Church Issues

• 1,300 schoolkids respond to Christ: Children in secondary schools across Yorkshire have responded enthusiastically to a Gospel message given by the Message Trust. Read more here.
  
• Trafalgar Square booked for Pentecost event: A huge celebration of Pentecost will take over the iconic London plaza on 9 June, including performances from well-known Christian musicians and contributions from clergy. Read more here.

World Scene

• First three-parent baby born: Doctors are claiming they have made medical history after a healthy baby boy was born on Tuesday in Greece, through a controversial IVF technique that has seen 1% of his DNA replaced with that of a third-party donor. Read more here.
  
• Abortion battle polarises USA: There have been several pro-life wins this week in the US, and pro-life bills have been passed/are passing in several states, but others remain headed in the opposite direction, supporting abortion up to birth. Read more here and here. At a federal level, a senator has introduced a bill that would outlaw abortion nation-wide after five months, when scientific research suggests that unborn children can feel pain. Read more here. Elsewhere in the world, a court in South Korea has ruled that the country’s ban on abortion is ‘unconstitutional’ and must be removed by the end of 2020.
  
• Republicans face down social media giants: Big tech companies have been hauled before a Senate Judiciary sub-committee to account for their anti-conservative bias. Read more here. Also this week, corporations including Amazon and Google have criticised a bill proposal in Texas that would protect freedom of religious conscience for employees. Read more here.

Israel & Middle East

• All eyes on the Trump peace plan: In the wake of Netanyahu’s electoral victory, attention is turning to the long-awaited US ‘peace plan’, the unveiling of which was promised for soon after the Israeli election. Read more here.
  
• Trump designates Iranian Revolutionary Guard: The IRGC, Iran’s national military force, has been officially designated a terrorist organisation by the USA. Read more here. Also this week, Iran has begun advanced nuclear work, in honour of its ‘National Nuclear Day’, with President Rouhani emphasising “the jihadi efforts of our country’s nuclear industrialists”. Read more here.
  
• Israeli aircraft crashes on the moon: Beresheet (‘In the beginning’), Israel’s first moon-bound spacecraft, crash-landed at the last minute, but did manage to take a ‘selfie’ on its descent. Read more here.

Events

• The Christian Response to Relationships and Sex Education: 23 April 2019 (Romsey, Hampshire) and 8 May 2019 (Rochester, Kent). Two evening events with Tim Vince, director of Christian Education Europe. Register for free (Kent only) by clicking here. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.