Secularists lobby to remove NHS chaplains
16 Feb 2012Bishops in the Church of England are resisting calls from a secular campaign group to ban the use of NHS money to fund hospital chaplains. The National Secular Society (NSS) argue that the NHS is spending ‘millions of pounds a year’ on chaplains, and that public funds could be better spent on alternative health care services which were ‘non-discriminatory’. However, in a debate at the church’s General Synod this week, Rt Rev Mike Hill, the Bishop of Bristol, said that ‘every effort’ must be made to preserve the role of chaplains in the NHS to ensure that ill patients were offered full, comprehensive care.
‘As with much in life, the true value of our chaplains might only be appreciated if they were no longer present,’ he said. ‘Every effort ought to be made, and is being made, to resist secularist calls for chaplains to be excluded from the NHS.’
Pray: for our church leaders to stand up against the secular and humanist organisations who are attacking our Christian values. (Jude.1:3-4)
More: http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/social/secularists-lobby-to-remove-nhs-chaplains
Secularists attack day of Bible readings
17 Jan 2011The BBC will devote nearly a whole day of Radio 4 to readings from the King James Bible to mark the 400th anniversary of its publication. (See Prayer Alert 5010) While the move has been welcomed by the Church, it has prompted secularists to complain to the BBC at what they believe is ‘excessive’ coverage. The 28 Bible passages, each 15-minutes long, will be introduced by the Archbishop Rowan Williams, Simon Schama and Will Self, and recorded by actors including Samuel West, Emilia Fox and Hugh Bonneville. The Rt Rev Graham James, Bishop of Norwich, said the BBC's coverage was an encouraging sign that it recognised the significance of the King James Bible. ‘The BBC is not being kind to Christians, but recognising the place of the Bible in the nation. It has had an impact on our culture, our history and our language and it has helped to create our sense of who we are as a people.’
Pray: that this event will go ahead and will be heard by as wide an audience as possible. (1Ti.4:13)
The greatest threat to evangelical Christianity is not Islam, but rather secularism, consumerism and pop culture, a new study has found. In a survey of nearly 2,200 evangelical leaders from 166 countries, 71% identified the influence of secularism as a 'major threat' to evangelical Christianity. This was followed by consumerism (67%), and sex and violence in pop culture (59%). Only 47% of evangelicals identified the influence of Islam as a major threat. The survey, by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life, also found that evangelicals in the Global South are more optimistic about the future of evangelicalism than their brothers and sisters in the Global North. While seven in ten evangelical Protestant leaders (71%) living in the Global South expected the state of evangelicalism in their countries to be better in five years than it is today, in the Global North evangelical Protestant leaders expected the situation to either be the same (21%) or get worse (33%).
Pray: that God would be our protector against the enemies of His church and people. (Ps.60:11)
Education Secretary Michael Gove has said that he will ensure that the Church of England plays a greater role in the provision of schooling. He told the House of Commons yesterday (April 16) that ‘we praise and cherish the role of the Church of England in making sure children have an outstanding and inclusive education’. He ‘looked forward to working with Bishop John Pritchard to extend the role of the Church in the provision of schools.’ He also praised the Church for ‘driving in the first instance’ the provision of education. His remarks have been interpreted to signal his backing for new Church of England schools, and may provide some reassurance to those who have questioned whether Mr Gove’s support for faith schools was ebbing. The Church currently supplies education to more than a million children, and is involved in 4,800 schools. The review discussed the viability of opening new academies, adding to the 154 academies it currently has.
Pray: that the Church will be able to take up the additional requirements for education in the UK. (Ps.34:11)
Secret documents expose gay marriage law
05 Jul 2012Secret documents that have hidden the truth behind the recent changes in the marriage laws, have been exposed by the Daily Mail. Schools could be required to teach children about gay marriage, Government documents reveal. Officials at the Home Office and the Department for Education concede that teachers may be under a legal obligation to inform children about same-sex marriage once it has passed into law. Under the Education Act 1996, pupils must learn about the nature of marriage and its importance for family life in sex education classes. Officials and ministers knew there was an issue, but said nothing to the public. The secret Government emails came to light following a Freedom of Information request. They show that Government officials were worried about how the media (and therefore the public) would react if it became known that redefining marriage would affect school lessons.
Pray: that the truth would be exposed and those responsible would not continue to hide or distort the truth. (Ps.25:5)
More: http://www.theway.co.uk/feature.php?id=8869&this=Secret_documents_exposes_Gay_marriage_law_
Secret Children
07 Nov 2011‘Open Doors’ has launched a prayer initiative called Secret Children: 49 Days of Prayer. Launched last Sunday on the International Day of Prayer, Open Doors is encouraging as many people as possible to get involved in daily prayer between now and Christmas Eve for children persecuted for their Christian faith. The organisations says ‘Who knows how many there are? We estimate 30 million, maybe more. And they come from all over the world: North Korea, Algeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Egypt, and Colombia. With your support we can put a child through school, help them learn a trade, support them while their parents are in prison, or paying for their medical care. We use safe houses to protect them from harm. and provide trauma counselling for children living with 'horror movies' inside their heads.’ Their parents face terrible choices: between staying faithful to Jesus or protecting their children; between raising their children as Christians or keeping them physically safe.
Pray: for these children and for the work of Open Doors. (2Cor.4:8-9)
Season of change for Wycliffe Bible Translators
18 Mar 20132014 will be a big year for Wycliffe Bible Translators with the relocation of their headquarters and celebrations to mark their 50th anniversary in the UK. The charity has announced the sale of the Wycliffe Centre in Buckinghamshire, where they have been based for the last 40 years. Wycliffe executive director Eddie Arthur said the facility, with its training and conference centre, was larger than what was needed for its operations. There are plans to move to office space nearby and change the way they engage with supporters. "The Wycliffe Centre has been a wonderful home for our mission, providing us with office space, a training centre and allowing us to host church groups and conferences. "However, changing patterns in missionary training worldwide mean that we no longer need such a large facility for our own needs. From this August, Wycliffe training courses will be available to a wider audience through Redcliffe College in Gloucester.
Pray: for the staff and work of the Wycliffe Centre especially during the period of transition. (Lk.4:43)
More: http://www.christiantoday.co.uk/article/season.of.change.for.wycliffe.bible.translators/31805.htm
Sean Stillman shares stories of biker mission
01 Sep 2012Pioneer minister Sean Stillman will be hitting the road next month to tell other Christians about his experience of mission on the margins. Stillman has spent the last 25 years on the road engaged in pioneering work with people he describes as removed from church culture. He rides a Harley and much of his work is among biker communities, where he operates in a missional and chaplaincy role. He also founded Zac's Place in Swansea. It started in the late Nineties when Sean hired a function room in a local bar every Sunday night to answer the deep spiritual questions his biker friends were putting to him. Now Zac's Place meets in its own venue in The Gospel Hall in George Street, Swansea and it has evolved into a ‘church for ragamuffins’ that also does outreach during the week, including a daily breakfast for the homeless, a weekly Bible study and an evening soup kitchen. Sean's tour will take him to Reading (10 September), Cambridge (11 September), Derby (12 September), Leeds (13 September), and Stoke (14 September).
Pray: for Sean, his work, his tour and all those at Zac’s Place. (Isa.6:8)
More: http://www.christiantoday.co.uk/article/sean.stillman.shares.stories.of.biker.mission/30521.htm