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

Society & Politics

• Education Secretary pushes free speech on campus: Writing in The Times, Gavin Williamson has called for further action to be taken to protect the rights of students to express themselves freely. Read more here. Also this week, the High Court has found in favour of an ex-police officer subjected to police threats after posting about transgenderism on social media. Read more here.
  
• Calls for memorial for Holocaust heroine: Politicians are calling for a national memorial to be built in honour of Jane Haining, a Scottish missionary to Hungary who died at Auschwitz after refusing to leave the Jewish girls in her care. Read more here.

Church Issues

• Franklin Graham stands his ground after venue cancellation: After all the venues booked for Graham’s UK tour cancelled due to outcry from LGBTQ+ activists, the US preacher is seeking alternative venues and considering legal action. Read more here. A legal dispute from his last visit to the UK will be heard in court next month.
  
• Synod affirms: 98% abortions are morally wrong: Challenged by Andrea Williams to re-affirm the CofE’s position on the matter, the House of Bishops has re-stated that it is almost always morally unacceptable. Read more here.
  
• CofE still ‘deeply, institutionally racist’ says Welby: The Archbishop of Canterbury has expressed his regret over both historic and contemporary racism in the Church. Read more here.

World Scene

• Wuhan believers risk own health to share gospel: Christians living at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak are risking their own safety to give out facemasks and share the gospel. Read more here. Click here to read a prayer request from a Wuhan pastor.
  
• Nearly 1 in 6 children live in warzones: Some 415 million children worldwide live in areas of conflict, according to a new Save the Children report – an increase of 34% since 2010. Read more here.
  
• Starbucks’ new transgender ad campaign: The coffee chain is partnering with trans activist group Mermaids to promote transgender ‘diversity’. Read more here and here. Also this week, a 13-year-old girl is taking Oxford County Council to court over its transgender guidance for schools. Read more here.

Israel & Middle East

• Israel and Gulf states to sign non-aggression pact? A former Qatari Prime Minister has said that several Arab states are lining up to sign a peace agreement with Israel. Read more here. Also this week, a Palestinian-sponsored resolution at the UN damning the Trump ‘Deal of the Century’ was withdrawn after failing to garner adequate support. Read more here.
• Turkey faces escalation in Syria: A dozen Turkish troops have been killed by Syrian regime forces so far this month, with Turkey claiming to have killed more than 100 regime soldiers in response. Turkey invaded Syria’s north-western Idlib province in October, ostensibly in the name of de-escalation. Read more here. Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force has reportedly been continuing to target Iranian assets in Damascus. Read more here.
• UN publishes ‘blacklist’ of companies doing business in West Bank: 112 companies operating in the West Bank, 95 of which are Israeli, have been ‘named and shamed’ by the UN Human Rights Council. The list is intended to punish companies deemed to be encouraging Israeli ‘occupation’ by doing business with Jews/Israelis who live in the disputed territory. Read more here and here.

Events

• Our Kids Are Being Taught What?! Part 2 (London): 22 February. The second in a series of conferences on sex, gender, relationships and young people, with a particular focus on how parents can respond to popular messages being levelled at children and teens. St Luke’s Church, Wimbledon Park, 10:30am-5:30pm. Find out more and book tickets here.

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: