave the decision to the British people, the British people voted to leave the European Union, and as Prime Minister I am determined to deliver that.’