Displaying items by tag: United Kingdom

About 70 schools have experienced resistance from parents on relationships education. The Department of Education has published a document stating that councils could enforce action if pupils are withdrawn from school when parents disagree with teaching material. It also suggests that, if demonstrators are outside school gates, head teachers could liaise with police. Teachers who read the document told of their frustration at not being consulted beforehand. They feel unsupported to tackle a sensitive situation. New relationship education is planned for all primary pupils from September 2020. Meanwhile Maureen Griffith, a Christian school governor, was suspended after questioning LGBT reading material. She became concerned that parents had not been properly consulted about plans for reading lists tying in with LGBTQ+ Pride Month, to be introduced for the next school year. Parents believe that whoever influences what children think, and teaches values to live by, controls the future direction of our society. See

The Bishop of Colchester joined climate activists at Trafalgar Square on 13 October for prayer and worship before moving to Scotland Yard to urge police to return equipment confiscated from disabled activists who were prevented from demonstrating after police impounded ramps and wheelchairs. The Bishop praised God for the rebel group, saying, ‘When our very existence is threatened by our insatiable exploitation of this precious earth, we have to speak up and take action. This is a wake-up call to the world. It is prophetic. I thank God for Extinction Rebellion and I pray that their voice may be heard - for all our sakes.’ Meanwhile, Father Martin Newell was arrested when attempting to glue himself to the floor in support of disabled protesters, and 77-year-old Revd Sue Parfitt was arrested for gluing herself to the roof of a tube train at Shadwell station. See

A survey found 3/4 of UK Christians believe in the existence of hell, and 2/3 say their church rarely or never teaches the topic. 15% believed the topic of hell was of little relevance to modern day life. Matt Adcock (a Christian Bible teacher in Leicester), who commissioned the study, said that teaching on hell was out of favour and out of date; people want to believe in heaven and a God who will love you forever. He added, ‘I think it's a harder doctrine to say you know you'll be judged and accountable for everything you've done on earth. Churches are adapting their message to attract people who have a more liberal mindset.’ He said there is a mystery around the concept of hell which makes it more difficult to understand, and suggested that more teaching on the subject was needed.

Nicky Morgan has said the Government will not be requiring visitors to adult websites to upload proof of their age; thus protecting people under 18 from the damaging effects of adult content on the web. She said that the duty of care on companies to improve online safety would instead be delivered through a proposed online harms regulatory regime. CARE said that the Government announcement was a ‘betrayal’ of young people who are better protected offline than online. A survey has found that half of British children aged 11-13 had seen adult content, with some aged 7 or 8 having seen it online. CARE said a poll conducted in 2015 found that proposals to introduce age verification checks were supported by a majority of the public, and there was ‘no logic’ in giving up the scheme.

On 27 June we reported that Scotland’s homeless status was up by 3% on the previous year. Four months later another report stated the number of deaths of homeless people in England and Wales had risen by 22% - nearly two a day. The number of deaths related to drug poisoning has risen by 55% since 2017, compared to 16% of the population as a whole. Homeless families living permanently in office blocks, and homelessness among old people soared by 39%. There are an undisclosed number of empty houses in England despite a homelessness crisis. The majority of known deaths (641) were of men. Shelter said, ‘This is a moment to pause and reflect on what matters to us as a society. These tragic deaths are the consequence of a housing system and economy that is failing too many of our fellow citizens.’

In February, Prayer Alert highlighted the National Call to Prayer. In this time of both uncertainty and significance for our nation this is a reminder for Christians to join in prayer across the UK for the UK. Christians in Government believe that Christians can play an important role. This is not about politics, but all about seeking God. The Bible says that we may not know what to do, but our eyes can be on God. In this major time of change, we can commit the UK to God with Psalm 23 as our inspiration, for Jesus to be the Good Shepherd to the UK, to bring comfort and to guide us as a nation. Churches across the UK are invited to partner with the national call to prayer, in particular over the whole period leading up to Brexit, especially the final two weeks. For more information click the ‘More’ button.

October Rebellion aims to be the biggest and boldest Extinction Rebellion protest yet. On 7 October a fortnight of planned protests began around the world, calling governments to take action on the climate crisis. In London, Christian faith and prayer played an important role as Christian Climate Action created a space for prophetic prayer, worship, prayer walking, and peaceful actions on Lambeth Bridge, renaming the bridge ‘Faith Bridge’. The family-friendly prayer walks assembled on the first day of protests at 7am on the grassed area on Albert Embankment, to pray and plan before moving onto Lambeth Bridge, securing the space for round the clock prayer and worship in the heart of London and demanding action for Creation from the Government. On Tuesday some groups from Faith Bridge moved to Trafalgar Square to reaffirm their baptismal vows in a paddling pool under Nelson’s Column, where Rev Jon Swales marked people with the sign of the cross. See

At the time of writing Boris Johnson and his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar agree they can ‘see a pathway to a possible deal’. A government website is advising the nation how people and businesses should prepare for 31 October, and the Church is praying. Father, we ask for Your grace and wisdom to come into every phase of decisions. As a Brexit is birthed, and fresh foundations laid, we pray for Heaven’s design and schedules over every vote. We ask You to remove every deadlock so that ‘detailed discussions’ on the Brexit process will connect the United Kingdom to Your perfect plans.

Seyi Omooba had been given the lead role in the award-winning musical The Colour Purple, based on Alice Walker’s classic American novel. The casting was announced on the same day that Seyi went to Buckingham Palace with her father, Pastor Ade Omooba (Christian Concern’s co-founder), to receive his MBE. After the cast was announced, Seyi was criticised by another West End actor because she had cited the Bible in a Facebook post over four years earlier. As a result, she lost her leading role and was dropped from her agency. With help from the Christian Legal Centre, she is now launching a legal challenge against the theatre and the agency. The case raises the question of whether Christians can hold and express Biblical mainstream views in public - whether we can freely express opinions and interpretations of art, literature, and drama that are contrary to LGBT ideology.

On 16 November, between 10am and 3pm, a day of prayer for the churches and communities of rural Britain will be held at St James’s Church, Sutton, Macclesfield SK11 0DS. Prayer Alert intercessors are invited to join Hope for the Countryside in a time of worship, sharing, listening, and seeking the Lord for a fresh move of the Holy Spirit across the countryside and the nation. There will be no charge, and hot drinks and lunch will be provided. For more information click the ‘More’ button.