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The word ‘marriage’ has vanished from Government statistics on conceptions. The official figures instead lump marriages and civil partnerships together under the label ‘legal partnership’. The new figures show there were around 900,000 conceptions in England and Wales in 2009. Background notes reveal that only 218 of those were attributed to someone in a civil partnership. The Office for National Statistics, which released the information, said for birth and conception statistics it ‘does not distinguish between civil partnerships and marriages’. The move is likely to concern those who point to evidence of the benefits of the institution of marriage. In 2003 Labour ministers said they wanted to see the word ‘marriage’ no longer used on official documents, claiming it led to discrimination against homosexuals. Last month Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said his department would reintroduce references to marriage on official forms and pieces of research. Pray: for official recognition of the importance of marriage within society and to resist the progressive erosion of marriage in the name of political correctness will come to a halt. (Heb.13:4) More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/marriage-erased-from-official-conception-statistics/
The majority of British women (75%) support David Cameron’s proposal to make internet porn ‘opt-in’ and want new laws to tackle web trolls, according to a study. Despite relatively few people having actually been victim to trolling online, new research from Kantar, a global research firm, found that 85% of the British public think there needs to be new legislation to deal with the issue – with women feeling more strongly about this matter than men. 67% of women strongly back calls for new laws to police the activities of internet trolls, compared to 48% of men. Despite three quarters of British women supporting the new opt-in system to internet porn put forward by the Government, with 59% ‘strong in favour’, British men’s enthusiasm for the proposal is not as strong.
Pray: that the government would take steps to introduce new laws to deal with this problem. (Ps.119:39)
More: http://www.mediawatchuk.com/latest-news-september-2013/
The Government has dropped its plans to hold a public consultation on whether women seeking an abortion should be offered independent counselling. Health Minister Anna Soubry announced, last week, that the Government ‘did not intend to change the law or the guidelines’. She said that pressing ahead with a consultation on the issue would therefore be nothing more than an ‘otiose exercise’. Last year, MP Nadine Dorries introduced proposals to ensure that women considering an abortion would be guaranteed access to independent advice prior to being referred to an abortion provider. Currently, women considering an abortion are often referred to abortion providers themselves for advice. Ms Dorries argued it was necessary for such women to receive impartial advice and to remove the conflict of interest that exists for abortion providers in the procedure going ahead. Andrea Minichiello Williams, of Christian Concern, commented: ‘This is very disappointing and very little has been given to justify the decision to drop the consultation.
Pray: for all those facing the prospect of having an abortion and for them to have access to quality, independant advice. (Ps.32:8 )
Viva has facilitated the World Weekend of Prayer for Children at Risk since 1995. The scale of this weekend has grown over the years and now, as we partner with many prayer ministries and networks, millions of people join us each year to pray for and with vulnerable children. We come together to pray that children all around the world would know the love of Jesus in their everyday lives, and be able to claim for themselves God's incredible offer of abundant life. We also hope that, helped by our prayers, more people will be mobilized to manifest the love of God to this generation. Please consider praying with us over the weekend and perhaps even holding an event of your own. The World Weekend of Prayer - Child in the Midst booklet has many imaginative ideas for interactive intercession and different ways of engaging people in prayer. You can download it here:
Pray: for all children at risk and that many would be inspired to reach out with God’s love for this generation. (1Jn.3:1)
More: http://www.transformations-ireland.org/news/2010/05/child-in-the-midst.php
A new children’s character, Charlie Condom, has been created by health authorities in Southampton to promote condoms to 13-year-olds. Education leaders have slammed the move and others call it ‘ridiculous’. The character is promoting a scheme, designed to cut the number of teenage pregnancies, which will allow youngsters to collect the contraceptives using a condom credit card from 18 venues in the city. Monsignor Vincent Harvey, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in the city, cautioned: ‘This campaign is sending out the message to 13-year-old children that this is the norm, that it is OK to be sexually active.’ And Ron Clooney, from the teachers union NASUWT, criticised the scheme, saying: ‘This method, where underage impressionable teenagers can get condoms so openly, condones the idea of under-age sex.
Pray: for a more appropriate form of sex education that does not appear to promote under-age sex. (1Jn.3:7)
More: http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2010/05/18/charlie-condom-promotes-condoms-to-13-year-olds/
The Archbishop of Canterbury has admitted the Church of England is struggling to counter the image of atheism as ‘the new cool thing’. Dr Rowan Williams argued it has become difficult for the Church to convey its message because of the popularity of non-believers such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. He said attempts to reverse the decline in worshippers had begun but that there will be ‘no quick fix’. His remarks came despite new research, released by the Roman Catholic Church, suggesting that the Pope's visit to Britain a year ago has brought a lasting rise in the level of spiritual and religious feeling in the country. The archbishop said that Christian witness is the strongest argument the Church has to rebut the claims of atheists such as Dawkins. He said the evolutionary biologist would struggle to explain the growth of the Church in Zimbabwe, for example, in the face of constant brutality and harassment.
Pray: that the testimony of believers would lead to an understanding that rebuts atheism. (Mt.24:14)
More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/8770929/Atheism-is-cool-says-Archbishop-Rowan-Williams.html
The YWCA England and Wales, one of the country’s best-known charities, set up in 1855 to help young women going to London for the first time, has renamed itself as ‘Platform 51’ claiming that its original name ‘no longer stands for who we are or what we do’. YWCA managers say that the name was chosen to reflect the fact that 51 per cent of people are female and that they can use the charity as a platform ‘to have their say’ and ‘to move to the next stage of their lives’. YWCA’s chairman is a homosexual ‘rights’ activist and former equality quango manager. Officials at the World YWCA headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, told the media that none of the 124 branches in other countries will follow Platform 51's move. ‘We see our name as an opportunity for promoting Christian values and principles,’ a World YWCA official said.
Pray: that despite its name change the organisation’s Christian heritage will shine through its work. (Ro.3:28)
More: http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/social/ywca-removes-link-to-christian-roots
A diet of 'Bible stories and rules to follow' is not preparing youngsters to deal adequately with the dilemmas of the real world and that's why many are leaving the Church. Churches not being outward-looking communities and a general lack of care once they had left the youth group were also cited as reasons for the departures. Instead churches should be looking at being inclusive communities for all, ensuring that all are cared for uniquely and where young people are given space to grow and question without fear of failure. These were some of the key findings of the Baptist Union of Great Britain's Younger Leaders' Forum, which met at King's Park Conference Centre, Northampton last weekend. 'Many people I spoke to said Church had not prepared them for the real world,' said Mr Eddison, YLF member from Yorkshire. 'They needed help in coming to moral choices, rather than being told what the answer is.’ Pray: for the good practice by some churches in meeting the needs of young people would extend nationwide. (Ps.144:12)
Young people across the UK and Ireland will be standing in solidarity with the persecuted church this November. They will unite in a 'blackout' for 48 hours to raise thousands of pounds for young Christians suffering because of their faith. From social media, to mobiles, to TV, gaming, eating or speaking, the challenge is to stay 'silent' in a symbolic gesture of the censorship and isolation experienced by many Christians on account of their faith. The creative fasting is being organised by Open Doors and the idea is to ‘make a big noise by keeping quiet’. Open Doors hopes the event will be just as well supported as last year's which raised £30,000 for child victims of persecution. Krish Kandiah, of the Evangelical Alliance and a Blackout supporter said: ‘Too often out of sight is out of mind for the persecuted church. This is an opportunity to give time to this important challenge.'
Pray: for a huge response to this challenge and for those who will be taking part. (Jas.1:2-4)
More: http://www.christiantoday.co.uk/article/youth.blackout.for.persecuted.church/30673.htm
Religion is largely irrelevant to most young people who rely instead on a ‘secular trinity’ of themselves, their family and their friends to give meaning to their lives, a new book claims. The study published by the Church of England concludes that people born after 1982 - known as ‘Generation Y’ - have only a ‘faded cultural memory’ of Christianity. For many young people, religious observance extends no further than praying in their bedrooms during moments of crisis, on a ‘need to believe basis’. Fewer than one in five young people believe in a God ‘who created the world and hears my prayers’, and teenagers were more likely to believe in the ‘nicer’ parts of religious doctrine than those about the devil and punishment. ‘It is undoubtedly the case that the Christian memory is very faint and in many respects Generation Y is a largely unstoried and memoryless generation,’ the study said. Pray: for outreach to young people to give them the true Gospel message. (Ro.1:17)