Average price of a home falls by £14,000 in a year
House prices fell at their fastest annual rate in 14 years in August as rising mortgage rates affected the market. ‘We may be seeing a greater impact from higher mortgage costs flowing through to house prices,’ said the Halifax director of mortgages. ‘The market will continue to rebalance until it finds an equilibrium where buyers are comfortable with mortgage costs in a higher range than seen over the previous fifteen years.’ First-time buyers have welcomed a fall in prices but face relatively high repayment costs, alongside other cost-of-living pressures such as higher prices in the shops. On the flip side, wage growth has helped affordability. Despite the fall in property values, the Halifax said that prices were only back to the level seen at the start of last year, and still £40,000 higher than before Covid.
Finland: Christian MP on trial for Bible tweet
In April 2022, Finnish MP and former government minister Päivi Räsänen was declared innocent of all charges over her beliefs on sexuality, but the prosecutors appealed the verdict. The latest trial involves expressions of her Christian faith in a tweet, in a church pamphlet twenty years ago, and in a 2019 radio interview. She is accused under the ‘War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity’ for ‘agitation against a minority group’. She says it is a very important verdict for freedom of speech and religion in Finland, which has consequences across Europe. Räsänen’s tweet challenged her church leadership for sponsoring a Pride event, and included a picture of a Bible verse from Romans. The prosecutor said she wasn’t putting God in the dock, but rather those who interpret what the Bible says: ‘You can cite the Bible, but it is Räsänen’s interpretation and opinion about Bible verses that are criminal.’ The court will deliver a verdict by 30 November.
Russia: Baptist leader targeted after praying for peace
Yuri Sipko, a retired pastor and former president of the Baptist World Alliance, fled Russia when the authorities attempted to arrest him for publicly praying for peace in Ukraine. He decided to do this after his participation in an online prayer vigil for Ukraine at an event hosted by Mission Eurasia. From an undisclosed location in Europe, he said, ‘The law makes it a crime to call the war a war and forbids anyone to call for peace in Ukraine. But I prayed for peace and said it is a crime to drop rockets and bombs on the Ukrainian people’. He evaded capture on 8 August and has since been placed on a most-wanted list for disseminating false information about the invasion. ‘It is a terrible thing when the word “peace” is outlawed. Everything is upside-down in Russia’, he said.
USA: shot children need more than bullet holes healed
Firearms are the most common cause of death for people under 17, outranking traffic accidents. Gun-related deaths amongst youths have doubled in ten years. Pew Research found gun deaths among under-18's in the USA rose by 50% between 2019-2021. It is not just the physical wounds that need treating. Experts who work with gunshot victims say that children who have been shot are much more likely to be shot again because they go back to the same places and the same people. That child not only gets traumatised physically, but also mentally. Young victims need help getting back on the right track - that means enrolling in school, finding new friends, and getting a job - to break the cycle of violence. Dr Katie Donnelly has launched a youth violence intervention programme. Instead of treating gun-shot wounds as isolated incidents, it takes that horrific moment in a young person's life and turns it into a starting point for change.
Burkina Faso: ‘Will we survive another 24 hours?’
Burkina Faso is shaken by political conflict and military coups. ‘Attacks against Christians are common. Many don’t know if they will survive another day. They see loved ones beheaded, raped or reduced to sexual slavery’, said Father Rouamba. He said that Christians are affected on a daily basis by the appalling actions of Al-Qaeda and IS. Terrorists began targeting Christians in Kompienga Province, east Burkina Faso, around Pentecost this year. ‘If people refuse to convert to Islam, they are forced to leave, but as the roads are blocked, they are left to wander around in the forest with no possessions, and many die due to lack of food. These are real tragedies that are not reported in the media.’ Father Rouamba wants to set up support units, offering spiritual and psychological support. Christians who had, to some extent, abandoned religious practice before the crisis are returning to their faith at a time when terrorists are trying to extinguish Christianity.
China: Christianity now banned
On 1 September, new rules came into force to limit all religious activities to official venues only and forbid displaying any religious symbols outdoors. All religious activity must be supervised by the state so that places of worship support the leadership of China’s Communist Party. Release International’s Paul Robinson says the new rules are tantamount to a complete ban on Christianity, but in fact Christianity in China is growing. The number of Christians in China has long surpassed the membership of the Communist Party. ChinaAid said they have not seen the Communist Party as bold as they have been this summer in playing God and twisting how the Gospel is taught. The only correct perspective in the eyes of the Communist government is worship of the state and placing faith in Xi Jinping.