A selection of the week's happenings for your prayers.
Society & Politics
- Opt-out organ donation bill passes: Pending Royal Assent, the new legislation will allow organs to be harvested without individual consent, provided there is no objection from next-of-kin. Those who wish to opt out must do so by signing a new register. Read some of the ethical objections here and here.
- Video of street preacher’s arrest goes viral: The video of the arrest of Nigerian street preacher in London last weekend has garnered millions of views. The man was later released and the police officers involved have been severely criticised. Read more here, here and here. Christian Concern are running a petition calling for street preachers to be protected.
- Compulsory relationships and sex education from 2020: The Education Secretary has announced that children as young as 5 will learn about homosexuality and transgenderism, with parental rights to withdraw being lowered from age 18 to age 15. Read more here. A debate on this topic was triggered in Parliament this week after a petition expressing concerns at the plans gained 107,000 signatures.
- Irish PM upholds protections for disabled babies: The Irish ban on abortions of unborn children with non-life-threatening disabilities after 12 weeks will not be lifted, says PM Varadkar, despite calls for liberalisation. Read more here. Also this week, Northern Irish women have been marching in Westminster calling for abortion to remain a devolved matter, so that England’s extreme law is not imposed upon them. Read more here.
- NHS staff speak out about child gender transition: Staff at the NHS’s flagship gender clinic are expressing multiple concerns about the recent rise in children seeking to change gender. Their complaints have been challenged by the Foundation Trust which oversees the clinic. Read more here.
World Scene
- French schools drop ‘father’ and ‘mother’: Official school documents in France will no longer refer to ‘fathers’ and ‘mothers’ but to ‘Parent 1’ and ‘Parent 2’, as part of Government attempts to tackle anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination. Read more here.
- Democrats block ‘born alive’ bill: 44 of 47 Democratic US Senators voted against the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act last Monday. Had the bill passed, it would have required babies who survive failed abortion attempts and are born alive to be given proper medical treatment. Read more here. In the same week, a new poll suggests that public opinion in the USA may be shifting towards a pro-life position. Read more here.
Israel & Middle East
- Bibi indicted for bribery: Israel’s Attorney-General has decided to indict PM Netanyahu on corruption charges, just weeks ahead of the general election. Read more here.
- Abbas’ popularity climbs: The beleaguered PA President is enjoying a spike in popularity thanks to his decision to reject tax money collected for the PA by Israel, because of the latter's decision to subtract 5% as a penalty for the PA policy of rewarding terrorists and their families. Read here about how this might affect the political landscape in Israel.
- Kushner tours the Middle East ahead of peace plan release: The US President’s son-in-law has been touring a number of Arab states trying to raise support for his yet-to-be-released peace plan, which will apparently focus heavily on financial investment. Read more here and here.
- Israeli Christian Forum axed: Christian leaders are calling on PM Netanyahu to re-instate the Government Christian Forum, which since 2013 has been the major vehicle for strengthening relations with Christian groups in the country and attending to the minority’s practical needs. Read more here.
Upcoming Events
- Moedim meeting: Friday 8 March, London. 'Head of the month' meeting with Hebraic worship and teaching. All Soul's Clubhouse, Cleveland St, led by Steve Maltz and Richard Teideman. Click here for more details.
- Issachar Ministries conference: Monday 18 – Wednesday 20 March. ‘Brexit: Hardship or Harvest?’. Swanwick, Derbyshire. Call the office for more details and to book: 01767 223270.
- A Day of Prayer in Westminster: Friday 29 March (Brexit Day). The Emmanuel Centre. Organised by Issachar Ministries. With Dr Clifford Hill, David Hathaway and others. Click here for more information and to book tickets.
Recommended Sources
At Prophecy Today UK we are aware that the world is moving very quickly and it is difficult to keep up with all the latest developments – especially when the material circulated by our mainstream media is increasingly far from reality and definitely not devoted to a biblical perspective!
Though we are not a news service, we want to help keep you informed by passing on updates and reports as we are led. This will be a selective, not an exhaustive, round-up, which we hope will be helpful for your prayers. Click here to browse our News archive.
We also recommend the following news services for regular updates from a Christian perspective:
- Christian Concern (UK)
- Christian Institute (UK)
- JNN News (Barry and Batya Segal, Israel)
- Worthy News (Israel)
- Family Watch International
- Barnabas Fund
- Kehila News (Israel)
