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News in Brief, 12 May 2017

12 May 2017 General
News in Brief, 12 May 2017

Some recent news to inform your prayers.

Society & Politics

  • Theresa May denies that gay sex is sinful: Speaking on the Andrew Marr show, the Prime Minister also dodged a question about Christians being singled out for aggressive intolerance in Britain. Read more here.
  • Supreme Court agrees to hear Ashers case: After losing their case at the Court of Appeal in Belfast in December 2016, the bakery is delighted that the UK Supreme Court has agreed to hear their appeal. The hearing is scheduled for October. Read more here.

Church Issues

  • Rival CofE body planned? A leaked document suggests that conservative Anglicans are planning to split from the increasingly liberal established church and set up a rival, biblical Anglican structure. Read more here.

World Scene

  • 82 Chibok girls freed! In exchange for the release of Boko Haram militants, 82 of the abducted Nigerian schoolgirls have been returned home to their families. Around 100 girls are still unaccounted for. Read more here.
  • 40% Germans hold modern anti-Semitic views: The new statistic is up from 28% in 2014, based on research into anti-Jewish attitudes connected to criticism of the Israeli state. Read more here. Meanwhile, anti-Semitism in Canada reaches a record high in 2016, and the Pew Research Center has published that 10% of Central and Eastern Europeans don’t want Jews as citizens.

Israel & Middle East

  • Further ISIS attack on Egyptian Coptics: A Christian man was killed by an ISIS gunman on Saturday, in the northern Sinai town of El-Arish, while a Christian father and his two sons were murdered the previous week in the Sinai town of Rafah. ISIS have promised more attacks on the Coptic population. Read more here.
  • Israel recognises itself as Jewish State: The Israeli government has passed a new bill enshrining the country’s intrinsic Jewish identity in its basic laws, making it officially the national homeland of the Jewish people. Read more here.
  • Foreign Office cancels Prince Charles’s visit to Israel: The visit, planned for later this year to mark the Balfour centenary, would have been the first British royal state visit to Israel. It is rumoured to have been cancelled to avoid upsetting Arab nations. Read more here. Meanwhile, President Trump will visit Israel during his first international tour, arriving in the country on 22 May. Read more here.
  • Palestinian hunger strike leader filmed eating: Imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, who spearheaded the strike which has caught international media attention, was caught on camera eating in his cell bathroom. Watch footage and read more here.

 

Upcoming Events

  • Foundations Taster Day (13 May): 10am-4pm, Bedford. With Steve Maltz and Paul Luckraft. Click here for more information.
  • Unbelievable? The Conference (13 May): London. World-class Christian apologists and evangelists show how Jesus is “the answer to life, the universe and everything”. A Premier event. Find out more and book here.
  • ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ Wave of Prayer (25 May – 4 June): Join the Anglican Church’s call for a global wave of prayer between Ascension and Pentecost 2017. Click here for more information.
  • A Night to Honour Israel (22 June): 7pm, Westminster. Unite with Christians and Jews in the Balfour centenary year to show your support for Israel. Click here to find out more and book tickets (£10 for adults, children free).

 

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 also recommend the following news services for regular updates from a Christian perspective: