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A petition calling upon the Government to maintain the existing definition of marriage has notched up over 18,000 signatures in just one day after it was launched. www.c4m.org.uk The petition was launched by the Coalition for Marriage (C4M) in opposition to the Government's attempts to redefine marriage to include same sex unions. The coalition has the support of MPs and church leaders, including the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey. Lord Carey claimed the proposal to change the status of marriage ‘constitutes one of the greatest political power grabs in history’. The Government is due to begin its consultation on the introduction of same-sex marriage next month and has indicated its support for the change. A poll conducted by ComRes for C4M has found that the majority of people in Britain (51%) want the existing definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman to remain. Only a third (34%) said they supported the proposed change.
Pray: that this petition and the support given by MPs and church leaders will reverse the current trend against the existing definition of marriage. (Heb.13:4)
Supermarkets have been accused of hoodwinking shoppers with a series of false and misleading pricing claims that could leave them open to prosecution, according to a damning report. An investigation into pricing and offers at Britain's four major supermarket chains found that all were guilty of making erroneous or untrue assertions, some of which breach consumer regulations. Bogus price drops, promotions which offer no savings and larger ‘value’ packs which are relatively more expensive than smaller alternatives were uncovered by the report. The study by the BBC's Panorama programme comes a year after the Office of Fair Trading told supermarkets they must stop attempting to mislead consumers, or risk ‘enforcement action’. Deborah Parry, an expert in consumer law, said some of the practices being undertaken were potentially illegal. The Office of Fair Trading said it would ‘welcome’ the chance to view the report.
Pray: that in this time of austerity, retailers should be honest and transparent in all pricing of goods. (Lev.19:11)
Churchgoers are being encouraged by Sir Cliff Richard to make the most of their summer holiday by recording their favourite Bible chapter on the beach or wherever they are spending their break. The King James Bible Trust has this week released new easy to follow summer recording guidelines for their ambitious YouTube project to get the whole Bible read aloud online, with the support of the Summer Holiday popstar. A range of figures from the Church, politics and the arts have already supported the project including the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams who recorded Job 38. The YouTube recordings are part of the 400th anniversary celebrations of the King James Bible.Sir Cliff who plans to record his chapter in the autumn said this week: ‘ The King James Bible was translated to be read out aloud and the YouTube Bible is a great modern way of fusing this wonderful old literary text with a worldwide digital phenomenon.
Pray: for this original approach to speaking and spreading the Word of God. (Dt.32:1)
A new YouGov survey for the housing and homelessness charity Shelter reveals that 1.4 million people in Britain are falling behind with their rent or mortgage payments. The number of people struggling to pay their rent or mortgage each month has increased by 44 per cent over the past year, to 7.8 million people. The research also reveals that over the past year almost a million people used a payday loan to help pay their rent or mortgage and 2.8 million people used an unauthorised overdraft. Of those, 10 per cent did so every month. With austerity measures set to affect even more families this year, Shelter is urging anyone struggling with their housing costs to visit their free, online advice pages, to avoid putting their home at risk. The charity is also warning of the dangers of turning to short-term, high interest credit as a way to help meet housing costs.
Pray: for all those who find themselves under severe financial pressure and that they will receive good advice and support. (Ps.121:1-2)
More: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/17736
Teenagers who regularly use cannabis could be permanently impairing their mental development and lowering their IQ, according to a major new study. Researchers found that heavy users who started regularly using the drug before the age of 18 suffered an average eight-point decline in IQ between adolescence and adulthood. Users were also found to have more problems with their attention span and memory than non-users. Dr Madeline Meier, who led the study, said the message was clear that the drug ‘is not harmless, particularly for adolescents’. She added: ‘Somebody who loses eight IQ points as an adolescent may be disadvantaged compared to their same-age peers for years to come.’ The study was based on more than 1,000 people in New Zealand. The study revealed: ‘Persistent cannabis use was associated with neuropsychological decline broadly across domains of functioning, even after controlling for years of education. Informants also reported noticing more cognitive problems for persistent cannabis users.
Pray: that the authorities would seriously note the results of this study and take action to reverse these statistics.
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/study-links-teen-cannabis-use-with-lower-iq/
The Christian Legal Centre is supporting a man who was arrested on Monday (1st July) for using ‘homophobic’ speech whilst preaching on a London high street. Tony Miano was preaching from 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 on sexual immorality and the need to abstain from it. Mr Miano was arrested and taken to the local police station where he was photographed, fingerprinted and had a DNA sample taken. Mr Miano commented: ‘It surprised me that here in the country that produced the Magna Carta that an otherwise law abiding person could lose his freedom because one person was offended by the content of my speech.’ Although a US citizen, he plans to send a letter to every member of both Houses of Parliament, expressing his concerns about diminishing free speech in the UK and his fears that the proposed legislation redefining marriage will lead to an increasing number of cases like his.
Pray: that those who preach God’s Word will be protected. (Ps.5:11)
More: http://www.christianconcern.com/media/interview-with-tony-miano-and-footage-of-his-arrest
Street Pastors are taking to the beach this summer to lend their assistance to night time revellers enjoying the sand and sea. The volunteer network will be walking around the beaches of Whitstable in Kent on Friday nights offering help to anyone who needs it. This may be handing out bottles of water or pairs of flip flops, helping people get a taxi home, or offering a listening ear to someone in distress. The arrival of Street Pastors in the pretty seaside town was the idea of the local police and Tankerton Evangelical Church. The Street Pastors have been invited in amid concern for the safety of young people drinking on the beaches at night. Local Christians have given the project their overwhelming support, with 14 area churches now collaborating in the effort. See also: :http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9408838/On-patrol-the-seaside-God-squad.html
Pray: for God’s wisdom and guidance to all those involved in combating drink and drugs on the beaches. (Eph.4:11)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/street.pastors.head.to.the.seaside/30286.htm
Many will have seen and read that there is a planned demonstration by the right-wing English Defence League in Birmingham on Saturday and a counter demonstration by those opposed to their views. At Trumpet Call 2013 we prayed for the Midnight Oil conference (www.midnightoilsummit.org) which is happening in Birmingham in the same part of the city centre from today until late on Saturday. The team at World Prayer Centre invite you to pray both for Birmingham and for Midnight Oil in the next days: for peace in the city over this weekend and particularly on Saturday - for the West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council - for the Midnight Oil Summit: That God’s will be done as they gather and that God’s plans are not hindered - for the Prayer gathering planned to take place in Centenary Square during the demonstrations.
More: http://www.west-midlands.police.uk/latest-news/press-release.asp?ID=4932
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) reported 482,696 cases of sexually transmitted infections in UK health clinics in 2009, a 3% increase on 2008, with teenagers and young adults accounting for the majority. According to HPA young women aged 19 and men aged between 20 and 23 are at the greatest risk and of the 12,000 additional cases reported last year over two thirds were women under 25. The figures also revealed that re-infection is a serious issue, with at least 11% of women and 12% of men aged 16 to 19 becoming re-infected with an STI within one year of being treated for a previous one. Despite the increase in infections, which many attribute to an increase in sex education, there have still been calls to increase sex education in schools. Helen Jenkins from Marie Stopes International, stated: ‘We fear that STI rates may continue to rise without increasing access to comprehensive sex and relationships education in all British schools’. Pray: for our young to be strengthened morally by the examples of parents and respected teachers. (Mt.19:16)
In his new book, The Grand Design, Professor Hawking challenges traditional religious beliefs. He asserts that the laws of physics were behind the Big Bang instead of God. The professor is maintaining his well-known atheistic views and earning a good living from publishing material such as his The Grand Design. He concludes: 'Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist. It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going.' He sets out to contest Sir Isaac Newton's belief that the universe must have been designed by God as it could not have been created out of chaos. Hawking’s sophism deliberately ignores both the source of ‘laws’ that he references and simple historic and revealed human experience. Pray: that the Holy Spirit would bring true revelation to Stephen Hawking. (Ac.10:38)