USA: Rallies to condemn racial profiling
19 Jul 2013George Zimmerman, a white man was aquitted in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin and civil rights demonstrators have been attending rallies across America to condemn racial profiling. Activists are pressing for civil rights charges in Federal Court, saying ‘Zimmerman wrongly suspected 17-year-old Martin of being a criminal because he was black.’ The US Justice Department was evaluating whether it has enough evidence to support prosecuting Zimmerman in Federal Court after his acquittal in Florida. President Obama called for a peaceful response to a case that polarized the US public from the beginning, raising issues of racial profiling and gun control. In Sanford at the largely black Allen Chapel AME Church, pastor Valarie Houston dedicated a Sunday morning prayer service to Martin. Initially Police declined to arrest Zimmerman for shooting Martin. In Boston and New York, several hundred demonstrators expressed a sense of frustration. ‘I feel we don't get justice when it's needed,’ said one demonstrator.
Pray: for peaceful demonstrations, for any further investigations to be exhaustive and justice to be done and seen to be done. (Ecc.3:15-17)
More: http://www.reuters.com/video/2099/01/01/reuters-tv-video?videoId=244220974
USA: Protest movement spreads
07 Oct 2011In September Adbuster magazine in Canada put out a call for supporters to occupy Wall Street and drew hundreds of protesters with 2,000 attending a march the following Saturday. This protest movement has been developing through Twitter, Facebook and shared Googledocs, enabling protesters to stand against corporate greed, unemployment and the political corruption that they say Wall Street represents. They have taken to the streets in Boston, Los Angeles, St Louis and Kansas City. The core group, Occupy Wall Street (OWS), claims people will take part in demonstrations in as many as 147 US cities this month, while the website www.occupytogether.org lists 47 US states as being involved. Around the world other protests are also planned. The speed of the leaderless movement's growth has taken many by surprise. Occupytogether.org, one of several sites associated with the protest, has had to be rebuilt to accommodate the traffic.
Pray: for a peaceful outcome to this movement's activities and that the media attention would not inspire violence.
More: reet-protest-movement-spreads?newsfeed=truehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/04/wall-st
Senior State Department and Diplomatic Security officials may have covered up or stopped investigations of inappropriate/criminal misconduct by staff according to an internal memo from the Office of the Inspector General. The timeline places incidents during former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's tenure. Sometimes the sources are one or more agents who became aware of cases from colleagues in ‘a shared environment.’ The documents provided by a lawyer for a whistle-blower who is a former senior inspector general investigator stated, ‘an active US ambassador routinely ditched his protective security detail in order to solicit sexual favorus from both prostitutes and minor children.’ A member of Clinton's security detail allegedly, ‘engaged prostitutes while on official trips in foreign countries’ and ’prostitution problem was endemic.’ Also In Iraq an ‘underground drug ring may have been supplying drugs to State Department security contractors, but an agent sent to investigate the allegations was prevented from completing the job’.
Pray: for suspected incidents of abuse or corruption to be investigated thoroughly. May all concealed episodes be revealed. (Am.5:7 & 15)
More: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/11/politics/state-department-allegations/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
USA: Prayer on Inauguration Day
24 Jan 2013Prayer changes things. While hundreds of thousands came to watch the inauguration, many came to pray during the event. Religious believers gathered in places like hotel ballrooms to pray for America and its president, but also to praise and worship God. ‘The glory is rising in the church. And the glory is rising upon His people, our people,’ Rev Rich Brink, with Global Celebration, told CBN News. ‘So we pray for leaders. In fact, we're believing even today the glory will come upon our leaders,’ he said. Many at a prayer breakfast in the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel also lifted up Israel, a nation of particular interest to evangelicals.
Pray: for those in support of, and those critical of, the Presidents policies, would be continually led by God’s Holy Spirit into informed intercession for the next four years of American politics. (1Tim.2:1-3)
More: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2013/January/Prayer-Plays-Major-Role-in-Inauguration-Day/
USA: Police chaplain told how to pray
28 Jun 2012In some places in the United States, it's getting more and more difficult for Americans to freely exercise their faith in Christ. Many places across the country are taking action against Christians for praying in public, or praying in Jesus' name, reports Mission Network News. Case in point - Pastor Terry Sartain. According to Fox News, he's been ministering to police officers in Charlotte, North Carolina for the past seven years. When he prayed at the request of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, he prayed in ‘the name of Jesus.’ But he can't do that anymore. Volunteer chaplains in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department will no longer be allowed to invoke the name of Jesus in prayers at public events held on government property. Major John Diggs heads up the chaplain programme. He says it respects people of all faiths. Sartain says he's sad that as a pastor he can't give the one thing he has to offer: the Life and Person of Christ.
Pray: that the prayers of the saints in the name of Christ will be effective and that those who are speaking against will be blessed. (Ps.33:12)
USA: Petitions to stop Ground Zero Mosque
07 Aug 2010
A conservative group is preparing legal action to challenge last Tuesday’s vote that cleared the way for a mosque to be built near the site of the Sept. 11 attacks. The American Center for Law and Justice is representing New York City fire-fighter Timothy Brown, a first responder who survived the 2001 terrorist attacks but lost nearly 100 friends. It is planning to file a petition in state court alleging that there has been an abuse of discretion in the Landmarks Preservation Commission's decision. The city commission voted 9-0 Tuesday to deny landmark status to a building on Park Place that a Muslim group wants to convert into a mosque and Islamic community centre. Landmark status would have made it difficult for the group to build the centre there. (See Prayer Alert 2410) Thousands have protested the proposed ‘mega mosque,’ arguing that an Islamic centre just two blocks away from Ground Zero is insensitive and insulting to the families of the 9/11 victims. Pray: for God to weave His purposes into the atmosphere over and on Ground Zero. (Ps.2:1) More: http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100804/aclj-petitions-to-stop-ground-zero-mosque/index.html
USA: Pastor 'suspends' Qur’an burning
11 Sep 2010
A Christian pastor in the US state of Florida has called off and then threatened to reconsider plans to burn copies of the Muslim holy book in a bonfire on Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, DC. The event had been roundly criticised and stoked fears of violence around the globe. (e.g. see below) Rev Terry Jones said on Thursday that he made the decision to cancel the event because the leader of a planned Islamic centre near the so-called Ground Zero site in New York had agreed to move its location. However, the developers behind the planned Islamic centre said they had not agreed to any such deal. During a televised news conference on Thursday, Jones called on others not to burn copies of the Qur’an. He said instead, he would fly to New York to speak with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the head of the planned New York Islamic centre. Pray: that this proposed disrespectful action will not go ahead and that God would over-rule here and in other similar situations. (1Pe.2:17) More: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/09/20109921337885578.html
Democrat President Barack Obama says it's not his job to defend his Christian faith against doubters who suspect he's Muslim. His Republican Party challenger Mitt Romney says religion is ‘integral’ to his life - he often avoids mentioning his Mormon faith by name. The men responded in writing to nine questions about their faith. Religion has been a tricky political issue for both men. A recent Pew Research Centre poll found that 49% of Americans correctly identify Obama as a Christian. More Americans know that Romney is Mormon, but 30% do not believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christian. Both men said that political candidates should be judged by their works not faith. Both also said that religion is central to their lives.
Pray: for the race to the next term of office in the White House to focus on helpful facts, leading to informed choices when voting. (Dt.16:18-20)