Society & Politics
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Dramatic decline of professing Christians in the UK: A new national survey published this week has found that, as of last year, only 38% of those polled identified as being Christian. This figure stood at 66% in 1983. Read more here.
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Slight decline in support for pre-marital sex and same-sex sexual relationships: The same survey mentioned above has suggested that acceptance of these sexual relations is slowing down in the UK. Read more here.
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'Drag Queen Story Hour' for children: On Saturday 27 July, a 'Drag Queen Story Hour' is scheduled to take place in a library in Wembley, London, aimed at children as young as 5 years. Read more here.
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PM backs compulsory LGBT education for children: Despite parent protests, Theresa May has strongly supported obligatory Relationships Education in all primary schools in England from 2020. Read more here.
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Christian doctor suing over dismissal for holding to biblical gender truth: Dr David Mackereth, an NHS doctor for 26 years, is taking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to an employment tribunal after being fired for refusing to use 'transgender pronouns'. Read more here.
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Government trying to impose same-sex 'marriage' and abortion on Northern Ireland: In a landmark vote this week, the House of Commons approved amendments to the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill, effectively forcing abortion and same-sex 'marriage' on the province in the absence of a devolved government. There has been pushback in the House of Lords. Read more here and here, and in this week’s Editorial here.
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Woman shares her abortion testimony in TV debate: Laura Mann spoke movingly and courageously about her abortion at aged 19 and her regret and depression afterwards on the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme recently. Read more here.
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Foreign Office discriminating against persecuted believers: The Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has admitted that political correctness has resulted in aid failing to reach persecuted Christians overseas. Read more here.
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Unexpected support for Felix Ngole: Prominent LGBT campaigner Peter Tatchell has defended the right of Felix Ngole and Christians generally to publicly express the Bible’s position on homosexuality. Read more here.
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Good news for Christian street preachers: Avon and Somerset Police have apologised to street preachers to whom they wrongly issued a dispersal order in Bath last year. At the same time, they have promised to ensure that all staff understand the importance of freedom of expression. Read more here.
World Scene
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Setbacks for free speech: Two items of recent news, one involving the US Army War College and the other involving Amazon, are concerning for all who value free speech in the West. Read more here and here.
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Intensifying persecution of believers in China: There continues to be a major crackdown on believers in China. A first-hand report says it is no longer safe for followers of Christ there. Read more here and here.
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Eight Christians on death row in Pakistan: They await the death sentence after being convicted under the Islamic law of “blasphemy”. Read more here.
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Suffering Sri Lankan believers: Christian Tamils have been ordered by neighbouring Muslim extremists to convert to Islam or leave their traditional homeland in the country. Read more here.
Israel & Middle East
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David’s refuge: Archaeologists believe they have found the remains of the town of Ziklag where David took refuge from Saul. Read more here.
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Iranian vessels try to seize British tanker: Iran attempted to take over a British oil tanker this week in the Persian Gulf but was stopped by a Royal Navy frigate. Read more here and Charles Gardner’s article this week here.
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US and Israel confer on Iran and security: President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have discussed this week how to respond to Iran’s actions in the region, amongst other topical matters. Read more here.
Events / Job Opportunities
- How beautiful on the mountains! – How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who take part in the fourth annual Run 4 Israel in North Wales on Sunday 21 July. The five-mile run (or walk) will be held on a Welsh mountain range to demonstrate support for the Jewish state as it comes under increasing worldwide attack. Competitors of all ages will carry Israeli flags and the event is once again being hosted by the Father’s House Sabbath Congregation in Shotton, Deeside, as part of a weekend conference. The run starts at 11am and will be followed by a barbecue and games on a nearby mountainside orchard. “Advocacy for Israel is vital in these times when the nation is being unjustly vilified by many,” explained Father’s House pastor Mike Fryer. For security reasons, the exact location will only be given when registering for the event. For more details, call Rebekah Rutter on 01244 823378.
- International Christian Consulate touring churches (15-21 July): The ICC will be sharing with churches and groups about God’s work amongst persecuted Christian refugees and asylum-seekers in Greece. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for an opportunity to connect, learn and get involved. Find out more about the ICC here.
- Jews for Jesus seek church relations officer: The Messianic mission group are seeking someone to build on existing church partnerships and help establish new ones. Part or full time, from home. Find out more here.
- Conference on Knife Crime and Youth Violence: This is scheduled to take place on 26 March 2020 at the East Midlands Conference Centre. See here for details.
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:
- Christian Concern (UK)
- Christian Institute (UK)
- JNN News (Barry and Batya Segal, Israel)
- Worthy News (Israel)
- Family Watch International
- Barnabas Fund
- Kehila News (Israel)
For regular news briefings about Israel, the Jewish News Syndicate is also recommended.
