Displaying items by tag: Politics

Thirteen churches in Algeria have been closed since 2018. Hope Evangelical Church is the latest to be ordered to shut down as the government’s crackdown on houses of worship continues. A 2006 law is being used as a pretext to clamp down on churches, even though the commission it created is yet to meet to consider the requests it has already received. The law requires non-Muslim places of worship be authorised by the National Commission for Non-Muslim Worship. Concern is growing for Algerian Christians, as it is unable or unwilling to fulfil this essential part of its mandate. The government should either reconstitute it entirely, or the law itself should be repealed in order to ensure the right to freedom of religion or belief for religious minorities in the country. Pray for churches to know the Lord's peace, wisdom and guidance in the face of the growing pressure. Pray also that Christians are not discouraged by this fierce campaign against them.

Democrat managers began their opening arguments on 22 January in an impeachment trial of President Trump, laying out their case as to why they think the President should be removed from office. Onlookers notice that House Democrats could not wait for the courts to decide on witnesses, as they said impeachment was urgent. Many now believe the senators are admitting their case is weak, so they are demanding more witnesses. The latest Politico / Morning Consult poll reveals that 47% are in favour of Trump's removal from office, with 45% opposed. President Trump's lawyers now have three days to make their case that the commander-in-chief did not commit a crime. But first up are Democrat prosecutors who get the same amount of time to prove that he did. The crux of their case is the allegation that Trump withheld military aid to pressure Ukraine to investigate former vice-president Joe Biden, a political rival, and his son Hunter Biden.

Boris Johnson has said that the Iran nuclear deal should be replaced with a ‘Trump’ deal. He recognised US concerns that the 2015 deal was ‘flawed’, but there had to be a way of stopping Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. His comments come amid reports that the UK, France and Germany intend to try to rescue the situation by triggering a dispute mechanism in the 2015 deal - which was abandoned by the US in 2018. Boris said, ‘Somehow, we have to stop Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. If we're going to remove we need a replacement. From the American perspective, it is a flawed deal negotiated by President Obama. Let's work together to replace it with the Trump deal. That's what we need to see. President Trump is a great dealmaker by his own account, and by many others.’

The leader of the German Evangelical Alliance, Reinhardt Schink, spoke out against the tragedy of Christian refugees and migrants who are sent back to Afghanistan and Iran, even though they could face prison, torture and death. He cited statistics about asylum-seekers who have converted to the Christian faith in Germany, but later been rejected by the authorities. ‘Behind all these nameless figures are devastating personal destinies, and risk us harming our own values system. Authorities should use the “know-how” of the Christian churches.’ He said that experts should engage with church leaders, who guarantee that a person has effectively been baptised, taken a Christianity course, and become an active member of a church community. Schink added, ‘It looks as if pastors are suspected of not telling the truth. We hurt ourselves as a country when precisely those migrants who had integrated well and had become bridge builders between cultures are expelled.’

Azerbaijan’s major religion is Shia Islam. Churches developed in the wake of the Soviet Union’s dissolution. The economy is dependent on oil and gas, but corruption and an authoritarian government have impeded economic growth. Pray for President Aliyev and his government to provide solutions to widespread corruption and for Christians to address the country’s societal problems, including abortion. Families are the biggest persecutors of Christians in a shame-honour culture; those who leave Islam are considered to have brought shame on the family. The government also pressurises Christians with heavy fines. For many years, churches have been denied the ability to register legally. Secret police attend every church meeting and raid ‘illegal’ ones. The Old Testament and Christian literature are banned. Church leaders must now submit lists of members’ names; many think the information will be used later against congregations or pastors.

Boris Johnson said that the UK is in close contact with all sides to encourage de-escalation after Iran launched ballistic missiles at two US bases in Iraq in retaliation for their assassination of Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. This is a pivotal moment. Iran was bound to respond to the strike on Soleimani, and has done so in a fluid situation. Admiral Lord West said that the violent instability plaguing the region has just worsened; the world's best hope of averting conflict escalations with Iran lies with Britain. He said, ‘Our diplomacy and wise counsel could haul the world back towards safety.’ The Archbishop of Wales urged the Government to ‘make the strongest representations for calm and wisdom to prevail in the cause of peace which the world, in so many places, so desperately needs.’ See also the world articles on Iran.

Shaun Bailey, Conservative London mayoral candidate, says the way Christians are treated in the UK is tantamount to persecution. A Londoner, he has often spoken about his Christian faith during his political career. As he prepares to stand against Sadiq Khan, he is concerned his faith may be used against him in the campaign. He said, ‘We're persecuted for our views. People say things to us that they wouldn't say to people of no faith or any other faith. I think that because we are seen as a sort of establishment faith, people are allowed to say things. Internationally, people might feel differently about it, but that's how I feel. I know lots of people of faith feel that way because of what is said about them and what they cannot say. You'll see it in my election campaign, I imagine.’ See also the world article ‘Life getting harder for Christians’.

Qasem Soleimani was named head of Iran's elite paramilitary Quds Force in the late 1990s. He then became widely known for expanding his country's regional influence by bolstering Shiite proxy forces around the region to counter US, Saudi, and Israeli influence. There are now fourteen militias and proxies broadly aligned with Iran, operating in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. Let us pray for peace to reign in these countries as the atmosphere of antagonism swirls round the region after Suleimani’s assassination. He was the architect of Iran's foreign policy and one of the most powerful figures across these regions. May God prevent proxy terror attacks by Syria and the Yemenis’ Houthis or IS in the current power struggle. See

Pray for Brexit leavers and remainers to end enmity and rebuild a genuinely United Kingdom. Boris Johnson has an 80-seat majority; may his government members speak with strong voices in Brussels and achieve God’s purposes for our nations. There is a possibility that we will leave the EU without a deal on World Trade Organisation terms. May we be philosophical: Britain has been through worse in the past and moved on. Many promises were made before the election. Pray for the new government to reignite the North of England while keeping to its promise not to increase taxes (see also next article). Pray for enough new houses to be built on brownfield sites to end the housing crisis. May the promised 31,000 nurses and 20,000 police officers be recruited, trained and used by God to build a safer, healthier society. Pray also for local elections on 7 May to bring people back to voting on local issues, not national ones.

Government officials could face exams in a bid to end an environment where civil servants change jobs regularly and ‘almost no one is ever fired’, in an organisation of which some say ‘failure is normal’. Number 10 is planning a string of changes to the structure of government, with several departments set to be merged or rebadged in the early months of Boris Johnson's administration. Rachel Wolf, the Tory manifesto author, said officials should expect to be kept on projects where they ‘know the background’. In a move that could anger civil service unions, she hinted at a ‘rethink of incentives, numbers and pay’ in the organisation. She is urging Downing Street to oversee a wider change in the organisation, saying civil servants were currently too focused on ‘stakeholders’ and not the public, with too many officials seeing special interests as their customers. For information about a government reshuffle, go to