Displaying items by tag: North America

Hillsong Phoenix lead pastor Terry Crist has resigned from the Hillsong church and taken his congregation with him. Nine US-based Hillsong churches have left the global organisation in two weeks as the movement shrinks dramatically. The church’s high-profile scandals include the resignation of Australian founder Brian Houston after he breached a code of conduct with two women. The pastor of Hillsong Atlanta left immediately after to launch a new church at Easter. Pastor Crist lost confidence in the global board to continue to lead them as a congregation and had asked to be allowed a local governing board while still operating under the Hillsong banner. The board refused. Pray for the Hillsong families as they process the pain of separation from their community. Pray for healing and change where change is needed.

An extraordinary NATO summit has addressed the most serious security crisis in a generation. NATO's core task was to address the need for a reset of deterrence and the defence of Ukraine in the longer term. Four new battlegroups have been established in the eastern part of the Alliance. There is a new sense of urgency as many countries invest more money in Ukraine and supply essential air, sea and land equipment to defend it and deter attack. President Zelensky, addressing the leaders, asked people everywhere to take to the streets in a show of support for Ukraine to mark one month of the Russian invasion. The UK sanctioned 65 more Russian individuals including the Wagner Group of mercenaries, described as ‘Putin’s private army’. When the NATO meeting ended leaders left for a G7 meeting where sanctions were discussed. See also

The Houthi terrorists are based in Yemen. Recently, senior Houthi leader Mohammed Ali al-Houthi went on an antisemitic tirade supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine, stating, ‘It is because Ukraine’s President is Jewish. Any country run by a Jew ends up going to war.’ His statement gives an insight into what to expect from Iran and its proxies. Many are saying, ‘We must recognise Iran for what it is and redesignate the Houthis, who operate as a weapon of war for the Iranian regime.’ Currently Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are raising serious concerns about any new agreement between the USA and Iran that involves Iran acquiring nuclear weapons capability. They see that embracing Iran comes from a false hope that it will lead to better behaviour by its regime and terrorist proxies.

The White House has stated that there is evolving intelligence of Russia exploring options for cyberattacks. The US administration has prioritised strengthening, modernising and improving the security of widely-used technology. The President launched action plans to shore up the cybersecurity of the electricity, pipeline, and water sectors and has urged departments and agencies to mandate new cybersecurity and network defence measures, stating, ‘We will do everything in our power to defend the nation and respond to cyberattacks. But much of our infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector and they must act to protect the critical services on which all Americans rely.’ Pray for American commerce and industry to successfully authorise authentication on all systems to make it harder for attackers to enter. Pray for cybersecurity professionals as they patch, protect and employ multi-factor passwords and authentication.

A recent survey by the Deseret News reveals a growing trend. Americans are becoming less attached to religious practices and institutions such as daily prayer and attending services. While the state of religion is continually changing, the study found that most Americans still hold core religious beliefs and draw moral guidance from their families and their faith traditions. 7 in 10 Americans believe the country would be better off if we prayed for each other, and most Americans say the Constitution was inspired by God. About 71% consider themselves spiritual, regardless of whether they practise religion or not. 40% attend church at least once or twice a month - a noticeable decline from 2011. Americans over 60 are the most likely to attend church services. 72% believe ‘the nation's moral compass is pointed in the wrong direction’.

The world has been watching what is happening in Ukraine with shock and sadness. Thousands across the USA are taking to the streets to show their support, including a large group who gathered recently in Virginia Beach. For many who attended, the war is personal. Hundreds marched along the oceanfront with signs, songs, and desperate prayers to raise awareness and funds to help Ukrainians who are right now fighting not just for their country, but for their very lives. ‘Every day we text him and make sure he's alive!’ said 32-year-old Olga who was born and raised in Ukraine now living in Virginia Beach with her husband. She marched with her parents, who came to America two months ago. Her twin brother is still in Ukraine.

With fears that the war in Ukraine could push global energy prices even higher, Washington recently met Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro to discuss conditions for repealing the crippling US sanctions in place against his country. Washington, which broke off relations in 2019 over Maduro’s rigged elections and crackdowns on opposition protests, is reportedly demanding free and fair presidential elections and extensive reforms to the Venezuelan oil sector. Maduro, for his part, wants an end to the sanctions and to be readmitted to the SWIFT global financial platform. Venezuela is a close ally and partner of Russia. Some members of Congress have criticised any effort to rekindle relations, saying that efforts to isolate Putin should not boost other authoritarian leaders. Aside from the political whiplash of resuming oil trade, Venezuela’s oil fields have long suffered from mismanagement. Some industry analysts say it could be slow to increase supply. See

The congressional committee investigating the attack on Capitol Hill said in a court filing, ‘Evidence and information available to the Committee establishes a good-faith belief that Mr Trump and others may have engaged in criminal and/or fraudulent acts. The select committee also has a good-faith basis for concluding that the President and members of his campaign engaged in criminal conspiracy to defraud the USA.’ If John Eastman is proven to have worked unethically for Mr Trump his legal licence may be suspended, and it increases political pressure on the Attorney General to charge Trump.

Joe Biden's first formal State of the Union speech came as only 40.6% of Americans are happy with his job performance. After describing his foreign policies on the invasion of Ukraine, Mr Biden confronted a host of domestic troubles dogging his presidency, from the enduring pandemic to soaring consumer prices, a wave of violent crime, and inflation hitting a 40-year high even though the jobless rate has sunk to 4%. The president sought to empathise with hard-pressed working families, saying ‘I get it.’ He promised a plan for ‘building a better America’ by boosting domestic production of cars and semiconductors, as well as rebuilding the nation’s roads and bridges. Republican response to the speech portrayed a presidency reflecting the late '70s ‘when runaway inflation hammered families, a violent crime wave crushed cities, and the Soviet army was trying to redraw the world map’.

A year after Donald Trump was banned from Twitter he launched his own social-media platform, Truth Social, in a limited form, on the US Apple app store. Commentators noted the app had similarities to Twitter. Some of those trying to register were told, ‘Due to massive demand, we have placed you on our waiting list’. Project lead former congressman Devin Nunes said it was expected to be fully operational by the end of March. Created by the year-old Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), Truth Social had previously been made available to 500 beta testers. Truth Social describes itself as a ‘big tent' social-media platform that encourages an open, free and honest global conversation without discriminating against political ideology. Mr Nunes vowed it would be a ‘censorship-free experience’.