Born-again Christians whose adopted children have been taken into care say they are being persecuted for their religious beliefs by social workers. In one case, parents say social workers accused them of causing emotional abuse with their strict parenting methods, which included smacking a child’s hand and punishing children for swearing by putting soap on their lips. They claim they were described as ‘cult’ members by social workers despite their church following the Alpha Course, the dominant strand of evangelism in Britain, followed by 20m people worldwide, including the adventurer Bear Grylls. Andrea Williams, chief executive of the campaign group Christian Concern, said: ‘We are seeing a worrying trend whereby Christian parents are being treated with suspicion because of their faith’.

Born-again Christians whose adopted children have been taken into care say they are being persecuted for their religious beliefs by social workers. In one case, parents say social workers accused them of causing emotional abuse with their strict parenting methods, which included smacking a child’s hand and punishing children for swearing by putting soap on their lips. They claim they were described as ‘cult’ members by social workers despite their church following the Alpha Course, the dominant strand of evangelism in Britain, followed by 20m people worldwide, including the adventurer Bear Grylls. Andrea Williams, chief executive of the campaign group Christian Concern, said: ‘We are seeing a worrying trend whereby Christian parents are being treated with suspicion because of their faith’.

People with learning disabilities, admitted to hospitals for assessment and treatment, have been badly let down by the government. More than two years after since its response to the abuse of patients at the Winterbourne View hospital, the government has failed to meet its core commitment to move people out of mental health hospitals and into the community by June 2014. In a joint statement, the charities Mencap and the Challenging Behaviour Foundation, said a report by the National Audit Office that there are still 2,600 inpatients in mental health hospitals in England showed ‘abject failure’ to tackle the issue. Ministers agreed in 2012 that any inpatients with a learning disability or challenging behaviour would be better off cared for in the community, not locked in an institution as if they were prisoners. Pray for legislative options to give people with learning disabilities and their families a stronger voice and more rights.

The BBC has been accused of treating religion as the ‘fag end’ of its priorities at a time of massive global upheaval after announcing it is to scrap its high-profile position of head of religion to cut costs. Aaqil Ahmed, the first Muslim to hold the post, and one of the most outspoken BBC executives, has been told his role in commissioning programmes is to be axed as part of a shake-up. Religion is to make an unlikely alliance with science, business issues and history under the oversight of a new head of ‘factual’ programming. The Church of England has voiced alarm at the move, arguing that the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris illustrates starkly how it is impossible to understand world events without a grasp of religious motivation. The Rt Rev Nick Baines, the Bishop of Leeds, said it was ‘staggering’ that the corporation was considering cutting the role, something he said appeared to be motivated by ‘ignorance’.

Rev Wena Parry, 75, was told that stickers saying ‘Christ Must Be Saviour’ and ‘Christ For Me’ could be regarded as ‘modifications’ and could invalidate her insurance policy. Rev Parry, from Cymmer in Neath Port Talbot, told BBC Wales' X-Ray she believes she has been treated unfairly because of her religious beliefs by Age UK insurance. ‘There might be somebody within that company that hates Christianity.’ she said. Age UK denied there was a religious motive behind the move. Rev Parry says the large signs on the bonnet and sides of the car help spread the gospel message. ‘Every opportunity I have I want to tell people about Jesus. I reckon there must at least a million people who have read the texts on my car,’ she said. She was warned: ‘The policy may be declared void’.

Although other items take priority in the news please remember that the military is still conducting dangerous missions against the forces of IS. Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft supporting Iraqi ground forces as part of the international coalition have conducted multiple air strikes on IS terrorists in recent days as they continued to strengthen security in the area east of Mount Sinjar. Please pray for their protection. For more info: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/latest-iraq-air-strikes  The military also play a vital role in combatting Ebola as they combine their roles of logistics, planning, supply and medical work and training. Continuing the government’s commitment to help tackle the Ebola outbreak in west Africa, Headquarters 11 Infantry Brigade will take on a central command role. Usually based in Aldershot, they will take over from 104 Logistics Brigade who have been in Sierra Leone since September 2014.

Britain faces a ‘major public health challenge’ caused by the impact of long-term loneliness on elderly people, two charities have warned. Entitled ‘Promising approaches to reducing loneliness and isolation in later life’, the report details the impact of chronic loneliness – feeling lonely all or most of the time – can have on the health of older people. The research uncovered that one in four (2.9million) Britons aged 65 and over feel they have no one to go to for help and support. As well as serious implications for mental health, it found that chronic loneliness can be as harmful as smoking, increasing the risk of dementia, high blood pressure and depression. The report claims that health service funders and commissioners are suffering from a 'knowledge gap' as they struggle to meet the growing challenge of chronic loneliness. Laura Alcock-Ferguson, director of the Campaign to End Loneliness, said the framework is being offered to those councils which wish to use it.

From The Christian Institute: We have seen what the ‘British Values’ initiative has meant for school. Now it is to be applied to universities. New Government anti-extremism guidance means that universities must vet visiting speakers’ talks and Powerpoints for Christian Union meetings. The measures provide the ideal tool for authorities hostile to biblical beliefs to obstruct the operation of CU’s. The Government must withdraw this unjustified state intrusion into freedom of speech. The draft ‘Prevent’ duty guidance obliges universities to censor all external speakers, with requirements including 14 days minimum notice to the authorities and ‘advance notice of the content of the event and sight of any presentations, footage to be broadcast etc’. Quite apart from being a bureaucratic nightmare, past events indicate the level of hostility to CU’s on university campuses. The guidance stems from the Government’s desire to prevent ‘extremism’. Christian freedoms on campus are being put in real jeopardy.

Two Christian schools in the North East of England are considering legal action against Ofsted after being downgraded by inspectors. John Denning, chairman of governors at Durham Free School, told The Sunday Times: ‘The school is in the process of taking legal advice and will take whatever action necessary to protect the interests of its pupils and their families.’ Grindon Hall Christian School in Sunderland may also take legal action after it has exhausted Ofsted’s complaints procedure. Both schools have argued that new rules requiring schools to promote ‘British values’ including ‘tolerance’, are partly to blame for the schools being downgraded. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan brought the rules in last year in the wake of the Trojan Horse scandal involving infiltration by radical Muslim groups into schools in Birmingham. Other Christian schools have also been downgraded since the new measures were introduced. (See also Prayer Alert 24-2014)

Parents and coaches at junior rugby matches in Yorkshire are being asked to watch in silence as part of a drive to ‘challenge pitch-side behaviour’. Yorkshire Rugby Football Union (YRFU) said a ‘small minority’ of people were ‘definitely not living rugby's core values’ - and should ‘reflect’ on that. It said some referees had been verbally abused and were ‘constantly having their decisions questioned’. Silence has been requested at matches this Sunday, and again next Sunday. In a letter entitled #SilentSundays, YRFU secretary Dawn Rathmell said pitch-side behaviour was leading referees to quit, and making it harder to recruit new ones. ‘Some coaches, parents and spectators are constantly shouting at their players,’ she wrote. ‘Junior players who leave the game have highlighted this pitch-side pressure as a reason for giving up.’ The letter said YRFU wanted the silent Sundays to ‘help those who love the game to reflect on the knock-on effects of their actions.