MP demands law to remove gang videos
21 Nov 2011Lewisham East Labour MP Heidi Alexander is putting forward a Private Member's Bill to force YouTube and other websites to take down videos which could encourage gang violence. "At the moment we have a situation where these appalling videos proliferate on the Internet, They act as a recruitment mechanism for gangs and they glorify guns and knives.” She said that both the Government and the police needed to "wake up" to the threat posed by the videos. "If the Government is serious about bringing an end to serious youth violence, then they need to tackle the ways in which young people get caught up in gangs in the first place,” Many of the videos, she said, are filmed in daylight on housing estates across London, and are watched by thousands of people. The bill would give courts the power to order Internet service providers to "remove certain material which incites gang violence".
Pray: for this and other initiatives aimed at reducing gang culture and violence. (Ps.7:9)
MP calls for reform of UK abortion law
01 Mar 2012Following an undercover investigation into abortion by the Daily Telegraph, Nadine Dorries MP has called for a reform of UK abortion law. The investigation uncovered the practice of gender selective abortions in a number of clinics, and has cast a wider question over how or even whether abortion laws are being followed. Ms Dorries has now suggested that the Abortion Act 1967 needs changing as it is ‘a badly drafted piece of legislation’. Under the Act, abortion is illegal unless it falls within certain exemptions. Under Grounds C, which is the exemption most often used, abortion may only be performed if continuing the pregnancy puts the mother’s (or her existing children’s) mental and physical health at greater risk than if she has an abortion. Yet critics have claimed that there is little evidence to suggest that this is a correct assumption in most cases, and that we now have abortion on demand in practice.
Pray: that serious consideration be given to reforming this abortion law. (Heb.7:12)
More: http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/abortion/mp-calls-for-reform-of-uk-abortion-law
Mourners pay tribute to murdered vicar
02 Apr 2012Hundreds of people have paid their last respects to Reverend John Suddards found stabbed to death in the hallway of his vicarage on St Valentine's day. On Saturday he was given a last goodbye in the church where he was installed as priest only eight-and-a-half months ago. The news of his death sent shock waves through the clergy and the close-knit community in Thornbury, South Gloucestershire, about 11 miles north of Bristol. Speaking ahead of the service, The Venerable Geoffrey Sidaway, Archdeacon of Gloucester, paid tribute to Mr Suddards. He said that since Mr Suddards's death, the town had come together to support each other. He said, ' This service today and in about three weeks time the vicarage, up to this point has been a crime scene, will be having a service of prayer and blessing to open up the vicarage again. Hopefully in the summer we'll move to appoint a new priest to Thornbury.'
Pray: for John's family and congregation and for healing and new blessings in the parish. (Isa.57:19)
Almost two-thirds of parents responding to a survey said their children did not take part in collective worship at school every day, it was revealed. Secondary schools are far more likely to shun the traditional requirement which has been compulsory in the state system since the Second World War. The disclosure – in research commissioned by the BBC – will add weight to growing calls to drop the legislation. It comes after a delegation of teachers, secularists and religious leaders wrote to Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, last year insisting children should not be ‘coerced’ into religion in schools. Under the 1944 Education Act, schools must provide ‘broadly Christian worship’ every day. Parents have the right to pull children out of religious assemblies but the power is not extended to pupils themselves.
Pray: that schools will not keep ignoring this law and pray that the authorities will enforce it. (Pr.6:23)
More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8743072/Most-schools-shunning-law-on-Christian-assemblies.html
Most children will be born out of wedlock by 2016 because of the decline in the number of marriages, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics. The statistics show that the number of children being born to unmarried parents has increased for 40 consecutive years, reaching 47.5 per cent in 2012. If this trend continues, the figure will rise to more than 50 per cent by 2016. MPs and social groups have warned that children have the best chances in life when raised by married parents, and that the government must do more to “deliver on its family friendly pledge.” Former children’s minister, Tim Loughton, who is calling on the government to introduce tax breaks for married couples, said "Without marriage people drift in and out of relationships very easily. "In families where parents break up children do less well at school, are more likely to suffer mental health problems and are more likely to have substance abuse problems.
Pray: for a re-adoption of marriage as the social norm providing a more stable environment for children. (Pr.18:22)
More: http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/family/most-children-will-be-born-to-unmarried-parents-by-2016
Most Britons still identify as Christian
01 Oct 2010
New figures from the Office for National Statistics has found that most British people still consider themselves to be Christian. The number of homosexuals, meanwhile, is far lower than previously estimated. According to the office, 71 percent of the population is Christian. The statistic was welcomed by the Evangelical Alliance. ‘Christians have increasingly felt bewildered about what they can and cannot say or do,’ Stephen Cave, advocacy director at the Alliance, commented: ‘Of course faith is personal to each individual but that doesn’t mean to say it’s entirely private – far from it. In fact we welcome dialogue with people of all beliefs, including atheists. Where possible we should engage in conversation not confrontation’. The figures will be good news to those who believe Christianity should still have a prominent role in public life and indicate that affiliation to the faith remains strong in spite of declining church attendance. Pray: for Christians to re-establish our faith as the heart of public life and society.(Pr.1:20) More: http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100924/most-britons-still-identify-as-christian/index.html
More on the Pope’s visit
11 Sep 2010
During his weekly general audience at the Vatican Pope Benedict XVI declared: ‘I can't wait to undertake my trip to the United Kingdom’. He said he was aware that preparation for the controversial visit had required ‘a vast amount of work by Catholics, the British Government and local authorities in Scotland, Birmingham and London. The Pope said it would be ‘a particular joy’ to beatify the Anglican convert Cardinal John Henry Newman. ‘This truly great Englishman lived an exemplary clerical life and through his many writings made a fundamental contribution to the Church and society,’ Pope Benedict said. The Pope will beatify Cardinal Newman at Cofton Park, Birmingham, on Sunday Sept. 19, bringing the 19th century clergyman a step closer to sainthood. The Pope begins his visit in Edinburgh where he will be received by the Queen before celebrating mass at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow. Pray: that the Pope’s visit will raise the spiritual awareness of the UK population. (2Sa.22:26)
More Jesus and less motivational speaking
10 May 2012Thousands of Baptists from across the UK gathered in London last weekend for the General Assembly of the Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB), which also celebrated 400 years since the founding of the first British Baptist church. The weekend was spent trying to discern God’s vision for the church going forward. Agu Irukwu the senior pastor of Jesus House, in London, said some churches were too focused on trying to make Jesus and the cross palatable. The church must put Jesus back at the centre of its message he told Baptists. ‘Thank God for advances in theology, for thinkers in the church and for churches that have to be seeker-friendly. But it seems that the more seeker-friendly we get, the less of Jesus we get so when people come to church they are not sure whether they are in church or at a gathering where someone is giving a motivational speech’.
Pray: that the message given by Agu will strike a chord with all churches and that Jesus would be at the heart of what they teach and preach. (Jn.14:6)