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There continues to be a decline in people identifying as Christian and a substantial increase in those with no religious affiliation or belonging to non-Christian faiths. The percentage identifying as Church of England or Anglican fell from 40% in 1983 to 12% last year. Catholicism fared better in the equivalent timeline falling from 10% to 7%. However among non-denominational Christians it increased from 3% to 13%. The 36th British Social Attitudes report comes after decades of conflict between domestic religious organisations and fast-changing social values. The decline is ‘generational’. Two non-religious parents successfully transmit their lack of religion to the next generation. Two religious parents have a 50% chance of passing on their faith. One religious parent does only half as well as two together.
Gambling rules in Northern Ireland could be brought into line with tighter standards in the rest of the UK following an intervention by the Bishop of St Albans, Alan Smith, and the Bishop of Newcastle, Christine Hardman. Pray that their amendment will be accepted by the Government. The amendment adds gambling legislation to a number of areas on which the Government would be required to produce a report by September as part of moves to restore the devolved executive in Northern Ireland. Bishop Hardman told peers that the current inconsistency meant that reforms introduced in mainland Britain - such as the cap on the maximum stake on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals - do not apply in Northern Ireland. ‘The anomalies and confusions abound,’ she said. ‘Gambling operates inconsistently within the UK, and this affects lives.’ Bishop Alan said, ‘Currently people from Northern Ireland are three times more likely to have a gambling-related problem than in the rest of the country’.
Theodora Giggle Doctors are professional performers, highly trained to work in hospitals and hospice environments with children with disabilities. They are actors, entertainers, magicians, musicians and singers. Play in hospital gives children the chance to forget about what they are going through and makes situations that could be scary and worrying more fun, creating happy memories. Play stops children getting bored and takes their mind away from what is going on around them. The Giggle Doctors always bring joy and laughter not only to the children but also to parents and hospital staff. During their visits they are able to make children relax and feel happy, taking their mind away from the hospital environment they are in and creating smiles which parents treasure.
A Zen group will no longer be holding their hour-and-a-half silent meditation sessions at the Old Palace in the Cathedral grounds, due to complaints that it is incompatible with Christianity. The Wild Goose Sangha group sessions were run by Canon Chris Collingwood, an Anglican priest who is also a Zen teacher, and referred to as the Sensei within the meditation sessions. Zen meditation roots are in Buddhism and Canon Collingwood describes himself as ‘religiously bilingual’ and said Zen poses fewer problems than other non-Christian customs because it doesn’t claim to be a system of doctrine or belief. Concerns were raised three years ago about the compatibility of Zen with Christianity and finally cancelled after the Rt Rev Dr Jonathan Frost, the dean of York Minster, ended the Minster’s association with the group.
On 31 May 2006 Dwura, an Iraqi Christian housewife, saw her brother-in-law gunned down by terrorists who asked him for his identity card and when they saw that he was a Christian he was shot in the head and chest. ‘From then onwards we lived in fear’, she said. The family stayed in the plains of Nineveh, where Christians have lived for nearly two millennia. But things got worse and they fled for their lives with tens of thousands of other Christians. Now families can return but their homes are destroyed, there is nothing there. Dwura and her husband wanted to start a new life where they could live freely as Christians. With visas from the Australian government and financial help from Barnabas Fund, they flew to Australia a few days ago. Over 100 similar air tickets have been issued since March.
The world’s largest Arab country (95% Muslim), once home to the Phoenicians, Romans, Ottomans, and French is now home to a growing number of Christians, despite significant persecution. Believers face intolerable pressures from family and neighbours militating against any open expression of Christianity, along with anti-conversion and blasphemy laws. Yet in God’s economy, as much as Satan attempts to squeeze the church, the faster it grows. In 2008 there were 10,000 Christians - by 2015, it was 380,000. It could now be approaching 500,000. A healthy portion of the growth is attributed to Christian satellite programming into North African countries. Joshua Project, tracking church growth, confirms that there are now 600,000+ professing Algerian Christians. So many are coming to Christ that there are regular baptism services for 60 to 100 new believers and one church has already planted 14 daughter churches.
We have seen our government face issues beyond their ability to solve; and our nation making decisions now for future seasons of world views and spiritual alignments. Satan has a plan, but God is positioning His Church to become, once again, the powerhouse it was in earlier days when it changed the lives of multitudes and brought radical spiritual change to people groups. This is the time when God is calling His people to step into the fullness of who He made us to be. There is an opportunity for an awakening to come to transform society and bring salvation to the unsaved. On Saturday 12 July you are invited to take a few minutes every hour on the hour to stand, wherever you are, and intercede with others across the UK, declaring in unity, God’s Plans and Purposes for the UK. For the declarations click ‘More’; for more info
The Bishop of Truro was asked to examine and report on global Christian persecution and the UK’s response. The report revealed, ‘Christianity is by far the most widely persecuted religion’ and ‘We have a sense of misguided political correctness making us blind to this issue. It recommends the UK Foreign Office seeks a Security Council resolution urging all Middle East and North African governments to protect Christians, and allow UN observers to monitor the necessary security measures. Lord Ahmad said the UK has previously raised the profile and acted on the rising tide of global Christian persecution with some success and will now consider the findings and recommendations of this report to see how they may enhance tackling Christian persecution even more. He added, ‘The report highlights the shocking impunity with which discriminatory laws, fear and violence are used by state and non-state antagonists to discriminate appallingly against Christians in countries across the world.’
A leaked email to the press from the UK’s ambassador in Washington described the White House as ‘uniquely dysfunctional and divided under Trump’. The UK government began an inquiry while President Trump verbally attacked Ambassador Sir Kim Darroch and Theresa May. Next, Sir Kim was disinvited to Washington’s diplomatic functions even though Teresa May said she had full faith in him. Sir Kim has now resigned, saying, ‘The current situation makes it impossible for me to carry out my role.’ Many believe the diplomatic telegrams were leaked to British media by sympathisers of Donald Trump who wanted to embarrass the ambassador. Many expect the White House to take credit for Sir Kim’s resignation, implying that the British do what the US wants them to do. It reinforces the feeling that ‘other ambassadors need to be careful with what they say - if it's leaked, they won't get their government’s support.’ Liam Fox said the leak was unprofessional, unethical, unpatriotic and whoever did it had maliciously ‘undermined the defence and security relationship with the US’