A selection of the week's happenings for your prayers.
Society & Politics
- Asia Bibi supporter facing deportation from UK: A Pakistani believer, who sought asylum in the UK following a fatwa being issued against him for protesting Islamic blasphemy laws, is now facing deportation back to Pakistan. An urgent appeal and petition have been launched to prevent this. Read more here and here.
- Backlash against Islamophobia definition: The Government has rejected the definition of Islamophobia recommended by the All-Party Parliamentary Group of British Muslims, which re-defines Islam as a race. The definition has received widespread criticism for its potential to curtail freedom of speech. Read more here. Also this week, a new campaign has been launched calling for police hate speech guidelines to be overhauled to protect key freedoms. Read more here.
- Key Christian legal case comes before court: Former magistrate Richard Page, sacked for expressing the view that children do best with a mother and a father, is before the Employment Appeal Tribunal this week, in a landmark case described by the Christian Legal Centre as “a watershed moment in this nation’s history”. Read more here.
- Government U-turns on same-sex marriage teaching guidance: The Government has revised draft guidance for teachers in independent schools to allow for greater debate on the issue of same-sex marriage and specific protection for faith schools. Read more here. Also this week, protests against LGBTQ+ propaganda in schools have spread around the country, stemming largely from Muslim communities. Read more here.
Church Issues
- Methodist task group recommends same-sex marriage: A new report, to be presented at the Methodist conference at the end of June, recommends that the denomination rescind its current opposition to gay marriage. If the report is passed, a final decision will be made in 2020. Read more here.
World Scene
- Israel Folau sacked by Rugby Australia: The Christian rugby player, embroiled in controversy for posting comments on social media expressing biblical sentiments about sin and hell, had his contract terminated this week. Read more here.
- Alabama pro-life law signed by Governor: The law makes abortion illegal in the vast majority of cases. The Governor has expressed hopes that the bill will proceed up to the Supreme Court to challenge the Roe vs. Wade ruling that legalised abortion nationwide in 1973. Read more here. Also this week, another pro-life bill has advanced in Missouri. Elsewhere, Iceland has further liberalised its abortion law.
- Study proves Google’s left-wing bias: A study from Northwestern University shows that Google ‘Top Stories’ search results overwhelmingly feature left-leaning publications and news sources. Read more here.
Israel & Middle East
- Iran and US in tense standoff: US sanctions have hit Iran hard and tensions between the two countries are escalating. An American aircraft carrier strike group has been deployed to the Persian Gulf and key personnel have been removed from the US Embassy in Iraq, while Saudi oil infrastructure has been targeted in sabotage attacks believed to be by Iranian proxies. Read more here and here. The UK Foreign Office has officially declared itself in ‘crisis mode’ over the issue.
- Israel on alert ahead of Eurovision: After four Israelis were killed last weekend amid a massive flare-up of rocket attacks from Gaza, tensions remain high between Israel and Hamas. 50 Palestinians were wounded in ‘Nakba Day’ riots at the Gaza border. Israel is also on alert ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest, to be held in Tel Aviv on 18 May. Read more here.
Events
- CBR UK Showcase (central London): Thursday 23 May, Emmanuel Centre, Westminster, from 6:30pm. Challenging views on abortion: Come and learn about the inspiring and unique educational work of the Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform. For more information and to book, click here.
- JustOne Belfast: Saturday 2 June, CS Lewis Square, Belfast. Bring friends to hear the Gospel preached at this one-day event. Find out more on the JustOne website.
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 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)
For regular news briefings about Israel, the Jewish News Syndicate is also recommended.
