UK considering ban on US pastor
17 Jan 2011The American preacher who had planned a mass burning of the Koran on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks could be banned from entering Britain under incitement and national security laws. Theresa May, Home Office minister, said that she is ‘actively looking’ at the case. A previously obscure preacher, Jones gained infamy through his effort, later cancelled, to burn the Koran. Anti-racism campaigners deplore the idea of such a visit and say it will only breed hatred and violence. The US pastor said that he had been invited to address a rally in February in Luton, which has a significant Muslim minority, being organised by English Defence League (EDL), a far-right group, about ‘the evils and destructiveness of Islam’. The EDL has emerged in the past couple of years to oppose what it calls the spread of Islam, Sharia law and Islamic extremism in England. Its opponents say the group is racist and stages violent protests.
Pray: for wise counsels, inspired by the Lord, to prevail in this case. (Job 12:13)
More: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/12/20101212224043670608.html
UK Church sees need for missionaries from abroad
28 Jun 2012The UK was once a missionary-sending nation but after years of secularisation, a new poll has found that Christians in the UK are increasingly looking to the overseas Church to help in the work of spreading the Gospel. In a survey of more than 1,100 UK Christians, 74% agreed that the UK needed missionaries from other countries to come and bring the Gospel to the people. This figure was supported by 68% who stated that out of all the world's regions, the UK should receive the highest priority for church mission, prayer and support. The feeling among UK Christians is reflected in their giving, with a quarter of those surveyed saying they had started to give more generously to UK causes than to overseas ones. The figures were published in ‘The World on our Doorstep?’, the latest quarterly booklet from the Evangelical Alliance's research arm.
Pray: for the Church as it seeks help from the global Church to meet the needs of mission within the home nations. (Ac11:20)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/uk.church.sees.need.for.missionaries.from.abroad/30145.htm
UK children need more exercise
26 Aug 2013Only half of all seven-year-olds in the UK are getting enough exercise each day to stay healthy, a new study has found. The research, published in BMJ Open, found that half of UK 7-year-olds are sedentary for six to seven hours a day, with girls, children of Indian ethnic origin, and those living in Northern Ireland being the least physically active. UK guidelines on daily physical activity recommend that children spend at least an hour a day in moderate to vigorous activity and spend less time sitting down. Girls were far less active than boys, with only 38% satisfying the guidelines, compared to 63% of boys. The study's authors warn that more investment and "wide interventions" are needed."The results of our study provide a useful baseline and strongly suggest that contemporary UK children are insufficiently active, implying that effort is needed to boost [physical activity] among young people to the level appropriate for good health," they wrote.
Pray: for a concerted response to this report that restates clearly an issue for children that has been suggested for many years. (1Co.6:19-20)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/uk.children.need.more.excercise/33675.htm
Christian Concern intend to bring two legal cases before the European Court of Human Rights in the new year, those of Gary McFarlane, a relationship counsellor from Bristol dismissed for gross misconduct by Relate for refusing to confirm he would provide directive sex therapy to homosexual couples due to his religious beliefs. Also Shirley Chaplin, an NHS nurse faced with disciplinary action after being told she was no longer permitted to wear her cross while at work on health and safety grounds. The NHS Trust indicated they would permit exemptions in their uniform policy for religious and cultural symbols that were ‘mandatory’ within the religion. An employment tribunal found that she had not been discriminated against on the basis of her religious beliefs.
Pray: for Christians in the British Isles to be free to continue and exercise their role in the workplace proclaiming and demonstrating Christian truths. (2Cor.12:12)
Religious leaders from across the G8 countries have called on heads of government to follow the UK in fulfilling existing commitments to spend 0.7 per cent of national income on aid. Over 70 religious leaders emphasised in a letter to the Financial Times that from April 5, only 1,000 days remain to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the 2015 deadline. With a focus on tax, trade and transparency, the religious leaders argue, the UK Presidency of the G8 has the potential to advance the MDG agenda in ways that will strike at the underlying causes of poverty, in particular by ensuring the wealth created by developing countries is not lost through unfair tax practices, a lack of transparency or a failure to secure the benefits of trade for developing countries. Meeting the remaining targets, while challenging, is possible - but only if governments do not waver from the moral and political commitments made over a decade ago," the letter stresses.
Pray: for a positive response and continued commitment to the MDG by the G* leaders. (1Jn.3:17)
More: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/18284
UK among worst nations for family breakdown
07 Jan 2013The UK has one of the highest levels of family breakdown in the developed world, a new league table shows. Family campaigners called it an “epidemic” and said it is high time “timid politicians” took action to back marriage and stop playing politics. Only Belgium, Estonia and Latvia have a higher level of broken families than the UK, according to a survey of 30 developed nations. The survey was carried out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Just 68.9 per cent of children live with both parents in the UK, compared to an average of 84 per cent in the 30 nations surveyed by OECD. Christian Guy, of the Centre for Social Justice, said: “Timid politicians are becoming numb to Britain’s sky-high family breakdown rates. “Yet, as these OECD figures show, broken families are not some inevitable feature of modern society or social progress.
Pray: for greater support to encourage stability in family life in the UK. (1Tim.5:8)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/uk-among-worst-nations-for-family-breakdown/
The UK must do more to stop online fraud and deter state-sponsored cyber-espionage or risk losing the fight against e-crime, MPs have warned. The Home Affairs Select Committee said much low-level internet-based financial crime was falling into a ‘black hole’ and was not reported to the police. The MPs said more officers should be trained in digital crime detection and e-crime experts protected from cuts. The Home Office said the authorities must ‘keep pace’ with criminals. Publishing its first report on the subject, the cross-party committee said e-crime took various forms, did not recognise national borders and could be committed ‘at almost any time or in any place’. It called for a dedicated cyber-espionage team to respond to attacks, many of which are believed to be backed by foreign governments because they are so sophisticated. A quarter of the gangs, many of which are based in eastern Europe and Russia, use the internet as their principal means of deception.
Pray: that the authorities will find successful ways of fighting cyber crime. (Ps.118:25)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23495121
UK 'fares badly in European health league table'
07 Mar 2013The UK is lagging behind progress by similar countries on many indicators for ill-health, research suggests. Health data over 20 years was compared with figures from 18 other countries in the research published in the Lancet. Although average life expectancy has risen by four years since 1990, it says the UK needs to increase its strategies for tackling preventable problems such as heart disease and stroke. The UK had a high burden of smoking-related illnesses, and greater priority should be given to reducing lung disease. There was also a large rise in the number of recorded deaths related to Alzheimer's Disease. (See also Prayer Alert 08-2013) Health secretary Jeremy Hunt has said he has a plan to address the lag. Many deaths happen because the NHS is not good enough at preventing people getting sick or because treatment does not rival that seen elsewhere in Europe, says Mr Hunt who is responsible for health policy in England.
Pray: for our health care authorities that they would be granted wisdom and skills to meet the needs of their patients. (Ez.34:2b)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21654536