Displaying items by tag: United Kingdom

An Iranian woman has been sentenced to ten years in prison in Iran for spying for the UK. A spokesman, Gholam Hossein Esmaili, said the woman had been ‘in charge of the Iran desk’ of the British Council. The British Council seeks to foster cultural relations and educational opportunities in many countries worldwide, but does not have offices or representatives in Iran. It knew that one of its staff had been detained while making a private family visit. Mr Esmaili said she ‘confessed’ to ‘co-operating’ with British intelligence. She is accused of ‘acting against national security’ - a charge laid against a range of activists, journalists, dual citizens and foreign nationals detained in recent years. A London-based British Council employee and art student, Aras Amiri, who was detained in March 2018, is thought to be the jailed person.

The Alabama senate has passed a law that says abortions should not be allowed in any circumstances apart from ‘risk to the mother's life’. A British Christian researcher, Katie Brookfield, disagreed with Alabama’s ruling. ‘The reality is that making abortion illegal does not end abortion, it drives it underground where it's extremely dangerous.’ Meanwhile, a pro-life campaigner said, ‘The Alabama ruling is a fantastic step in the right direction. But you can't celebrate it without taking a long hard look at our own situation. The UK government is pushing to decriminalise abortion totally up to 24 weeks, not recognising there are two people in the case of abortion. This is happening because the UK church, like the priest and the Levi, is choosing to look the other way, walk on the other side of the road and not see the truth. These little human beings are being disposed of and denied burial through every single abortion procedure.’

Roy Crowne, the Executive director of HOPE Together, writes, ‘Mission was on the Apostle Paul’s agenda when he said there is “one who plants… one who waters… but only God makes things grow… We are fellow workers in God’s service.” (1 Corinthians 3:6-9) Since 2008 HOPE Together and churches across the country have been sowing and watering seeds of the gospel, and we believe that God will produce a harvest. We are praying, preparing and trusting God for a harvest in 2020. Use the great opportunities that we have this summer to bring local people together, to sow seeds and to build community with fun days, fetes and festivals. Plan to water those seeds this autumn and winter as you help people to discover more about Jesus. Pray with us that we will reap a harvest in 2020 as churches all over the country invite people to respond to the message of hope that Jesus gives.’

On 16 May the prime minister’s spokesman was asked whether the new US sanctions against Huawei had persuaded the UK government to reconsider its telecom strategy. The Trump administration hit Huawei with severe sanctions on 15 May. British ministers have agreed to allow Huawei a restricted role in building parts of its 5G network, although the final decision has not yet been published. The spokesman said, ‘As you know, in relation to Huawei, we are reviewing the right policy approach for 5G and when an announcement is ready the culture secretary will update parliament. We are committed to ensuring that UK telecoms networks are fully secure, and any decision will be supported by a hard-headed, technically informed assessment of the risk.’ See also article 6 in the World section.

Christian Voice says, ‘Who can doubt that there is something deeply wrong with the United Kingdom today? Everyone seems to be looking out for themselves, people have to be paid to care, few appear to have any honour or respect - from the top to the bottom. The Christian faith itself is under attack from the media and homosexual activists. Secularism is destroying our land, Christianity has been pushed to the margins, and Islam is waiting to fill the vacuum. The judgement of God is falling on us. How did it come to this? We must pray for our Government as never before, and pray that God will raise up men like John Knox and John Wesley to call the nation to repentance. We need to pray for our nation and its people, out of our love for our Saviour and the victims of injustice. But our prayer needs to be more than just: “Lord, do something!” It needs to be: “Lord, what can I do?”’

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have named their baby son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. The name Archie does not have any British royal connotations, but the name means ‘genuine’, ‘bold’, or ‘brave’. Harrison is also a totally new name for the royal family: it was originally used as a surname meaning ‘son of Harry’. As the first-born son of a duke, Archie could have assumed the title of Earl of Dumbarton, but he will instead simply be known as Master Archie.

Christians across Northern Ireland have the opportunity to bring relatives, friends, neighbours and colleagues to hear the good news of Jesus Christ proclaimed by evangelist J John in CS Lewis Square, Belfast. The square features seven bronze sculptures from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, including the great lion, Aslan. As J John preaches the gospel in this unique setting, organisers and supporting churches will be praying that many come to know the true and living Christ. The last evangelistic event in Belfast was in 1923. At that time 2,000 dock workers marched straight from work, still wearing their dungarees, to go and hear evangelist WP Nicholson preach. Such was the power of his preaching that a shed named the ‘Nicholson shed’ was erected in the shipyard, to house the stolen tools that newly-converted workers returned.

As we pray for the UK - nations are shaking - the referendum challenges - what will our nation look like in future years? Change can bring opportunity, and God hears our prayers. This is the time to knock on heaven’s door for His kingdom to come on earth. Last year was the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta. It was not immediately successful, but it did shape our nation for the following centuries. This is the 801st anniversary, the beginning of a new season. In 2016 young people across the United Kingdom declared a spiritual Magna Carta to shape and establish the government and fabric of our nation for this generation and those to come. Prayer Alert intercessors are invited to take time to read and declare this ‘spiritual Magna Carta’ by clicking the ‘More’ link.

Farmers are no strangers to challenge, but today’s pressures are many and varied. Added to concerns over Brexit are increased rural crime (animals worth over £2.5 million were stolen last year), prospects of drought, and questions about the food we eat and how it is produced - all against a backdrop of planned fundamental change in government support to the agricultural industry. Pray for farmers as they feel the stress of meeting these pressures day by day, and for those who offer support when a helping hand is needed. Village halls are the heart of many rural communities. They can provide alternative venues for church services and outreach. The Government recently announced a £3 million scheme to regenerate village halls. Give thanks for this and pray that Christian groups and churches will find ways to share in taking up this opportunity to strengthen community life and advance God’s kingdom in rural areas.

Pervasive persecution of Christians, sometimes amounting to genocide, is ongoing in the Middle East, according to a report commissioned by the British foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt. ‘The report finds an ‘inconvenient truth’; 80% of persecuted religious believers are Christians. Some of the report’s findings will make difficult reading for Middle East leaders who are accused of tolerating or instigating persecution. The Turkish AK party is highlighted for denigrating Christians. Hunt, an Anglican, has made the issue of Christian persecution one of the major themes of his foreign secretaryship. ‘I think we have shied away from talking about Christian persecution because we are a Christian country and we have a colonial past, so sometimes there’s a nervousness there. But we have to recognise that Christians are the most persecuted religious group.’ The interim report sets out the scale of the persecution. A final report in the summer will state how the Foreign Office can raise awareness of the issue.