A selection of the week's happenings to aid your prayers.

Society & Politics

• New survey reveals British morality in drastic decline: New statistics reveal a dramatic liberalisation in British attitudes towards a range of moral issues in the last three decades. Read more here.
  
• Labour to replace Ellman with anti-Semitic councillor: After Dame Louise Ellman resigned from Labour over its ‘mainstream’ anti-Semitism, the Party is reportedly lining up her replacement: a councillor who was suspended and investigated for anti-Semitism earlier this year. Read more here.
  
• Chick-fil-A to shut following protest: The US fast food chain opened its first UK store in Reading earlier this year, but is set to shut it following immediate protests from LGBTQ+ activists. Chick-fil-A is a Christian business and the third largest restaurant chain in the USA. Read more here.

Church Issues

• Churches in Northern Ireland stick by biblical marriage: The largest denominations in the country have re-affirmed their commitment to biblical truth when it comes to the issue of marriage. Read more here.

World Scene

• Trudeau wins second term, loses majority: The ultra-liberal Canadian Prime Minister has been elected for a second term, but is in a weaker position than before. Read more here.
  
• Most Americans believe nation is verging on civil war: A poll from Georgetown University shows that two thirds of Americans believe that political discord and incivility is bringing the nation to the brink of civil war and may make the 2020 election the nastiest in modern history. Read more here. This follows San Francisco blacklisting 22 US states because of their ‘restrictive’ abortion laws, so that City employees are forbidden to do business with companies from those states.
• Christianity growing, atheism in decline: The 2019 Status of Global Christianity report states that although the faith is shrinking in Western nations, it is burgeoning elsewhere, while global numbers of atheists and agnostics are declining. Read more here.
  
• World’s largest Islamic body drops ‘infidel’: Indonesia’s moderate Muslim party Nahdlatul Ulama, which claims some 90 million members, has abolished the legal category of ‘infidel’ (kafir) for non-Muslims, in order to challenge fundamentalist interpretations used to justify terrorism. Read more here.
  

Israel & Middle East

• Netanyahu fails to form government: After Netanyahu failed to put together a coalition by the requisite deadline, the mandate for forming a government passed to his rival, Benny Gantz, on Wednesday evening. There is a possibility that the two will form a unity government. Read more here.
  
• Turkey ends offensive in Syria: A US-brokered ceasefire and an agreement with Russia and the Syrian Government have effectively ended Turkey’s intrusion into northern Syria. Read more here. President Trump is in the process of lifting sanctions placed on Turkey. US troops have withdrawn from the Turkey-Syria border but will be bolstering their presence in north-eastern Syria to counter a potentially resurgent ISIS. 

Events

• 'Pilgrim's Progress' hits the big screen. From 25 October (various locations): John Bunyan's epic is coming to a number of UK cinemas as an animated movie. Find out more about how you can spread the word and get more cinemas to screen the film on the official website.
• Day of Prayer for the Nation. Thursday 31 October (nationwide): Whether or not Brexit goes ahead on this date, join Christians around the country in lifting up the nation to the Lord. Pray on your own or join with others near you. See our Prayer for the Nation section for specific resources. In co-ordination with Issachar Ministries.
  

Recommended Sources

• Christian Concern (UK)
• Christian Institute (UK)
• JNN News (Barry and Batya Segal, Israel)
• Worthy News (Israel)
• Family Watch International
• Barnabas Fund
• Kehila News (Israel)