Christians are to stop putting politics ahead of the Gospel as they advance racial reconciliation, according to comments at an event held in memory of Martin Luther King Jr. While focusing on racial tension in the USA, the dean for intercultural student development at Calvin College Michigan said there had been ‘significant consequences’ of Donald Trump’s win. ‘For those of us who wept as a result of it, we didn't weep because we're big fans of the Democrats. We wept because we knew not just the national but the global witness of the Church was at stake’, she said. A senior pastor from Austin, Texas called on churches to focus on ‘the politics of heaven’ over ‘the politics of this earth.’

Vice-president Nouri al-Maliki wants to regain the premiership he lost in 2014, and many believe he is leveraging his influence over the judicial process to marginalise political rivals ahead of the elections on 12 May. Iraq’s savvy and powerful politicians are using judicial, legislative, and procedural means to disqualify their opponents or break up opposing coalitions, especially after candidate lists were filed on 10 February. Such disqualifications undermine the legitimacy of the Iraqi government in ways that accelerate insurgency and negate the military gains the US has made against IS in Iraq. Meanwhile Islamic leaders slander Christians in mosques, leading to further persecution. Government officials, both national and local, have threatened Christians, ‘encouraging’ them to leave the country. Political parties who hinder pluralism also contribute to the persecution of Christians in the public space. See

Many believe religious freedom is being eroded in the UK, and want the Government to protect it in law. Affinity, a fellowship of evangelical churches, has joined forces with Barnabas Fund to call for a new law to protect freedoms that have taken centuries to establish in the UK. Religious freedom is being replaced with secular freedom. People are invited to sign a petition at OurReligiousFreedom.org; it asks the Government to clarify religious rights in law so that potential persecution is prevented in the future. Currently believers have many legal rights that are being tested in the courts. Clarifying the current law would end spurious cases to prosecute Christians for things like preaching in public and end the need for social workers, teachers and healthcare workers to take their employers to court after being sacked for rejecting a politically correct version of the Bible, for example sexual ethics.

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25% of people in Namibia have HIV/AIDS, and 35% are unemployed. Life expectancy is plummeting. Political conflicts, colonialism and apartheid have left scars. Ethnic tensions and potential economic collapse threaten the fragile stability. Although 90% of the population is Christian, afro-spiritualism has crept into the church, leading to ungodly worship practices. However, a prayer movement is sweeping the nation and building community among Christians. The San, the Himba, and the peoples of the Kavango and Caprivi strips are the least evangelised in Namibia; missionaries need wisdom and discernment to develop specific approaches to reach them. Purity in worship and in the Church must be restored in the lives of Namibian Christians. The deeper their walk with God, the brighter the light of Christ will shine through them, attracting those who have not heard or do not yet believe.

Iran’s regional activities have stretched its capacity, its economy is already in difficulty, and while President Trump has said he will renew the sanction waivers one last time, a collapse of the nuclear enrichment agreement would cause severe problems. It is not known who might replace the ailing Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, in the near future. In Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is assuming greater power while preparing to become king. He has liberal policies on economic reforms, and some foresee possible attempts to prevent his coronation. When Kurds voted for independence Iraq experienced political chaos, and challenges remain as they prepare to elect a new parliament in May. Meanwhile Christian villages are being freed from jihadists and the faithfulness of the region’s church is causing Muslims, disillusioned by violence perpetrated in the name of religion, to walk the path of peace and reconciliation.

Lunchtime services are held every Tuesday in a chapel at the Houses of Parliament. These are times created to give our politicians an opportunity for Christian reflection in the midst of a challenging and busy parliamentary life. We can pray for a powerful outpouring of God's Holy Spirit to envelop all who attend these meetings. May the guest speakers deliver timely, inspired encouragement in these days of political change and challenges. The next meeting, on 16 January, will have as its theme, ‘Who is welcome in the Kingdom of God?’ May many who are with or without faith hear this message and perceive God’s personal call on their lives. The theme on 23 January is ‘What is the key to intimacy with God?’ Pray for our parliamentarians to be freed up and enabled to create space to hear God’s whisper designed exclusively for them.

An online survey by Bournemouth University received 1,591 responses from Christians of all denominations. 1,002 said they had experienced spiritual abuse. Caution has been expressed about these figures, not least because existing work on spiritual abuse is in its infancy, even though it is a commonly-used term. Being spiritually abused was not a prerequisite for participation in the survey, but some may have taken the opportunity to share their story anonymously, possibly for the first time. 72% of those who responded to the survey said they knew what it meant, with key characteristics identified as coercion, manipulation, pressuring and control through the misuse of religious texts and scripture. Many respondents said that clearer policies were needed in churches and Christian organisations.

The Eurosceptic German right claims that the Alternative for Germany party is the only really Christian political group in Germany, as the ruling CDU has failed to defend the nation’s religious and cultural heritage. In England Malcolm Pearson of UKIP has denounced the political establishment for giving in to politically correct definitions of equality and hate speech, saying he fears it could soon become illegal to assert Jesus’ divinity. Italy’s Northern League are objecting to a prime location in the Florence region being made available for the construction of a mosque. Across Europe, parties on the political right and far-right are talking the language of Christian heritage. In many cases their strongest adversaries include the clergy and bishops of Europe’s Christian churches, with political pronouncements on welfare and migration.

On his third day of high school, the parents of 17-year-old Sharoon Masih learned that he had been in a fight and had been taken to hospital. They rushed to the hospital but found he was dead. His school friends said he died in the classroom. Police said that another student at the Punjab school kicked Sharoon in the stomach and that he died of internal injuries. The student charged in his death now awaits trial, but police are not calling the attack a hate crime. Many suspect the teenager was targeted because he was a Christian. Christians are regularly discriminated against in education, employment and housing. Sharoon’s parents want to know what happened and why no-one saved him. He wanted to be a lawyer, and was to start as an apprentice at a lawyer’s office after completing high school. Sharoon’s father has stopped sending his six other children to school because he does not feel they will be safe.

Rev’d Rose Hudson-Wilkin is a familiar figure around Parliament: leading daily prayers in the House of Commons Chamber, officiating at Wednesday’s Holy Communion, and providing pastoral care for Members and staff of both Houses. She is also available to discuss weddings and baptisms. Conservative MP Gary Streeter has been a Member of Parliament since 1992, and served as a minister under John Major. He specialises in international development, and is committed to supporting Christians across all parties to live out their faith in their work in Parliament. Labour MP Gavin Shuker previously served as shadow international development minister, and chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on prostitution and the global sex trade. Before being elected, Gavin was employed by his local church and worked in the community. Democratic Unionist Party MP Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP spokesman for defence and business issues, is a member of the UK delegation to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly.