Christian demoted for views on gay weddings
Christians are being unfairly treated for expressing their beliefs, campaigners have complained, after a housing manager was demoted for speaking out on gay marriage on his own Facebook page. Adrian Smith, a Christian, posted in his own time a response to a news story on the Government’s plans to allow gay weddings in church. The posting, which was only available to his friends, questioned whether the plans were ‘an equality too far’. Mr Smith said the comments, posted on a page which identified the user as a housing association employee, were against equal opportunities policy. Mr Smith is threatening to take the housing association to court claiming damages equivalent to his lost pay. Mike Judge, a spokesman for the Christian Institute, said it is the latest case of a public servant being targeted for their beliefs.
Pray: for Mr Smith and others like him as they stand up for their faith when challenged. (1Cor.16:13)
More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/8844445/Christian-demoted-for-views-on-gay-weddings.html
Charity aims for joint ‘sexting’ prevention pilot with police
A Scottish children’s charity is hoping to establish a joint pilot project with the Police to tackle the growing problem of ‘sexting’ in Scotland. ‘Sexting’ – the practice of sending sexually explicit images via text, email and social networking websites – has become an increasing concern amidst other types of sexual exploitation of youngsters on the internet. The
news comes following recent research by Plymouth University, which found that 40 per cent of 14 to 15-year-olds did not see anything inappropriate about a topless photo. The pilot is being set up by Stop it Now! Scotland (SNS), which campaigns against child abuse, along with Lothian and Borders Police, Barnardo’s Scotland and the Scottish Crime and Enforcement Agency. Initially it will involve SNS workers visiting children who have been reported to the Police and their parents to talk through the impact of such behaviour. If successful, it will be rolled out across Scotland.
Pray: that this pilot scheme will lead to solving this form of abuse of the young. (Pr.2:7)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/charity-aims-for-joint-sexting-prevention-pilot-with-police/
Drug smugglers targeting 'lucrative' European market
A senior official with Europol, the EU crime-busting agency, has voiced concern about ‘worrying’ new trends in the illegal drugs market. Speaking in Brussels on Tuesday, Patrick Byrne also said that the DNA of drug smugglers had changed in recent years. ‘They are becoming more clever and more sophisticated in their methods than ever before,’ said Byrne, assistant director for the operations department at Europol. He also said drug traffickers, including Mexican cartels, were continuing to target the ‘lucrative’ drugs market in Europe, and increasingly trying to get a foothold using routes via the Balkans. Byrne was speaking at a joint news conference with Russell Benson, a regional director with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Europol has come under fire in some quarters for an alleged lack of impact in the fight against organised crime, including drug dealing. But Byrne said the agency had had a ‘real’ impact since it became a fully-fledged EU agency in 2010.
Pray: that Europol would continue to have success in tackling the drug menace. (Rom.6:20)
Drug smugglers targeting 'lucrative' European market
A senior official with Europol, the EU crime-busting agency, has voiced concern about ‘worrying’ new trends in the illegal drugs market. Speaking in Brussels on Tuesday, Patrick Byrne also said that the DNA of drug smugglers had changed in recent years. ‘They are becoming more clever and more sophisticated in their methods than ever before,’ said Byrne, assistant director for the operations department at Europol. He also said drug traffickers, including Mexican cartels, were continuing to target the ‘lucrative’ drugs market in Europe, and increasingly trying to get a foothold using routes via the Balkans. Byrne was speaking at a joint news conference with Russell Benson, a regional director with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Europol has come under fire in some quarters for an alleged lack of impact in the fight against organised crime, including drug dealing. But Byrne said the agency had had a ‘real’ impact since it became a fully-fledged EU agency in 2010.
Pray: that Europol would continue to have success in tackling the drug menace. (Rom.6:20)
Burma: Christians in peace talks with government
Christian leaders in Burma are holding peace talks with the country’s central government whih they hope will help to end the 60-year conflict that has exhausted the nation’s civilian population. The rare opportunity for change has resulted in a group of Karen National Union leaders establishing a peace committee in hopes of capitalising on the transformations occurring in their fractured country. The Karen are a predominantly Christian minority group located in eastern and southern regions of the country that have been at war with the government since shortly after Burma gained independence from the UK in 1948. Ryan Morgan, an advocacy officer at International Christian Concern, ‘is hoping these talks are going to produce lasting results. ICC is excited about the possibility of changes and we are watching them closely.' I think it’s important, though, that the international community and other organisations stay aware of the plight of Christians living in Burma,’ he added.
Pray: for the nation of Burma and especially the predominantly Christian Karen minority group as they enter into these peace talks. (Lev.26:6)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/burmas.christians.in.peace.talks.with.government/29151.htm
Kenya: Faith leaders urge calm after court indicts politicians
Faith leaders in Kenya called for calm after the International Criminal Court in The Hague committed to trial high-ranking politicians for crimes against humanity in connection with violence following elections in 2007. Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, fellow presidential candidate William Ruto, cabinet secretary Francis Muthaura and radio journalist Joshua Sang will be tried for an orchestrated campaign to displace, torture, and kill civilians. More than 1,200 people died and around 650,000 were left homeless in clashes in the Rift Valley, Nyanza, Nairobi and Central provinces. ‘We call for sobriety and restraint as Kenyans engage in discussion and interpretation of the decision and its ramifications,’ said the Rev Peter Karanja, the general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Kenya, in a statement on 23 January. The council in 2009 urged the court to investigate the violence, following failure by the government to establish a local justice system to deal with the causes.
Pray: for restraint as these politicians engage in discussion. Pray for peace and justice. (Job.34:17a)
Nigeria: Boko Haram declares war
Police in Nigeria discovered ten more car bombs on Tuesday in Kano, an area already reeling from multiple bombings on Friday. Spokesman for Voice of the Martyrs USA, Todd Nettleton, says the level of sophistication is what's drawing their concern. ‘This was a very serious attack. It also shows the growing ability of Boko Haram to coordinate attacks and to maximize the body count.’ Boko Haram, a radical Islamist sect, claimed the bomb blasts that killed 256 people. The attacks
came shortly after Muslim prayers in that beleaguered nation's second-largest city. This time instead of churches, it was police headquarters and other police stations, a secret police building, and immigration offices that were targeted. According to a video released by the group's leader, the attacks were a response to a refusal by the authorities to release the sect's members from custody. This could amount to starting a civil war and destabilizing the government at the same time.
Pray: against these ongoing conflicts that a solution will be found that will bring ongoing unity and peace. (Jn.17:23)
Pakistan: Asia Bibi’s accuser admits to phony charges?
The case of Asia Bibi, the Pakistan Christian mother-of-five who was sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy, has taken an extraordinary turn. According to a story monitored by the ASSIST News Service, Qari Salam, who accused Bibi of blasphemy charges, which resulted in a jail sentence and possible hanging, is reported to have 'ostensibly' regretted filing a blasphemy charge against the impoverished Christian woman. ‘The source of his guilt is the realization that the case was not based on facts but on hyped religious emotions and personal bias of some village women, including his wife.’ Bibi has been languishing in Sheikhupura jail since a sessions court gave her a death sentence for insulting Prophet Muhammad. Qari, according to some of his close friends, was now thinking of not pursuing the case anymore and expressed his desire to some of his friends, only to find himself in a difficult situation when activists of an Islamic religious organization ‘convinced’ him not to change his mind. (See Prayer Alert 10-2011)
Pray: that the case against Asia Bibi will now be dropped and she will be set free. (Ps.142:7)
Niger: Thousands of villages hit by severe food shortages
Nearly half Niger’s population does not have enough to eat and the government says it is facing a grain shortfall of 692,501 tons, following another severe drought across the Sahel. The government says it needs 3.8 million tons of cereals to feed six million people spread across 6,981 villages, equating to 49.4 percent of the affected zones. Boukanda, a village with a population of 1,000 about 50km west of the capital Niamey, is typical of many insecure villages which have been largely abandoned by their younger residents. The able-bodied and young people of the village preferred to leave for big cities or abroad. Only a few ‘wealthier’ families pound sorghum instead of millet, the main staple of the village. These people still have small supplies but they will not last long. Boukanda village chief Seyni Seydou said the rains ended just when the plants needed water, and grasshoppers and other insects finished off the crops.
Pray: for the people of Niger as they face hunger and drought. Pray that the rains will come and supplies of cereals reach those in need. (Rev.7:16-17)
Indonesia: Church wants more Chinese participation
Divine Word Bishop Hilarius Moa Nurak of Pangkalpinang has urged Chinese Indonesians in Bangka-Belitung province to free up some of their ‘busy time’ and play a more active part in Church life. Many Catholic Chinese Indonesians are business people with a ‘time is money’ way of thinking. As such they are often busy which prevents them from being active in Church life, particularly in their own basic ecclesiastical communities’, the prelate said during a Mass on Monday at St Peter Church in Lubuk Baja, Batam, to celebrate Chinese New Year. ‘Some think they are taking part in Church life by donating money,’ he said, adding that although the Church does need money it does not mean money can replace physical participation. According to the diocese, some 18,000 out of a total of 45,000 Catholics are living in the diocese are of Chinese descent. The rest are from various other ethnic groups.
Pray: that the church and all believers would work together using their gifts in building the kingdom. (1Cor:12-13)
More: http://www.ucanews.com/2012/01/24/church-wants-more-chinese-participation/