Displaying items by tag: Religion

Northern Ireland bakery Ashers has refused to make an engagement cake with a same-sex marriage slogan for a man and his partner. Joe Palmer, who is to wed long-term love Andy Wong this summer, says he’s hurt by the refusal to bake the cake ordered. This has happened just weeks after a landmark Court of Appeal ruling against Ashers, a bakery run by the McArthurs, a Christian family. The ruling was that Ashers had discriminated against a customer due to his sexuality when they refused his order for a cake with a pro-gay marriage motto. This time a friend, Grainne McCann, ordered and paid for the cake online, only to have the order rejected the next day. The wording requested for the cake was ‘Gay marriage rocks! Happy engagement Andy and Joe! Lots of love xxx’. Grainne said, ‘The cake was refused because it celebrated gay marriage.’

Historian David Engels predicts that Europe faces the fate of the ancient Roman Republic - a civil war. Some are now saying, ‘Jihadists seem to be leading an assault against freedom and secular democracies.’ Mainstream media are asking if Europe fears Muslims more than the USA does. We can pray against fears occupying the collective imagination of Europeans. A survey of 10,000+ Europeans from ten different countries revealed increasing public opposition to Muslim immigration, with 55% agreeing that all further migration from mainly Muslim countries should be stopped. Islamists take culture and history more seriously than Westerners. In Paris, an Egyptian terrorist attempted to deface artwork in the Louvre because ‘it is a powerful symbol of French culture’. We can pray for every aspect of Godly heritage rooted deep in European culture to be revived not reviled.

A new chapter has opened in European history. For the first time a member state is leaving. The EU needs citizens who identify with the European project after becoming increasingly sceptical over recent years. A new balance of power is needed between the EU’s Council and Commission and its member states. No one is comfortable in seasons of change where the future is not yet born. But a growing number of recognised leaders say that God is preparing a very special time for Europe in the near future. At a small conference last autumn in Switzerland, they received the vision that God will save 100 million in Europe during the next ten years. Breath-taking? Past revivals saw things happen which nobody could have anticipated in either quality or quantity. This can happen in Europe! They heard a word from God, a word which only the Lord himself can proclaim, ‘Europe shall be saved!’

Yazidis revere the Bible and Qu’ran; much of their centuries-old religion is oral. Thirty-six Yazidis are free after nearly three years’ captivity by IS. They are in UN centres in Dohuk, in Kurdish northern Iraq. It is unclear whether they escaped or were freed; the UN wouldn’t give more information to avoid jeopardising future releases. IS killed and enslaved thousands of Yazidis after seizing the Sinjar area in 2014. Kurdish forces regained control in 2015, but many Yazidis were held captive by IS elsewhere as the group took over large swathes of northern Iraq. The 36 survivors - men, women and children - are being reunited with family members and offered care and medical and psychological aid. The women and children are being cared for at dedicated service points, and will be referred for more specialised treatment. A spokesperson said, ‘What these women and girls have endured is unimaginable.’

In the Syrian war, the town of Maaloula - one of the few places where people still speak a dialect of Jesus' language, Aramaic - was occupied by Islamist al-Nusra militants. Almost all of the town's 3,000 inhabitants, mostly Christians, had to flee from their homes. Thankfully, the town has now been liberated. Many homes were damaged in the fighting, and every church was burned or vandalised, yet some believers have now returned. With support from local churches and partners of Open Doors, families are beginning to rebuild their homes. Four have already been reoccupied, and in the coming months they expect the other houses to be finished too. Gradually, the infrastructure in Maaloula is also being restored. A bakery, pharmacy and bookshop have opened their doors again.

As Papua New Guinea’s official election campaign period started, violence dominated the news. Three people were killed and more injured, following fights between supporters of two candidates. Shops, schools and businesses are shut in Kimbe. Things are very tense. The electoral commission needs another $US25 million for polling officials' allowances. The People's National Congress Party is confident it will win in two months’ time. A Christian in PNG writes, ‘Please stand with us in prayer for our elections. We are praying that no unrighteous leader will rise up again to lead our nation, and for God to intervene and establish a Kingdom-model nation.’ See also and

‘13 Reasons Why’ is one of the most talked-about shows on Netflix. Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, is urging Christian parents of teens and church youth ministry leaders to engage in online conversations which explore the questions raised by the series, which follows the story of Hannah who takes her own life after a series of traumatic experiences. Moore said that while he wouldn't want his own children watching it, he believes the controversy surrounding the show might bring some grace-filled moments. ‘If the series shows anything, it is that there are multiple reasons behind the darkness leading to suicide. Maybe this controversy will prompt friends, parents and youth ministers to talk about suicide and give signals to those in trouble that they are not alone and won't be judged if they come forward and seek help.’ For the scale of youth suicides in the USA go to:

Algeria’s population is 40.3 million - 99% Muslim, 1% Christian. Literacy: 87% men, 73% women. The country was home to St Augustine, one of the Church’s foremost theologians (354-430). Christianity flourished between the fifth and seventh centuries but disappeared after Arab invasions. Since independence in 1962, an entirely local church has been born among the Berber people. Its astonishing growth in the last few decades is thought to be the fastest in the Arab world, with several thousand new believers baptised every year. Church growth is exciting and challenging. In this ‘first-generation Church’ there is a great need for discipleship, strong biblical teaching and encouragement for believers to live out their new-found faith every day. Such a radical change in their worldview means that new Christians are often left with questions and face many challenges. SAT-7 broadcasts across the airwaves, and is responding to this need with a range of programmes to encourage and disciple Algerian believers.

Five hours of prayer every day, soup kitchens, sharing the Gospel with street people, impromptu guitar jams, amazing beards in the world of a Franciscan friary  - all these are featured in a BBC documentary, Friars on a Mission (available for another 19 days on iPlayer). This unique insight into the simple and missional lifestyle of five Franciscan friars in Bradford has testimonies from them and those they have helped. Brother Benedict - who was once promiscuous and heavily involved in drugs before having a life-changing encounter with God - enthuses in a thick Mancunian accent, ‘I’ll always be raving for Manchester, but I’m raving for the Lord.’ Tony, a homeless man, adds, ‘If it wasn’t for the friars, there is a very good possibility I’d be dead.’ Warmth, humility, and joy - not to mention an infectious sense of humour - radiate from them all.

Felix Ngole, a Christian, has won the right to challenge his expulsion from a social work course at the University of Sheffield because in a discussion on Facebook he had expressed his Christian views on marriage and sexuality. Mr Ngole, a second-year masters student, sought permission on Wednesday for the High Court to review the university's decision judicially after it rejected his internal appeal. The university said that his comments breached a code of professional conduct, but the High Court granted permission for a judicial review. The Christian Legal Centre is representing Felix and will continue to support him, as the case has wide-reaching ramifications for the freedom of Christians.