In a new feature for Prophecy Today UK, we summarise our pick of the week’s happenings to inform your prayers.

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. At the base of this article we have also listed a number of Christian news sources which may also be of interest to you.

Society & Politics

• Anti-Semitism in the UK rises to record levels. Reported incidents in Britain during 2016 rose by more than a third to record levels, according to the Community Security Trust (CST). See full report from Arutz-7.
  
• ‘Gay slang’ service used at CofE college: A CofE theological college apologises after trainee priests hold an evensong to mark ‘LGBT History month’ and swap traditional liturgy for blasphemous gay slang. Read more here.
  
• NHS pays £70 million compensation to parents of disabled children. Said parents have sued the NHS for “wrongful birth”, saying they would have aborted their children had they known of their abnormalities earlier on. Read more here.
  
  • Good news: Lord Shinkwin’s Disability Equality Bill, which aims to reduce the abortion limit for disabled children from full term to 24 weeks progressed to report stage this week. Find out more and email your MP about the bill by clicking here.
    
• UK families among most unstable in the developed world. Marriage Foundation reports that rates of family breakdown in Britain are extraordinarily high, among both married and cohabiting couples. Click here for more information.
  
  • Studies prove that marriage is healthier than cohabitation: A study from the Institute for Family Studies shows that cohabitation is less stable for families than marriage. Another study from Bowling Green State University finds that cohabitors are more likely to be victims of domestic violence than married couples.
    
• Latest issue of HEART Newspaper now out: The February/March issue of HEART Christian News is now available, including articles on the Aisling Hubert abortion doctor case and the Balfour Declaration. Find out more by clicking here.
  

World Scene

• Pro-Life protests in the USA this weekend: As anti-Trump protests continue across the US and Europe, a mass pro-life protest is also being arranged for this weekend, targeting 200 Planned Parenthood clinics. Read more here.
  
• Pakistani police formally recognise murder of 12-year-old Christian girl: the rape and murder of Tania Mariyam was originally ignored until pressure from British Pakistani Christians drew attention to the injustice. Read more here.
  
• New Christian petition platform to launch: The British Pakistani Christian Association is building a new online petition platform for Christians to help them sidestep religious censorship, after their own petitions for justice were censored by secular providers. The site will launch next week and can be found here.
  

Israel & Middle East

• Gaza clashes prompt fears of escalation: Recent exchanges of fire at the Gaza border, all initiated by Hamas, have led Israeli Cabinet ministers to warn of a likely escalation of the conflict in the coming weeks. Read more here. On Wednesday night ISIS also fired four rockets into Israel from the Sinai Peninsula.
• Barnabas Fund submits formal complaint over BBC false reporting: The complaint followed BBC comments about President Trump’s recent statement on Syrian refugees, but has been overturned by the Trust. The dispute arises over discrimination facing Syrian Christians seeking refuge in the USA. Read more here.
• UK Parliament again sets itself against Israel. On Thursday the Commons uniformly condemned Israeli settlement-building in so-called ‘occupied’ territories and re-affirmed its commitment to establishing a “state of Palestine”. The motion was unanimously agreed. Find out more here.
  

Upcoming Events

• Marriage Week (7-14 February) is well underway, celebrating and affirming marriage. Find out more, including events and how to get involved, by clicking here.
• Celebrate Tu B’Shevat (11 February), Jewish New Year for trees, by planting a tree in Israel! Find out more here.
• ‘As One’ National Prayer Conference (13-15 March): Swanwick, World Prayer Centre. “Listen to God and pray in the new season.” Click here to find out more.
  
• Hope for Our Nation (18 March): Christian Concern host a day event at the Emmanuel Centre, Westminster. “Do you want to see society changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ? Come and understand today's challenges, and be equipped to bring hope to our nation.” Find out more and buy tickets here.
  
• ‘What are we teaching the Children?’ Conference (25 March): Find out how current education policy is influencing children in Britain and how Christians can respond, with Voice for Justice. Emmanuel Centre, Westminster. Click here for information and tickets.

Recommended Sources

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)
• Family Watch International
• Barnabas Fund
  
• Kehila News (Israel)
  
• Saltshakers (Steve Maltz, UK)