Society and Politics

• UK’s post-Brexit trade deals. As 11th hour negotiations continue between the UK and EU over a post-Brexit trade deal, the UK signed a free trade deal with Singapore this week, covering trade worth £17.6bn. The agreement removes tariffs, gives both countries access to each other’s markets in services, and cuts non-tariff barriers in a great many industries. What is most surprising about this significant deal is the paucity of attention it attracted on British mainstream media. The same has been true of numerous other deals that the UK has managed to sign with other countries, and which will come into effect on 1 January 2021. Within the last 24 months, the UK has made substantial trade-agreements with Canada, Japan, Israel, Chile, Iceland, Norway, Egypt, South Korea, Switzerland, Georgia, and numerous other nations. The UK government is also holding trade talks with countries that do not currently have EU trade deals, such as the US, Australia and New Zealand.
• JK Rowling calls out ‘climate of fear’ in trans debate. In her first interview since she sparked controversy by speaking out on transgender issues, Harry Potter author, JK Rowling has called for an end to the “climate of fear” around the trans debate, and told of the “heart-breaking” letters she received from young people who regretted their gender reassignment surgery. Meanwhile, a leading psychiatrist who warned about the use of experimental treatments at NHS England’s gender identity clinic for children is now facing disciplinary action because of words spoken on gender dysphoria.
• Blunder sees 69 fishing boat migrants 'walk free'. 69 Albanians caught hiding in a trawler off East Anglia last month were let off illegal-entry charges because they were detained before setting foot on British soil – a key criteria under the law. The Home Office said it was 'disappointed' with the decision. Five of the men had already pleaded guilty to unlawful entry and were jailed for two weeks; but their convictions are expected to be quashed. Read more here. Meanwhile, the number of migrants making the crossing from France to Britain rises on a daily basis. On Thursday alone, 31 people were rescued in near-freezing conditions off Calais, including two children. Another 27 did make it to the UK, being detained by Border Force as they arrived in two small vessels in treacherous winter weather.
• Shadow faith minister resigns over same-sex marriage comments. MP for Lewisham East, Janet Daby has relinquished her role as Labour's faith minister after daring to suggest that registrars should be allowed to refrain from conducting same-sex wedding ceremonies on religious grounds. "There needs to be something in place that protects people of faith as well as those who think the other way," she said. Daby received a barrage of criticism for her comments, which she later termed ‘misjudged’, insisting she was proud to support same-sex marriages. At present, registrars cannot refuse to marry a same-sex couple because of their religious convictions. Read more here.
  
  

Church Issues

• Bible App’s most popular verse of 2020. The Bible verse shared, bookmarked, and highlighted most often by the global YouVersion community this year is Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you...” YouVersion founder Bobby Gruenewald said the popularity of the verse goes to show how much people were looking for hope during a year marked with uncertainty and fear. But in fact, the most popular verses from previous years also focus on overcoming fear. In 2019 it was Philippians 4:6, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything…”; in 2018 it was again Isaiah 41:10, while in 2017 it was Joshua 1:9; “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged”. The statistics also show that 2020 was a record-breaking year for the Bible app in question.

World Events

• Argentinian parliament honours 38 evangelical leaders who died from coronavirus. In a moving tribute, 38 evangelical church leaders across Argentina who have died of Covid-19 in recent months were nationally honoured by the Argentinian National Congress. Deputy Speaker, Dina Rezinovsky paid an extensive and emotional tribute to the pastors, naming them one by one. Rezinovsky said of the work that churches have been carrying out during the pandemic that it was "noble, selfless" and had "an impact on the most vulnerable sectors of society". Argentina ranks ninth among the countries with most coronavirus cases with almost 1.5 million cases. Read more here.
• Norway introduces ‘Hate-speech’ laws. Norway's government has now officially barred its citizens from speaking against transgender people, even in their own homes. Lawbreakers caught saying something in private against transgender people will get a fine or a year in jail. Others who make comments in the public arena can net up to three years in jail. Still on the issue of gender identity, back in the UK, a 14-year-old girl, known only as Miss B, is threatening the College of Policing with legal action over its guidance on ‘hate incidents’ in schools. Miss B fears that the vague definition of 'hostility' used on the College's website – that even includes the perception of 'ill will', 'unfriendliness' or 'dislike' – could leave her with a police record. 

Israel and the Middle East

• Exciting possible discovery of Jesus’s childhood home in Nazareth. A group of nuns happened to uncover an ancient cistern while building their Sisters of Nazareth convent in the Israeli town of same name in 1881. In the years since then the site had largely languished. That is until Ken Dark, an archaeologist at England’s University of Reading, recently carried out further research. The site consists of a first-century building that may have been a dwelling. Later, a Byzantine church was built on the ground above. Dark believes there is strong evidence for believing that this is none other than the previously lost Church of the Nutrition, which was built to commemorate the place where Christ was brought up. Read more here.
• Attack on Gethsemane church intended to "drive Christians from the Holy Land". An arson attack occurred on 4th December in the Church of Gethsemane in Jerusalem, close to the Mount of Olives. Flammable liquid was used to set fire inside the building, damaging wooden pews and a Byzantine floor mosaic. A 49-year-old Israeli man was arrested by Israeli police in connection with the attack, which the most senior church leader in Jerusalem termed "a crime inspired by an extreme ideology that seeks to drive Christians from the Holy Land". Conservative MP Steve Double, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Christianity in the Holy Land, said: "This attack at a site of great significance to Christians worldwide reveals the threat that radical groups pose”. Members of the Jewish community have also spoken out against the attack. Read more here.
• Minister leaves Methodist Church over its support for BDS. A Christian minister has put his livelihood on the line by quitting the Methodist Church of Southern Africa over its Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) policy towards Israel. Reverend Rowan Rennie says he would rather “sleep on the street than stand against the people of God”. In a video that has since gone viral, Rennie said amongst other points that the Methodist Church’s resolution was “so unbiblical and such an injustice that we cannot find ourselves under the umbrella of the Methodist Church”.

Upcoming Events

• Virtual Guided tour of Old Jerusalem and Bethlehem. As we approach Christmas, a US-based team has come up with an innovative means of exploring the sites where it all began. Thingstododc has developed a virtual tour which will explore the Holy City of Jerusalem through each of its four quarters (Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Armenian), as well as the nearby city of Bethlehem. Participants will learn about the Western Wall of Solomon’s Temple, the Dome of the Rock, the Temple Mount, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Western Wall Temple (among others). The tour takes place on Friday, 18 December 2020 beginning at 19:00, US Eastern time – which, unfortunately for many, translates to midnight, British time. More information and tickets available here.