Displaying items by tag: Religion

Up and down the country there are Christian festivals and conferences over the summer holiday season tailor-made for families, youth, bible study and worship in a variety of uplifting styles; all are united in the belief and declaration that Jesus Christ is Lord. We can pray for the army of volunteer helpers to have an abundance of energy as they serve their brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray for the worship groups to be powerfully anointed, entering the throne room of heaven and taking thousands with them, all worshipping in spirit and truth with fresh expressions of adoration and declaration. Pray for God to protect and inspire the teachers as they share what God has been showing them in their preparations for the event. May all those travelling to and from venues have safe journeys and be powerfully blessed and refreshed while there. The ‘More’ link mentions a few of the many dozens of festivals and conferences.

Supported by Humanists UK, atheist parents Lee and Lizanne Harris want a judicial review by the High Court into ‘harmful and divisive’ Christian messages taught in Burford Primary School assemblies. They say their children's human rights are breached because the school isn't offering any alternatives when the children are removed from assemblies. The children go into a separate room with a teaching assistant and an iPad. The school is not a faith school, and the parents enrolled their children there believing it would have no religious character. They said, ‘Our children shouldn't have to participate in Christian prayers, or watch biblical scenes such as the crucifixion being acted out, nor should they hear evangelical preachers spouting harmful and divisive messages.’ Humanists UK want an overhaul of the laws surrounding school assemblies. Currently schools must have a daily act of broadly Christian worship.

A community of Benedictine nuns is under threat. Developers are seeking permission for a housing estate of 65 homes next to their secluded ancient abbey, where they live simply, with an emphasis on silent and isolated worship. The community provides residential retreats and heritage open days for schools in the historic park and gardens. The nuns are being asked to tolerate an enormous building site alongside the abbey building with its historic park and garden. Revd David Green said the order of around 10 to 15 nuns, whose ages range from 35 to 95, required a quiet environment for worship: ‘The side of the abbey grounds nearest the development houses the nuns’ personal accommodation, cloisters, chapel and burial ground.’ Pray for the public inquiry starting on 20 August to have empathy with the abbey and community.

Jesus has all authority and power to forgive sins through his sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection for those who receive Him by faith. However Muslims reject this mercy and look for forgiveness and an allegiance to Allah by doing a Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Muhammad said, ‘Whoever performs Hajj for the sake of Allah and does not utter any obscene speech or do any evil deed will go back (free of sin) as his mother bore him.’ All Muslims must perform the Hajj at least once in their lifetime if they are able; it is one of the five pillars of their faith. On 18 August, three million Muslims from all over the world will flock to Mecca to perform sacred acts and follow the steps of Muhammad, for three days. You are invited to join Christians globally to pray for the millions taking this spiritual journey.

Ten-year-old Kasey, a Pentecostal Christian, is speaking out against the growing LGBT agenda in her classroom. As parents nationally protest against LGBT school lessons, the Christian Legal Centre is supporting courageous Kasey and her mother, who are taking a stand against a school seeking to eradicate any opposition to its LGBT agenda. Kasey and her Catholic friend, Farrell, were explaining in the lesson how gay people would be 'punished' for their sexuality in some countries, but their point was misunderstood and the school suspended them for five days for being homophobic. Kasey said, 'I only learned what homophobic means the other day. I'm not homophobic, I'm just against the school traching LGBT topics to children.' Kasey's mother said, 'The school is failing to recognise our Christian beliefs and is persecuting us for wanting to maintain our Bible principles.' The Christian Legal Centre said the situation reflects the sexual agenda imposed on innocent children.

In September 2018, some evangelical leaders in British Columbia unveiled a statement on sexuality and gender identity after 21 days of fasting and prayer. ‘We believe this to be a historic moment both here in BC and Canada,’ said a pastor, in a video of the event. Supporters included Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson, a People’s Party of Canada candidate who has been outspoken against sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) education in schools. The statement says, ‘We are hereby revealing, for the first time, the West Coast Christian accord, which in 14 articles provides a Biblical statement on the supremacy of Christ, the authority of scripture, salvation, marriage, sexual orientation, and gender identity.’ That document now forms the basis of the growing One Accord movement, which seeks to encourage Christians across Canada to vote in the upcoming election (on 21 October) for candidates who they think will protect their Christian beliefs.

A planning application has been submitted to turn empty buildings, standing between a theatre and a museum, into a church. The collection of buildings was previously a nightclub and will be known to a generation of Bradford revellers for nightspots including Revolution, Tequila and Vibe. The Bishop of Bradford says the new place of worship will be known as Fountains Church due to its location overlooking the City Park fountains, and it will be a ‘focus point for faith in Bradford.’ The application also includes a kiosk in the square that was used as a cafe. The kiosk will be used as a short term base for the new church while the initial works in the larger building are completed. The church will take up 2,930 square metres and create a new presence in the city centre for its large resident student and business population.’ The aspiration is to establish a substantial congregation which can meet and worship there. A decision on the application is expected in late August.

There continues to be a decline in people identifying as Christian and a substantial increase in those with no religious affiliation or belonging to non-Christian faiths. The percentage identifying as Church of England or Anglican fell from 40% in 1983 to 12% last year. Catholicism fared better in the equivalent timeline falling from 10% to 7%. However among non-denominational Christians it increased from 3% to 13%. The 36th British Social Attitudes report comes after decades of conflict between domestic religious organisations and fast-changing social values. The decline is ‘generational’. Two non-religious parents successfully transmit their lack of religion to the next generation. Two religious parents have a 50% chance of passing on their faith. One religious parent does only half as well as two together.

In March Parliament made it possible for judges, prosecutors and others to be fired by the National Security Council. Since then the head of the Supreme Court, the director and deputy director of the anti-corruption agency, and the chief prosecutor and his deputy have all been sacked. Last week, 17 judges were removed from their posts. However there are still more corruption allegations swirling around dozens of members of Parliament. Eventhe president is implicated in a scandal from his time as head of the Transport Ministry. Mongolia as a Christian mission field is full of promise. From the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, the gospel is gaining momentum and reaching across rural areas. Churches welcome missionaries wanting to evangelise while meeting practical needs. Mongolian officials have expressed their desire for ‘foreign experts’ to help with pressing social problems, provide training for information technology and giving young people a safe environment. See

During five days in Westminster the House of Lords bishops spoke on serious youth violence; the need to scrap the ‘two-child limit’ welfare policy; climate change; child refugees; independent living for disabled people; higher education funding; music education; prescription opiates; and gambling and gaming machines in the armed forces (see next article). The foreign secretary was questioned about religious literacy training for diplomats, and about landholdings in Scotland. Please pray for God’s anointing and wisdom on our bishops as they raise issues of injustice and comment on how government policies are being implemented.