Displaying items by tag: Religion

Thursday, 27 April 2023 22:11

Christian agencies‘ climate letter refused

The former Archbishop of York, Lord Sentamu, hit out at 'arrogant' Shell after he was prevented from delivering a Christian climate letter to the headquarters of the oil giant on behalf of Christian charities. When Sentamu, now chair of Christian Aid, knocked on the building entrance in central London, he was refused entry. The letter, addressed to Shell’s chief executive, was signed by Green Christian, Christian Climate Action, Tearfund, A Rocha UK, Christian Aid, Cafod, and Operation Noah. It calls on Shell to stop all new fossil fuel exploration and extraction and asks for a meeting to discuss the issue. Lord Sentamu said, ‘Climate change is the greatest insidious, brutal and indiscriminate force of our time. Those suffering the most have done the least to cause it. Continuing to search for new sources of fossil fuels, despite explicit warnings from the International Energy Agency, is an offence against humanity.’

Published in British Isles

Printing King Charles III ‘s coronation order of service has been delayed because the king wants a ‘diverse’ ceremony, including non-Christian religions, contravening centuries-old canon law that bars Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and other religious leaders from praying during the service. Charles has stated previously his desire to be a ‘Defender of Faiths’ rather than the Faith. Justin Welby is giving the King religious guidance on the significance of his oath, the commitments he will make to his subjects, and the Christian symbolism employed. Both he and the Archbishop of York said that ‘at its centre is a Christian service, rooted in long-standing tradition and Christian symbolism’. After Queen Elizabeth II died, King Charles delivered an exemplary, heartfelt speech, in which he talked of ‘the Church in which my own faith is so deeply rooted,’ giving an apparent nod to his respect for the Anglican Church. How far does his respect for other faiths go?

Published in British Isles
Friday, 21 April 2023 10:09

Prayer, fasting and action

Intercessors across these isles fasted from 17 to 19 April and prayed to push back spiritual darkness. You may not have joined the three one-hour online prayer meetings, but here are some common themes which you can pray and do now. Pray for God’s Kingdom to come down in your street, neighbourhood, town or city. Pray that the Church may rise up boldly to proclaim the Gospel, loving God and loving people. Pray for the younger generation to be visited by God and His Word as they hear and respond to the Gospel. Pray for Bible-believing churches, movements and organisations to unite against unbiblical ideologies, same-sex marriage, and gender Identity. Pray for those in government and leadership. Pray for the incoming monarch, King Charles III. Pray for key prayer needs that are important to you in your location, sphere or context.

Published in British Isles
Friday, 21 April 2023 09:48

GAFCON chairman: ‘Welby must repent’

The chairman of the Global Anglican Future Conference, GAFCON, used his presidential address at its meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, to repeat calls for Justin Welby to repent. Archbishop Foley Beach of the Anglican Church in North America said, ‘Sadly, with broken hearts, we must say that unless the Archbishop of Canterbury repents, we can no longer recognise him as the “first among equals” and the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion.’ His address referred to the General Synod vote earlier this year to agree to bless same sex unions. Archbishop Beach described the Kigali meeting of over 1,300 people from 53 nations as potentially one of the most important church gatherings in our time. He emphasised the importance of believers addressing sin - personal, provincial or church sin - and called on the Anglican Church to prioritise 'repentance, revival, renewal and moving forward'. The Church cannot be reconciled to God without repentance.

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 21 April 2023 09:45

Afghanistan: persecuted and hungry

Sixty days in a cage, no light, and tortured, is one of the extreme cruelties which Christians in Afghanistan experience. They are under a death sentence, yet there are over 10,000, almost all converts from Islam. They have a long, dangerous, and deadly road ahead of them. Please pray for the underground church facing the ultimate threat: turn back to Islam or die. Pray also for the safety of the known Christians who have been open about their faith. May God give them wisdom in all they say and do. Also a humanitarian crisis of incredible proportions has grown more complex and severe since the Taliban took control. Job losses, lack of cash, and soaring food prices have resulted in nearly 20 million not having enough to eat. Afghanistan is on the brink of economic collapse. The currency is at an all-time low. See

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 13 April 2023 21:26

China: Christian population growth

8% of China’s population is Christian and Christianity is established in every province, but many do not have enough Bible knowledge. Rural areas still have a shortage of Bibles and Christian teaching. Pray for wise, godly leadership to be multiplied at every level in the Church and for Christians to be part of shaping China as the nation amasses wealth and political influence. The Church has many mature leaders, but needs more as the church grows. Pray for Christians to have integrity in a culture where corruption is a temptation. 200 years ago, Napoleon Bonaparte said, ’Let China Sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world.’ This is being realised as China’s church is awakened by God’s Spirit. Pray for this to be a significant Christian movement with continuing growth. China is a significant global power, economically and militarily, pray for wise leaders to walk a path of peace.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 13 April 2023 21:24

Pray for Muslims’ salvation

Most Muslims fall into one of two camps - Sunni or Shia. The term Sunni means laws and comes from the word ‘sunnah,’ which means ‘way of life’. This refers to the way of life of the Prophet Mohammad. 90% of Muslims around the world are Sunni. A movement of the Gospel among Sunni Muslims could impact nearly the entire Muslim world. Today, God is doing just that. He is drawing unprecedented numbers of Sunni Muslims to Himself in every region of the world. More Muslims have turned to follow Jesus in the past fifteen years than in the previous 1,400 years combined. But there are still 1.8 billion Muslims living without a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Ramadan ends on April 21. During Ramadan, Muslims have been intentionally seeking God through prayer and fasting. Pray for an incredible number of Muslims to encounter their Saviour Jesus.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 06 April 2023 22:36

Pray for the UK

The authorities that exist are established by God (Romans 13:1). Pray for the King, Prime Minister, first ministers and all those in national and local government to have heaven’s wisdom. Pray that parliamentarians promote good and restrain evil. Marriage is a creation ordinance given by God for the good of all people. Genesis 2:24 says, ‘A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife; they will become one flesh’.’Pray that churches faithfully uphold the Bible’s teaching on marriage and sexual ethics. Psalm139:14 says, ‘I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.’ Pray that attempts to legalise euthanasia and allow abortion at any stage will fail. There is pressure to move away from God’s instructions for his world. ‘Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you.’ Pray for the UK's repentance and revival.

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 06 April 2023 22:30

Scotland’s new first minister met Hamas leader

Humza Yousaf has a history of meeting with Hamas and has called for an arms embargo against the state of Israel. He is the first Muslim and at 37 the youngest person to hold the leadership position. But his meeting with Hamas has prompted concerns over his selection. In May 2021, when Israel retaliated to thousands of Hamas rockets he tweeted, ‘Wife in floods of tears all evening, her brother living in Gaza telling us it’s raining rockets’. Yousaf has also said, ‘People are starving and dying a slow death in the Gaza Strip.’ The Jewish Chronicle reported him having attended the high-level meeting with Hamas leader Mohammad Sawalha. The BBC has named Sawalha as having masterminded much of Hamas’ political and military strategy. Scottish parliamentary questions reveal that he attended the Holyrood meeting as a representative of Islam Expo, which was funded by a £2 million grant from Qatar.

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 06 April 2023 22:20

Coronation and Commonwealth prayer watch

For King Charles III’s coronation, the World Prayer Centre in Birmingham is inviting Christians from Commonwealth nations and territories to join its Coronation and Commonwealth zoom Prayer Watch on Friday 5 May, from 10am to 12 noon GMT+1, to unite, worship, pray for the coronation and bless the Commonwealth to fulfil God’s purposes. If you would like to join online via Zoom video conferencing, you will need to set up an account and download the app to your device or computer. Download here: Log into Zoom when the meeting is due to start, using these details. Topic: WPC PRAYER WATCH Join Zoom Meeting at Meeting ID: 819 5187 5317 Passcode: jesuslives. You will be admitted to a waiting room until WPC permits access. Enter with your microphone on mute. Please share this with others across the UK and Commonwealth.

Published in British Isles
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