North Korea: Uncertain future
With North Korea's Kim Jong-Il’s death there is fear and uncertainty. Only God knows what will happen next but we can pray for His purposes to be fulfilled through this event. North Korea is the world’s worst persecutor of Christians, the following statements are from a Prayer Alert INSIGHT article published earlier this year. ‘Those discovered to have any kind of faith or religious belief (and their families to three generations) are executed or sent to concentration camps for life; a North Korean concentration camp survivor told Congress North Korea’s No.1 enemy is God; a nuclear holocaust would be inevitable if South Korea engaged North Korea in war.’ See Open Doors requests prayer for the ‘Secret Christians’ within the government to gain more power and influence, for Christians to share about Jesus without fear of retaliation, and for the 50,000 Christians in prison camps.
Pray: that the change of leadership would bring about a shaking and eventual removal of North Korea’s tyranny. (Ps.10:14,15)
Egypt: Good news amidst concerns
Ramez Atallah the General Director of The Bible Society of Egypt writes, ‘Now when they had departed - behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him.’ (Mat. 2:13) For many centuries Egyptians have been proud that when God’s Son needed refuge He came to their land for shelter and security. Today as the bright sunshine of the Arab Spring is being overshadowed by darkening clouds of the Arab Fall many Christians and moderate Muslims are seeking to flee from Egypt for freedom.’ For Ramez comments regarding ‘why Islamist parties have a majority of the votes’ and ‘unprecedented breakthroughs for the gospel’ in Egypt click the 'More' button for encouragement and prayer.
Pray: for God to continue to flood his Egyptian church with the love of Christ, that casts out all fear. (1 Jn. 4:18)
More: http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/829923/8286a76943/1566502707/71f8713e24/
Cameron calls for return to Christian values
David Cameron has declared that ‘Britain is a Christian country and we should not be afraid to say so’, in a speech to mark the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. Mr Cameron told Church of England clergy gathered in Oxford that a return to Christian values could counter the country's ‘moral collapse’ and blamed a ‘passive tolerance’ of immoral behaviour for this summer's riots, Islamic extremism, City excess and Westminster scandals. His words will delight traditionalists in his party and Christian groups that claim believers are increasingly marginalised. He said the King James Bible was as relevant today as at any point in its history. He went on to say ‘We are a Christian country. And we should not be afraid to say so. Let me be clear: I am not in any way saying that to have another faith – or no faith – is somehow wrong but that the Bible has helped to give Britain a set of values and morals which make Britain what it is today.’
Pray: for such views to be reflected in Government policy and public life. (Lk.8:21)
More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/16/cameron-king-james-bible-anniversary
Methodist project wins cultural approval from Olympic organisers
The London 2012 Organising Committee has given the go-ahead for a community arts project linked to the Methodist Church to feature as part of the Cultural Olympiad. LOCOG awarded an Inspire Mark – its official seal of approval – to the Outside/In project, which will see young people and adults from different parts of Newcastle telling stories about themselves, their history, culture and communities through art. The artists’ work will feature as four exhibitions at The Holy Biscuit from March through to July 2012. The Holy Biscuit (formerly Shieldfield Methodist Church) is a community arts space partnered with The Methodist Church and The Biscuit Factory – an independent art gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne. Ish Lennox, Olympic and Paralympic Games Coordinator for the Methodist Church said: ‘It’s fantastic that a Methodist project has won an Inspire Mark. We are completely committed to engaging with the Cultural Olympiad. Methodist Christian Discipleship is life-long and whole life.'
Pray: for this project and all those involved in running it in 2012 and beyond. (Ps.5:12)
More: http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentogod.newsDetail&newsid=548
One in four young women admit they had underage sex
More than a quarter of young women today lost their virginity when they were below the legal age of consent, an NHS survey has revealed. According to the study 27 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds had underage sex. By comparison, just four per cent of women now aged 55 to 69 first had sex when they were underage. NHS Information Centre chief executive Tim Straughan said: ‘The survey paints a picture of sexual behaviour which is changing over the generations, with younger women beginning to have sex younger.’ Across all age groups, the statistics show that 14 per cent of women lost their virginity before the age of 16 compared with 20 per cent of men. The average age for losing virginity was 17, although for those now aged 16 to 24 it was 16. Diane Abbott, the Shadow Public Health Minister, commented: ‘The rising numbers of girls having under-age sex is alarming.’
Pray:that ways would be found to reverse these statistics and improve moral standards. (1Cor.6:9)
More:http://www.christian.org.uk/news/one-in-four-young-women-admit-they-had-underage-sex/
Jennifer Saunders criticises sexualisation of pop music
Comedienne Jennifer Saunders says she does not like the sexualisation of pop music and is concerned about the effect of online pornography on boys. The actress, who is married with grown up daughters, criticised the sexual content of music videos, saying: ‘I don’t think it helps society’. Miss Saunders also commented that the proliferation of pornography on the internet is fuelling a wrong attitude towards women. She told Stylist magazine, in response to a question on pop’s sexualisation: ‘I don’t like it. I find the whole R’n’B sexual videos stuff really annoying.’ She said: ‘I think they are having to re-educate boys on how to treat women in schools, because of the internet and the amount of porn they see. I think that’s a shame.’ Last month a leading head teacher said the ‘liberal dogma of the past’ has left us with the ‘moral abyss of the present’, as she hit out at the sexualisation of children.
Pray: that more people at all levels of our society would speak out against our falling moral standards. (Jas.1:21-22)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/jennifer-saunders-criticises-sexualisation-of-pop-music/
Pagan wins 'family life' human rights case
An American woman who claims to worship Norse gods has won the right to stay in Britain because of her ‘family life’ with her boyfriend and his wife. The Home Office refused Emily DiSanto, permission to stay in Britain because the law bans polygamous relationships. But now she has won an extraordinary legal case in which she is allowed to remain on the basis
of her human right to family life. Emily now shares Alan and Anne-Marie Caulfield’s marital home in south-east London with his two children – one by each of the women. The case is the latest example of how human rights laws are being used to overturn the decisions of ministers in immigration cases in what critics say are dubious circumstances. This decision also shows the definition of family life is now widening far beyond the conventional couple with children and has implications for immigrants who believe in polygamy, which is still practised in parts of the Muslim world and – illegally – by breakaway Mormons in the USA.
Pray: for God’s hand on the lives of these people and also for the courts to recognise the primacy of monogamous marriage in our society. (2Sa.22:31)
Hungary: Battle for legal recognition of churches
In June, Prayer Alert reported on a draft religion law that constituted oppression because it discriminated against minority religious groups and would create an oppressive religion law inconsistent with fundamental human rights. See Prayer Alert 25-2011. This week Hungary's Constitutional Court has annulled the new law that would have withdrawn legal recognition from all but a handful of the country's registered religious associations. Praise God! However, a church commentator warned that the ruling was ‘just a technical delay,’ and predicted the law would still be enforced from the start of 2012.
Pray: that any changes in Hungary’s law would not violate the right to religious freedom. (Ex.22:28)
Hungary: Battle for legal recognition of churches
In June, Prayer Alert reported on a draft religion law that constituted oppression because it discriminated against minority religious groups and would create an oppressive religion law inconsistent with fundamental human rights. See Prayer Alert 25-2011. This week Hungary's Constitutional Court has annulled the new law that would have withdrawn legal recognition from all but a handful of the country's registered religious associations. Praise God! However, a church commentator warned that the ruling was ‘just a technical delay,’ and predicted the law would still be enforced from the start of 2012.
Pray: that any changes in Hungary’s law would not violate the right to religious freedom. (Ex.22:28)
Spain: Soaring sales of morning-after pill
Use of the abortifacient morning-after pill in Spain has risen by 83% in 2010, the first full year of over-the-counter availability of the dangerous drug, according to a report by ANSAmed news service. The Spanish Ministry for Health approved the sale of the morning-after pill without a doctor’s prescription, and with no age restriction, in September 2009, citing a need for emergency contraception and to reduce unwanted pregnancies. ‘It is an emergency method of contraception, not to be used except in emergencies,’ said Health Minister Trinidad Jimenez in a press release at the time. ‘We don’t want it to become another means of contraception.’ However, mounting evidence has shown that the drug is both ineffective for its stated purpose of reducing unintended pregnancies, and is being abused the world over as a common method of contraception. A contraception and abortion pushing organization, RH Reality Check, admitted that the morning-after pill, ‘is not as effective in reducing unwanted pregnancy rates as we once hoped.’
Pray: for availability of the morning-after pill to be re-considered in light of these statistics.