Society and Politics

• Twitter censors VfJUK and other organisations. As highlighted in the article by Lynda Rose this week, four organisations upholding traditional family values have had their Twitter accounts disabled. For further information, including a link to their petition, please see Voice for Justice UK’s website here.
• School employee sacked after sharing petition about LGBT lessons. Last year, Kristie Higgs, 44, was dismissed for gross misconduct by Farmor's School in Fairford, Gloucestershire, after sharing two Facebook posts to around 100 people in her network. Christie’s employment tribunal, where she is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre, is currently taking place. Read more here.
• Gender self-ID ruled out. After a period of consultation, plans to allow people to change their gender without a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria have been dropped. Women and Equalities Minister, Liz Truss explained that instead of changing the legislation, the process and experience of applying for a gender recognition certificate would be made "kinder and more straightforward". See here and here.

World News

• 1,500 baptised in single ceremony in Thailand. Nearly 1,500 people have been baptised in one massive outdoor ceremonial event in central Thailand. Baptismal candidates gathered from five provinces for the special occasion, following a number of years of growth for the Thai church. Read more here.
• Nigeria condemned for jailing 13-year-old on blasphemy charges. Following an argument with a friend in August, Umar Farouq was convicted of making offensive remarks about God. The incident took place in Kano State, one of the areas in Nigeria where Sharia law is enforced. Read more here.

Israel and Middle East

• Facebook Promotes Holocaust Denial. It has been claimed that when people look at posts on Facebook which deny the Holocaust, they are directed by the site’s algorithm to other posts which also affirm this view. It is alleged that only in countries like Germany, France and Poland, where Holocaust denial is actually illegal, do Facebook remove such posts from their site. Read more here.
• Young Americans ignorant of Holocaust. In a separate story regarding the Holocaust, a recent poll conducted among Americans under the age of 40 has revealed some shocking statistics – not least that almost two-thirds are unaware of the basic facts of the Jewish genocide, and many believe the Holocaust is a myth, or greatly exaggerated. Read more here.

Upcoming Events

• Yom Kippur begins on Sunday evening, 27 September. Also known as the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. CMJ-UK has compiled a prayer guide for the entire Days of Awe period, 18–28 September. Available here. A guide for individual or group prayer on Yom Kippur is available here.

‘Becoming Overcomers’ – more webinars in the ‘Relevance for Today’ series.
A second interactive webinar course of nine sessions is planned for Issachar Ministries on Wednesday afternoons, to start on 14 October 2020. Click here to see and hear more from Clifford and Monica Hill, who will be giving input on the Seven Churches of Revelation. You can reserve your place with Jacqueline on 07759 042 315 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .