US theologian Brian McLaren is not alone when he says, ‘Things are only now getting bad enough that Christian faith finally has a chance of getting significantly better.’ In the US and the UK most forms of Western Christian faith are shrinking, with church movement but not church growth. However, McLaren suggests that if the Church could rediscover its call to unconditional love and service rather than focusing on a set of unquestionable beliefs, its future could be not decline but a new era of powerful renaissance. While organised religion is in decline, he sees a potential for ‘organising religion’ to take its place. He describes this as ‘missional migration’, which flows from a reaction against a Church which has been oppressive and genocidal, rooted in a conception of God as being violent and judgmental. Such heritage turns many away from the Church, offering nothing for those who identify as ‘spiritual but not religious’.

The following is from a message by Clifford Hill and David Noakes: ‘God has mercifully given Britain the chance of deliverance from an EU marriage, and opportunities to forge a new role in the world under His blessing. This could be a powerful witness to the nations of the rewards available to all who seek a right relationship with God and are prepared to love and obey Him. There are many who are fearful of the future because they lack understanding of the word of God and lack faith in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. There are many churchgoers who share that fear because they too have never really learned to recognise the word of the Lord as sheep recognise the voice of their own shepherd. But God is loving and merciful and has a word for those who have been anxious about the future since the vote to leave the EU.’ To read and prayerfully weigh a prophecy from David Noakes, click the ‘More’ button.

A migrant charity took over Parliament Square for the day earlier this week with a 'life-jacket graveyard'. Around 2,500 life-jackets were laid out across the site usually reserved for military memorials in an all-day protest urging the UK to do more to help those fleeing war-torn countries by giving them a home here. It was organised by the International Rescue Commission, whose president is David Miliband. However some criticised the 'misjudged' display, saying it will encourage more people to risk their lives in dangerous crossings to Europe. It came as a UN migration summit began in New York, with 193 countries approving a new document aimed at providing a more 'humane and co-ordinated' response to the refugee crisis. Also, the BBC Radio 4 Today programme reported that many of the life-jackets, adult and child sizes, were fake, and would cause the wearer to drown not float.

An east Belfast initiative with ties to the UDA (Ulster Defence Association) paramilitary group is moving towards official recognition. A review by the Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland found that the Resolve project is making a ‘useful contribution in a fragmented community’ while delivering value for a very small amount of money. It is believed to be the first such initiative linked to the paramilitary group. Run on an annual budget of just £37,000, it has only two staff members, supported by a small group of volunteers. Its main activities include mediating neighbourhood disputes and offering non-violent solutions, helping people under paramilitary threat, and tackling antisocial behaviour. A Police Service neighbourhood Inspector said that while he would be happy to refer cases to Resolve, he is unable to do so while it remains unaccredited.

This week, Hungary, which has during the past year come under pressure for its handling of Europe’s mass migration crisis, has become the first government to open an office specifically to address the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Europe. ‘Today, Christianity has become the most persecuted religion, where four out of five people killed for religious reasons are Christians’ said Hungary’s Minister for Human Capacities, Zoltan Balog. 200 million Christians live in areas where they are discriminated against. The move sets a precedent on the international stage. It comes after Hungary’s right-wing conservative Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, drew criticism in the EU by saying Europe should focus on helping Christians, before helping millions of Islamic people coming into Europe. ‘If we really want to help, we should help where the real problem is. We should first help the Christian people before Islamic people’, Orban said.

Swedes need to give up their identity and integrate with migrants because ‘being Swedish needs to be about more than skin colour and place of birth’. In a new TV advert from Swedish charity organisation IM, Swedes are called on to create ‘Det nya landet’ (the new country). The English text from their website says, ‘There is no turning back. Sweden will never be what it was before. It is an understanding of what the world actually looks like – that Sweden is needed as a safe place for people who need refuge. Some yearn back to how it used to be. It’s okay to miss the past and talk about it – but we have to seek ways forward and find a way for everyone to live together. Because now we have a Europe and a Sweden that is what it is: in a state of change.’

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is assessing the security situation ahead of the Tishrei holidays - Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. He has increased police presence in the Old City and Temple Mount to prevent attempts to violate public order, increased watchfulness for PA Arab incitement on social networks, and established a response team to refute disinformation about Israeli policy about the Temple Mount (such as claiming the Jews are plotting to destroy the Al-Aqsa mosque). It appears that the wave of terror that the security personnel thought was behind them is back in full force. In just one day, 18 September, a 50-year-old policeman and a 30-year-old policewoman were stabbed near Jerusalem’s Flower Gate, an IDF officer was wounded inside the town of Efrat in a terror attack, and an Arab woman pulled out a knife on two IDF soldiers near the town of Itamar. See also:

Yesterday the UN said it was ready to resume the delivery of life-saving aid to Syria, days after an attack on a humanitarian convoy killed 20 people and triggered the suspension of much-needed relief operations. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said, ‘The preparation for these convoys has now resumed, and we are ready to deliver aid to besieged and hard-to-reach areas as soon as possible. The UN continues to call for safe, unconditional, unimpeded and sustained access to all Syrians in need, wherever they are.’ However, today this hope now looks increasingly unlikely, following the collapse of talks between the USA and Russia and a resumption of the Syrian government’s attacks on Aleppo.

Pastor William Devlin of Infinity Bible Church in New York City gave $4,000 from his own pocket to buy weapons for the Christian militia fighting IS. He bought grenades, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and AK-47 assault rifles for the Nineveh Plain Protection Units, saying that weapons are much needed by the Christian militia in their battle against terrorists. However, many believe this raises the serious issue of what forms of aid and intervention Western Christians should offer to help their Middle Eastern brothers and sisters. How we engage has wide repercussions and demands deep reflection. Although the US has provided training for weaponry, the American government has not supplied weapons. Meanwhile the Iraqi ministry of the interior revealed that security forces had seized four trucks carrying explosives in southern Baghdad. They had come from Syria and entered Baghdad in collusion with some local authorities, paying $13,000 per truck. See:

Last week, Jordan hosted the 11th General Assembly of the Middle East Council of Churches. Presidents of churches from Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Cyprus, Lebanon, Egypt and Iran reflected on common challenges facing Christian communities in the region and met with King Abdullah who gave his support by saying, ‘Christians in the Arab world are an integral part of the Arab social fabric and protecting their rights is a duty of all.’ At the close of the three-day assembly, the leaders said how they appreciate the support of Muslim leaders in the region and value their combatting extremism. They asked for intervention to stop the war in Syria and to give support to the region’s refugees, and urged the speedy election of a president in Lebanon. In Lebanon, the constitution requires the president to be a Christian but the post has been vacant for over two years as the sides cannot agree on a candidate.