On the 11th June the General Medical Council (GMC) decided to continue disciplinary proceedings against Christian GP Dr Richard Scott, despite the fact that the patient who made the complaint has refused for two years to give evidence face to face. (See Prayer Alert 21-2011) Dr Scott works at Bethesda Medical Centre in Margate, and was first reported to the GMC in September 2010 for discussing his Christian faith with a patient at the end of a private consultation. He was threatened with an Official Warning by the GMC, a blemish on his 28 years’ service as a professional. As well as deciding to continue with the proceedings, the GMC has also made the extraordinary decision that part of the case will be held in secret. The press and the public will be barred from attending, and Andrea Williams, CEO of the Christian Legal Centre, has been specifically excluded from attending the hearings to support Dr Scott.

Pray: the hearing will be fair and will set a benchmark for future expressions of faith in the NHS not to be seen as illegal. (2Ch.19:7)

More: http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/religious-freedom/gmc-to-hold-secret-proceedings-against-doctor-for-sharing-his-beliefs

GMC and Medical Defence Union endorse 'tactful' offers of prayer by GPs

The GP magazine Pulse reports in an exclusive this week on new guidance from the Medical Defence Union saying that GPs can pray with their patients as long as they ensure patients are ‘receptive' to the offer. The guidance quotes a letter from Jane O'Brien, GMC Assistant Director for Standards and Fitness to Practise, published in the Daily Telegraph in 2009 suggesting that a ‘tactful' offer to pray could be appropriate. The development is highly significant in that it follows a statement by the GMC’s Chief Executive Niall Dickson who in a recent Radio Four interview confirmed the appropriateness of sensitive faith discussions with patients. Faith discussions are not normally part of the consultation, but there are occasions when they were appropriate. The World Health Organisation’s definition of health includes physical, mental, social and spiritual dimensions and part of practising whole-person medicine means addressing all issues that have a bearing on a person’s health.

Pray: that the GMC allows Christian doctors to practise medicine that addresses the needs of the whole person and to share their faith sensitively when it is appropriate to do so. (Ja.5:16)

More: http://pjsaunders.blogspot.com/2011/07/gmc-and-medical-defence-union-endorse.html

The Just Festival has launched its ambitious 2013 programme in Edinburgh, with a challenge to build bridges and break down barriers between communities, globally and locally. The festival, in August this year, will feature some 129 events in 450 performances across 28 venues, and will attract tens of thousands of visitors and participants. It is reckoned to be the largest inter-cultural event of its kind in Britain, with backing from civic, religious, secular, educational and charitable partners. It is supported and sponsored by the Scottish Government, St John's Church Edinburgh, the European Parliament, the University of Edinburgh, the Scottish Episcopal Church, Edinburgh City Centre Churches Together, Edinburgh Inter Faith Association, and the beliefs and values think-tank Ekklesia. 'We're not saying peacemaking is an easy process. Indeed, many of our events this year are about facing the reality of violence. But to make peace, it is important to know where you are starting," explained Just Festival director Katherine Newbigging.

Pray: for all those working hard to prepare this important event. (Heb.12.14)

More: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/18564

A Glasgow Kirk has become the first to split from the Church of Scotland over the issue of gay clergy. St George's Tron Church said it had taken the decision after more than 12 months of thought and prayer.The decision to formally secede from the Church of Scotland was taken by the congregation on Monday. Last year, the Kirk's General Assembly voted to accept gay clergy provided they had declared their sexuality and were ordained before 2009. The 500-strong St George's Tron congregation believes this decision ‘as marginalised the bible’. The decision to formally secede from the Church of Scotland was taken by the congregation on Monday. Rev Dr William Philip, minister of the church which is based in Buchanan Street, said: ‘Our decision to separate from the Church of Scotland is the culmination of careful thought, sincere discussion and prayer for over 12 months’.

Pray: that the decision by St Georges Tron would not lead to conflict or division amongst the churches. (1Cor.12:25)

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-18441172

Home for Good is a church-based fostering and adoption campaign. A joint initiative of the Evangelical Alliance, Care for the Family, and CCPAS, the campaign is using a network of churches across the UK to encourage and support Christian families to consider adoption. There are currently 4,600 children waiting to be adopted in England alone, something the Evangelical Alliance's mission director Krish Kandiah calls a "scandal". Having fostered a total of 16 children, one of whom he and his wife eventually adopted, Krish is passionate about the Home for Good campaign and hopes that through it, more Christians will be encouraged to open up their homes to children who don't have a family of their own. "The Bible is really clear that God cares about vulnerable children. He describes himself many times as a Father to the fatherless and protector of widows and orphans," Krish notes. "That's what drives our campaign."

Girls as young as 13 are facing pressure to appear in home-made porn movies, teachers warned yesterday. Young teenagers are also submitting to demands from boys for explicit photos which are often shared among friends and even placed on the internet for millions to view. A conference was told yesterday how easy access to depraved online content is destroying children’s innocence and changing how they perceive themselves and others. Delegates warned that lads’ mags, the surge in explicit ‘mummy porn’ novels, exposure to inappropriate movies and the depiction of women in computer games are also contributing to a dramatic moral decline among the young. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers’ annual conference in Liverpool warned that pornography and other depraved imagery was becoming part of everyday life. Delegates called for sex education classes to be used to explain to pupils that the behaviour they see online is not normal and the ‘perfect’ bodies they see are usually unattainable.

Pray: against those who are presurising the young to get involved in pornography. (Ps.140:4)

More: http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2013/03/27/girls-of-13-pressured-to-pose-for-home-made-blue-movies-teachers-warn-pornography-is-becoming-part-of-everyday-life/

Schoolgirls as young as 13 are being given contraceptive injections and implants during lunch-breaks without their parents’ knowledge. School nurses have given implants or jabs to girls aged between 13 and 16 more than 900 times in the past two years, a survey by The Daily Telegraph has found. On more than 20 occasions this has been given to girls aged 13. A further 7,400 girls aged 15 and under have been given contraceptive injections or implants at family planning clinics. Under the patient confidentiality rules, nurses are banned from seeking the permission of parents beforehand, or even informing them afterwards, without the pupil’s permission. Dr Peter Saunders, Chief Executive of the Christian Medical Fellowship, said sex under the age of 16 is illegal and ‘to facilitate such behaviour behind parents’ backs is unprofessional, irresponsible and morally wrong’. Earlier this year, parents in Southampton were furious after discovering that implants were being offered to their daughters

Pray: for parents to be allowed to fulfil their responsibilities and moral guidance for their children and not have them covertly removed by government agencies. (Gal.5:19)

More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/9639650/Girls-of-13-given-birth-control-jab-at-school-without-parents-knowledge.html