Displaying items by tag: Religion

In 2010 Capitol Ministries began a Bible study for representatives, which now has almost fifty members. When four of the group were elected to the Senate, they asked for a senators' Bible class, which began in 2015. Two months after Donald Trump took office, the same process led to a group for cabinet members. Trump started appointing to his cabinet all the men who were in the House and Senate bible study, men who were known to be believers. Unlike secular media, Christians noticed that the appointees had something in common - they were strong in Christ. Jeff Sessions (former health secretary), Tom Price, and others then started a cabinet Bible study. For the first time in 100 years, the US Cabinet has a Bible study group.

In February we praised God for the growth of The Turning since launching in 2016. In the coming weeks the vision will be shared at various locations across London. Organisers are working with denominations and city leaders in a vision for equipping believers in London to share the Gospel and disciple those who respond over the next three years. Their first step is running envisioning events for people to hear the story of how this outpouring of God’s grace landed in Reading, and hear Pastor Jonathan Oloyede share the vision of bringing the vision to London - and what that means for London churches. The first such event will be in Tottenham on 28 April, followed by ones at City Gates Church, Ilford and New Life Christian Centre, Stonebridge Park. Various meetings will then be held across London on following days.

The vision for The Turning is to equip every church member to be confident in sharing their faith - to start that simple conversation that could lead to someone encountering the saving grace and love of Jesus Christ. At the February envisioning meetings in Aberdeen, Inverness, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, 320 leaders and team members heard Pastor Yinka share the vision and history of The Turning. He returned with a small team to Scotland from 17 to 19 April for a second round of meetings for leaders who learnt more about what is involved in preparing for, holding, and, very importantly, following up a Turning mission. They also discussed what should happen in the months that follow, so that they can sustain an ongoing outreach in each community.

41 Guernsey church leaders wrote an open letter opposing introducing assisted suicide. Their letter said, ‘We believe the proposal to introduce a legal provision for assisted dying to be misplaced and dangerous for us as a community, particularly for the most vulnerable in our island. We believe the States of Guernsey should focus on the care of vulnerable people, support hospice care, increase mental health provision, and care well for those with age-related dementia. As a community we need to celebrate and support all of life, and not actively seek to terminate life. We fully support the care that our wonderful nurses, doctors, specialists and those in the caring professions provide on the island.’ The signatories include a hospice chairman and members of the Catholic, Anglican and Methodist churches. If the measure is passed by its parliament, the island will be the first place in the British Isles to legalise assisted suicide. Guernsey is a largely self-governing British Crown dependency.

Many believe that the Northern Ireland peace process is ‘tarnished’. The ‘Peace People’ are well-known in Northern Ireland, but other groups of Catholic and Protestant women are not. At recent seminars in Belfast, Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist and Church of Ireland women recorded experiences of the ‘Troubles’ and how women of faith are ahead of their time in developing approaches to repairing the harms of today caused by the conflicts of yesterday. They gave innovative examples of ecumenical activism and community living that defied and transcended sectarianism, including the secret back-channel talks between politicians from different Backgrounds, critical in bringing about a cessation of the violence. We can pray for the continued work of ‘Cornerstone,’ a live-in, praying Community for reconciliation who network with other groups to be a ‘presence’ in their communities; and for ‘Widows Against Violence Empowered’ (WAVE), who help women traumatised after tragedy.

Speaking during the House of Commons debate, Labour MP Luciana Berger said that after she spoke out about anti-semitism, people have accused her of being a ‘paid-up Israeli operative’, a traitor, and an ‘absolute parasite’, and told her to ‘get out of the country and go back to Israel’. A new survey of 1,500 people by the Independent newspaper revealed almost two-thirds of them believe Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party has a problem with racism or religious prejudice. A majority believed Mr Corbyn had handled anti-semitism claims badly. The party has been subject to protests from the Jewish community, and Israel’s Labour Party has severed ties with the leader’s office. Labour’s Ruth Smeeth, who has received many abusive messages (such as ‘Hang yourself you Zionist filth, you’re a cancer of humanity’. She said it was truly heartbreaking that she had to stand in Parliament Square to protest against the anti-Semitism that was ‘engulfing’ parts of the party.

In 2018 Churches in towns, villages and cities are trying a risky, whole-church activity that has us all praying and getting into conversations of worth. Trypraying, a seven-day prayer guide for people who wouldn’t darken a church door, is available as a booklet or a smartphone app. Many people who would not consider themselves religious do pray. ‘Trypraying’ is written for them. It is a simple challenge, in accessible language, to try praying for seven days and see what happens. It includes short stories of answers to prayer. There are things to do each day and a short prayer to pray. It is not a preach, but it does help people to open their lives to their Maker and find His influence and truth. It explains clearly the good news of Jesus, and anyone who works their way through the booklet runs the risk of becoming a Christian.

Christian satire website Babylon Bee was called ‘fake news’ by Facebook, but their comical take on Christian culture has a deeper purpose. They aim to make Bible believers think. ‘We want to make clear we’re not making fun of Christianity, per se, and we’re not making fun of Jesus or the Bible or the gospel,’ head writer Kyle Mann said on a podcast. ‘What we’re making fun of is a Christian culture that builds around those things and the biblical message.’ He and other members of the Bee team are looking to make a deeper point with their satire. ‘Good satire should really make you laugh,’ he said. ‘And then it should make you think.’ The goal is to help Christians think through whether they have created idols or erred in their handling of issues. They want Christians to recognise in their spirit that some Christian culture is unnecessary, but Jesus and the Bible are eternal foundations to build faith upon.

Christian teacher Chuck Colson has published a list of moral issues facing America today. They are - Preserving sanctity of life by resisting the encroachment of abortion, euthanasia, cloning, and embryonic stem cell research. - Defending the persecuted Church around the world, and defending freedom of religion in America. - Protecting human rights. - Protecting by law the traditional heterosexual definition of the marriage and family. – Strength in the War on Terrorism and in the clash of civilisations against radical Islam. - Restoring the constitutional role of the Supreme Court and restricting judicial activism. - Advocating faith-based solutions to societal problems. - Caring for the poor and restoring prisoners.  - Improving education and promoting choices within the educational system. - Challenging the negative impact of mass media on culture, including speaking out against pornography, sexual exploitation, and violence.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide called for action to end religious discrimination in Pakistani, Iranian, Burmese, Nigerian and Mexican schools. They explored violations where many children experience various forms of mistreatment because of their faith. During an event at the Speaker’s House, in the United Kingdom Parliament, attendees heard how children and young people experience discrimination, verbal abuse, physical violence and even forced conversion at school because of their religion or belief. The Executive Director of the National Commission for Justice and Peace in Pakistan said religious intolerance in his country is facilitated by syllabuses that fuel prejudice. He said, ‘This intolerance has threatened the entire social fabric of our nation, and we have to begin by addressing the biased education system, policies and practices prevalent in Pakistan,’ A speaker representing the Iranian Baha’i community called it ‘cradle to grave’ persecution, ‘Baha’i children do not have an absolute right to education.'