People seem to be able to do whatever they like against Christianity, but not Islam, says one MP. Christian MP David Simpson has raised his concern over the treatment of Christians in the United Kingdom and around the world in a debate in the House of Commons this week. The DUP politician told ministers that if they wanted to see instances of Christian persecution they need not go to other countries but ‘simply look to our own back door'. 'In the United Kingdom, the policy seems to be that people can do whatever they like against Christianity – criticise it or blaspheme the name of Christ – as long as they do not insult Islam,’ he said. ‘It is sad because this country is based on civil and religious liberty for all. When Queen Victoria was on the throne, the secret behind England’s greatness was its open scriptures and open Bible’.

Pray: that David’s comments would be listened to and parliament will discern the truth. (Dt.32:28)

More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.in.the.uk.are.being.persecuted.mp/28044.htm

Recent weeks have seen political party conferences debate environment, climate change, international development and the economy, the Olympics, Paralympics and the NHS. Within our Government God has placed many Christian MPs who consider it a duty and a privilege to serve the nation. It can be a lonely place. The Christian Conservative party’s website requests prayer for their MPs in positions of responsibility, naming David Burrowes, Caroline Spelman, Gary Streeter, Nicky Morgan, Jeremy Lefroy, Margaret McVeigh, Alexandra Wilkinson, Colin Bloom, Kofo Sanusi and the many other Christian MPs, that they may have clarity, vision and a Christ-like witness to the Party and all whom they meet. Prayer is also requested for The Big Society initiative saying, ‘Christians do not need a definitive answer to the question 'What does Big Society mean?' For many Christians this is easy to embrace, as those who follow Jesus have been preaching the importance of giving for centuries and many churches are experienced in promoting social justice. See:http://www.ccfwebsite.com/home.shtml

Pray: for Christians in local and national government to be led by God to be an influence in policy making and strategies. (Ps.23:3)

More: http://www.christiansinparliament.org.uk/

Worshippers do more voluntary work than non-believers. Yet the government is doing little to support them in their faith. The success of the ‘big society’ initiative will not just require the help of faith organisations; it will need actively to promote them. So concludes a fresh report, The Big Society in Context: A means to what end? published by the Christian social reform charity Jubilee Centre. Recent research by Evangelical Alliance and Christian Research showed that 81% of evangelical Christians do some kind of voluntary work at least once a month. This compares with a much lower figure of 26% for the population at large. David Cameron said: ‘The big society is about a huge culture change where people feel both free and powerful enough to help themselves and their own communities.’ Yet it seems he is still not taking the action necessary to guarantee Christians their freedoms. (See Prayer Alert 08-2011)

Pray:for the Government to recognise and embrace the potential that Christian and other faith groups can offer the nation. (1Th.5:11)

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2011/mar/17/christians-big-society-voluntary-work

Judges have been accused of diluting the rights of Christians after a key judgement on whether they can refuse to work on Sundays. A new ruling by a High Court judge - the first on the issue in nearly a decade - says that Christians have no right to decline working on Sunday as it is not a “core component” of their beliefs. The judgement - which upholds an earlier decision - means that individual Christians do not have any protection from being fired for not working on Sundays. Campaigners said the decision puts Christians at a disadvantage to other religions such as Muslims, Jews and Sikhs. and means the judiciary are deciding what the core beliefs of Christians can be, which they say is an interference in the right to practise religion. They pointed to cases where the courts offered protection to other religions even when only a minority of adherents were affected.

Pray: for all Christians around the world who find that secular requirements contradict their practice of faith. (Ex.20:8 and Mk.2:27)

More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9770825/Christians-have-no-right-to-refuse-to-work-on-Sundays-rules-judge.html

Christians in the UK are turning increasingly to social media sites like Facebook to share their faith, new research has found. In a survey on attitudes to online mission by Christian Vision and Premier Christian Media, 64% said they were using social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to share their faith in an intentional way. Of the 700 Christians surveyed, 84% agreed that the online space was a huge mission field. More than two-thirds (71%) said they post links to Christian sites or content with missional values, while 73% said they intentionally post or link to content in order to share their faith. Interestingly, the study found that interaction with social media was prolific across the age spectrum, rather than just among young people.

Pray: that the Church will grasp hold of the new technologies to share our faith. (1Cor.9:23)

More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.harnessing.facebook.to.share.faith/29753.htm

Christians feel that they are being forced to hide their religion because of “silly” interpretations of equality laws, a senior MP has said. Sir Alan Beith, chair of the Commons Justice Select Committee, has likened the misunderstandings to those surrounding health and safety regulation, where the rules can be over zealously applied for the wrong reasons. Referring to recent high profile cases involving people being told not to wear religious symbols in the workplace, Sir Alan said that many Christians feel that they have to keep their faith “under wraps”. But rather than being an issue of the law, the 70-year-old MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed said that an ill-informed sense of what it means for the state to be secular often led officials to try and hide anything relating to religious views while in “civil society”. “You get silly things happening, which were not the intention of any legislative change.”

Pray: for a clearer understanding of the law and of the freedoms of speech and religious faith by all quarters of our society. (Jn.14:27)

More: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/christians-forced-to-hide-their-faith-by-equality-laws-says-senior-liberal-democrat-mp-8817694.html

Britain's most senior policeman has been urged to issue guidelines to his officers to protect Christians’ rights to free speech, amid claims they are suffering intimidation and discrimination from police. Christian activists have called on Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, to inform all his officers that it is legal to cite traditional Bible teaching which describes homosexuality as a sin when speaking in public. The campaigners say free speech is under threat after a series of cases in which street preachers were arrested for delivering sermons which referred to the traditional Christian view of homosexuality. Andrea Williams, the director of the CLC, has written to Sir Bernard insisting that human rights laws allow Christians to express their genuinely-held views without fear of arrest, providing they do not incite a breach of the peace. Mrs Williams suggested Christians were becoming “fearful” of expressing their lawful views because of the police’s “intimidatory tactics”.

Pray: for the police in their difficult role but that they will recognise the legality of free speech in these matters. (Dt.32:1)

More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/10206335/Christians-demand-free-speech-guidance-from-Scotland-Yard-chief.html

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has told a group of Christians in Bath not to make any claims which state or imply that, by receiving their prayer, people could be physically healed, reports Christian Concern for our Nation. A registered Christian trust, the ‘Healing on the Streets – Bath’ (HOTS) team, comprised of Christians from many different churches, have been praying for the public outside Bath Abbey for three years and regularly offer to pray for people who are sick to receive healing. But atheist Hayley Stevens took offence to the group’s adverts, complaining to the ASA that the claims by the Christians could 'not be substantiated'. Her complaint was upheld and the ASA have now ordered the group to stop stating on their website or in literature that God can heal. Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, said: ‘This decision strikes at the heart of freedom of belief in the UK.’

Pray: that the ASA ruling will not limit the work of the HOTS team but that God will use them more powerfully.. (Jn.16:33)

 More: http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue15373.html