Displaying items by tag: United Kingdom

The owner of a wedding venue in Gloucestershire has said he is 'deeply sorry' after revoking a provisional booking for a same-sex couple's marriage reception. Kevin Chaffe and Ken Silvey had expressed an interest in booking Priors Court Barn in Brockworth, but Tim Wiltshire, the venue’s co-owner, contacted their wedding planner to cancel after finding out that the enquiry had been made by a same-sex couple. Chaffe took to Facebook to express outrage at this ‘disgusting, homophobic’ action. A social media backlash led to a barrage of negative reviews for the business. Wiltshire released a statement of apology that ended, ‘Of course everyone has the right to their own beliefs, and I now realise that my initial reaction was inappropriate in modern society. I am truly sorry’.

Three million newly-minted 50p coins celebrating the UK leaving the European Union on 31 January have entered circulation. They bear the inscription ‘Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations’. Chancellor Sajid Javid said ‘This coin marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in British history. Let us look forward with confidence and unleash the enormous potential of our great country.’ Seven million more coins will follow in the coming months. Meanwhile Finland’s foreign minister, Pekko Haavisto, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, said that other countries have seen the issues faced by the UK: ‘What Brexit actually triggered was a lot of support of EU members. Seeing how difficult it is to leave and how many agreements they have to make to leave, so maybe it is better to stay.’ See. The World Prayer Centre, Birmingham have instigated a Call to Prayer at 11pm on Friday 31st January, the time that the UK officially leaves the EU: https://www.worldprayer.org.uk/Event/call-to-prayer-brexit-31-january. 

Last year we prayed for Christian doctor Richard Scott to be vindicated after a concerted and targeted attack against him by a secularist campaign group was thrown out by the General Medical Council (GMC). In June the National Secular Society registered ‘concern’ with the GMC that the GP was ‘continuing to pray and promote Christianity during consultations in an attempt to convert patients’. However, the GMC has ruled that there was no evidence and that he had done nothing wrong.

MPs said that many thousands of people in Northern Ireland had been ignored last year when Westminster politicians voted to repeal Northern Ireland’s strong protections for women and unborn. In her maiden speech in the House of Commons, Carla Lockhart MP said, ‘I want a society in Northern Ireland that values life, and I want to see services that will help women choose life.’ Rebecca Long-Bailey, a Labour leadership candidate and practising Christian, said that she agreed with the words of the Disability Rights Commission that ‘the context in which parents choose whether to have a child should be one in which disability and non-disability are valued equally.’ The Equality and Human Rights Commission consistently criticises laws which differentiate between unborn babies on grounds of disability. See

American bishop Michael Curry, who delivered a memorable sermon on the 'power of love' at Harry and Meghan's wedding in 2018, has reached out to the couple after they announced they will no longer be working members of the royal family as of spring this year. The head of the Episcopal Church is offering ‘pastoral care’ to the couple ‘as they forge lives across the pond’, according to The Sunday Times. Bishop Michael’s sermon included these words: ‘We must discover the power of love, the redemptive power of love and when we discover that, we will be able to make of this old world a new world, for love is the only way. When love is the way, we actually treat each other well, like we are actually family.’ Prophetic sentiments now, as the couple step away from royal life.

A new virus is mutating and spreading, having already produced over 500 confirmed cases in China. Britain is monitoring flights arriving from China, with a ‘separate area’ being set up at Heathrow to screen travellers arriving from affected regions amid fears of a pandemic. Pray for UK and global public health officials to stay ahead of the issue as they watch its progress. The Chinese lunar New Year is on 25 January, so currently millions of Chinese people are preparing to travel domestically and abroad for the celebrations. See also the China article in world section.

A report by the Henry Jackson Society (HJS) suggests that ministers’ failure to ban far-right extremist groups is undermining the fight against online propaganda. Sharing the material of National Action and its spin-off terrorist groups is a terror offence punishable by up to 15 years’ imprisonment, whereas hate-filled propaganda from other groups carries far lower sentences. HJS warned that posts by non-prohibited groups may not be properly monitored or taken down by social media companies who rely on government lists of terror organisations when deciding what to remove. Islamists are jailed three times longer than some far-right extremists for online offences. HJS said, ‘The government needs to keep this situation under review in a fast-moving online world, where offending causes real and significant harm.’ Social media companies have become increasingly adept at spotting jihadi symbols and language, but progressed more slowly with the diverse range of indicators used by the far-right.

Susan Evans, a former psychiatric nurse, has launched a case in the High Court claiming that many children receiving gender reassignment treatment have been misdiagnosed; they are actually autistic, homosexual, or suffering from some form of diagnosable but non-related mental illness, including trauma resulting from sexual abuse. She is calling for an end to experimental and invasive medical treatment, with long-term and currently unknown consequences, arguing that children cannot possibly give informed consent to such life-changing and potentially hazardous treatments, and must be protected from exploitation and abuse. Meanwhile transgender children’s charities have criticised the case, saying that children should not be denied the right to make decisions about their own bodies, simply because they are trans. Mrs Evans argues, ‘Providing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to under 18s is illegal because children cannot give valid consent to the treatment’.

Many have been praying, and will continue to pray for Brexit in the lead up to 31 January. The following is an invitation from the World Prayer Centre in Birmingham: ‘You are invited to watch and pray. This is a day for those called to be watchmen for our nation and the nations. It will be a time to watch, listen, worship and pray. We will be focusing on praying for Brexit as we may be leaving the EU on 31 January - deal or no deal. We will also pray for other national and global issues that God reveals to us. Refreshments are provided, but bring a packed lunch. There are many shops and cafes nearby.’ For more details, click the ‘More’ button.

The family of church-going teenager with special needs, Nora Quoirin, who was found dead after she disappeared from a Malaysian resort near Kuala Lumpur last August, is suing the hotel's owner for alleged negligence. Nora went missing from the room she shared with her siblings. Her body was found by a stream over a mile away from her accommodation, after a ten-day search around the resort. A preliminary post-mortem revealed starvation and stress had caused fatal intestinal bleeding. Authorities ruled out abduction or rape as a motive, but her parents raised concerns over the handling of the inquiry and are requesting a public inquest to determine the events that led to her death. They strongly believe that Nora's disabilities made it unlikely that she wandered off on her own. A window was ajar, with its latch broken, on the morning she disappeared. The resort's main gate was left open without security or camera surveillance.