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

Society & Politics

• Brexit deal passes in Commons: Boris Johnson's Brexit deal has been passed by MPs, 358 to 234. Read more here.
• Tories to outlaw BDS support: The new Government is set to ban public bodies from supporting the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, saying that it is “anti-Semitic and should be treated as such”. Read more here. The Austrian Parliament is expected to formally condemn the movement early in 2020. Also this week, Cyprus has become the 17^th country to officially adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-Semitism. Read more here.
  
• Scottish Government releases gender transition proposals: If implemented, the plans would make ‘changing’ gender a much easier process, available from the age of 16. A public consultation on the proposals is now underway. Read more here. In related news, a Sky News investigation has found that 35 psychologists have resigned from the NHS’s gender identity clinic in the last three years, citing concerns over its approach to treating gender-confused children.
  
• MPs swear in on multiple ‘holy’ books: New MPs have been given the choice between an array of ‘holy’ books representing different religions on which to be sworn into the new Parliament. The Government’s envoy for religious freedom chose to be sworn in on a Bible, a Torah and a Qur’an. Read more here.

Church Issues

• Next Archbishop of York endorses child gender transition: The appointed successor to John Sentamu, Bishop Stephen Cottrell of Chelmsford, has previously supported the ousting of clergy who adhere to biblical beliefs about gender. Read more here. Chelmsford Diocese has also made headlines this week for defending a school in its area which has removed references to ‘Lord Jesus’ from the carol ‘Away in a Manger’. Read more here.
  
• Former Queen’s chaplain converts to Catholicism: Dr Gavin Ashenden left the Anglican Church in 2017 after publicly criticising the reading of the Qur’an in Glasgow Cathedral. He has since been fulfilling the role of a missionary bishop within the Episcopal Church but will be formalising a commitment to Catholicism this weekend. Read more here.
  

World Scene

• Trump impeached by Democrat-held House: The impeachment of the US President for alleged political misconduct was voted through the House by 230 to 197. It is not expected to pass through the Republican-held Senate. Read more here.
  
• New South Wales declares state of emergency: The Australian state is being besieged by more than 100 bushfires amid a record-breaking heatwave. Six people have died so far and nearly 800 homes have been destroyed. Read more here.
  
• 1,000 Christians killed in Nigeria in 2019: According to a new report, more than 6,000 believers have been slaughtered in the country by Muslim Fulani herdsmen since 2015. Read more here.

Israel & Middle East

• Prince Charles to visit Israel: The visit in January will be the Prince’s first official visit and only the second state visit by a member of British royalty since Israel was founded in 1948. The Prince’s trip may mark a shift in Foreign Office policy towards Israel. Read more here and here.
  
• Hamas and Islamic Jihad join forces against Israel: The rival Gaza factions have announced that they will unite against their common enemy in the next round of fighting, according to Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Secretary-General. Read more here. Also this week, it has emerged that Turkey is allowing Hamas operatives to recruit and train their terrorists on Turkish soil.

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: