‘Atheism seen as cool’ - Archbishop Rowan Williams
The Archbishop of Canterbury has admitted the Church of England is struggling to counter the image of atheism as ‘the new cool thing’. Dr Rowan Williams argued it has become difficult for the Church to convey its message because of the popularity of non-believers such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. He said attempts to reverse the decline in worshippers had begun but that there will be ‘no quick fix’. His remarks came despite new research, released by the Roman Catholic Church, suggesting that the Pope's visit to Britain a year ago has brought a lasting rise in the level of spiritual and religious feeling in the country. The archbishop said that Christian witness is the strongest argument the Church has to rebut the claims of atheists such as Dawkins. He said the evolutionary biologist would struggle to explain the growth of the Church in Zimbabwe, for example, in the face of constant brutality and harassment.
Pray: that the testimony of believers would lead to an understanding that rebuts atheism. (Mt.24:14)
More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/8770929/Atheism-is-cool-says-Archbishop-Rowan-Williams.html
Dale Farm Travellers - background story
Dale Farm near Wickford in rural Essex is one of the largest Gypsy and Traveller sites in Europe. Ray McKay, spokesman for Basildon council said travellers would get more sympathy if they were poor, but they aren’t. The Bishops of Brentwood, Chelmsford, and other Catholic and Anglican clergy have all visited Dale Farm. There is a small cabin there for meetings plus IT and literacy classes with the blessings of the local Catholic parish priest. A Catholic nun and social worker working with the travellers for eight years said, ‘Irish Travellers are the smallest ethnic UK group: more than 20% are homeless. Most are illiterate. Their life expectancy is 20 years lower than the national average. They are often the target of abuse and blamed for everything from fly-tipping to petty crime. Some do misbehave, but the majority are law-abiding. Many families have to move every few days. The children have no chance to stay in school for long.'
Pray: for facilities for Travellers to be established across the UK, and for more churches and authorities to unite in their work for and with these communities. (Mt.25:34-40)
More: http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=18803
BBC star calls RC Church ‘evil’ for defending marriage
BBC actor John Barrowman has launched a blistering attack on the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland for defending the traditional definition of marriage. Earlier this month the Scottish Government, led by the Scottish National Party, launched a consultation on whether to redefine marriage but the proposal has met fierce opposition from senior figures within the Church. Now Mr Barrowman, who plays the main character in BBC One’s Torchwood, said that he was ‘horrified’ that church groups were ‘prepared to ruin lives’. He added: ‘That’s not being Christian at all. In fact, I think it’s evil. Being gay is not, as they claim, against the laws of nature. I was born this way.’ The actor, who has been in a civil partnership since 2006, made the comments after the Archbishop of Glasgow and the Bishop of Paisley warned against meddling with the definition of marriage. (See last week’s Prayer Alert)
Pray: that the Church would continue to speak up boldly for the sanctity of marriage. (Heb.13:4)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/bbc-star-calls-rc-church-evil-for-defending-marriage/
Austria and Hungary seek EU help on human trafficking
Austria and Hungary are asking the EU to help them guard the Schengen border to the Balkans after an alleged increase in human trafficking. The issue will be discussed today (22 September) when interior ministers are likely to bin a proposal to give the EU commission a say in re-imposing border checks and on enlarging the border-less zone to Bulgaria and Romania. In a joint letter seen by EUobserver, the Austrian and Hungarian interior ministers are asking for ‘common action’ in securing the Hungarian-Serbian border which allows traffickers to bring Arab and Asian migrants into western Europe. ‘In Austria and in Hungary we have recently seen a significant increase in the number of interceptions of illegal migrants, most of them smuggled into the country. These people, above all citizens of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Somalia, Iran and Iraq, are being smuggled into the European Union under inhuman conditions, most often in converted buses, lorries or cars,’ the letter reads. Pray: for all those caught up in this trafficking problem to be set free. (Is.42:7)
Europe growing hostile to Christians
Europe is currently experiencing ‘an atmosphere of intolerance in relation to Christians, as well as to representatives of other traditional religions’ according to one of the most influential figures in the Russian Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate's department for external Church relations also said that Europe needs to ‘discuss openly the violation of the rights of Christians’. He was speaking in Rome to a meeting organised by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to address the issue of discrimination against Christians. The meeting, entitled ‘Preventing and Responding to Hate Incidents and Crimes against Christians’, was organised by Lithuania,
which currently chairs the OSCE. Metropolitan Hilarion said that, while European civilization ‘is a culture that has developed on a Christian foundation’ it had ‘acquired a clearly expressed multicultural nature, having become a place of contact between peoples and religions from all over the world’.
Pray: that the people of Europe would remember their Christian foundations and revert to the truth. (Is.48:13-14a)
Europe growing hostile to Christians
Europe is currently experiencing ‘an atmosphere of intolerance in relation to Christians, as well as to representatives of other traditional religions’ according to one of the most influential figures in the Russian Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate's department for external Church relations also said that Europe needs to ‘discuss openly the violation of the rights of Christians’. He was speaking in Rome to a meeting organised by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to address the issue of discrimination against Christians. The meeting, entitled ‘Preventing and Responding to Hate Incidents and Crimes against Christians’, was organised by Lithuania,
which currently chairs the OSCE. Metropolitan Hilarion said that, while European civilization ‘is a culture that has developed on a Christian foundation’ it had ‘acquired a clearly expressed multicultural nature, having become a place of contact between peoples and religions from all over the world’.
Pray: that the people of Europe would remember their Christian foundations and revert to the truth. (Is.48:13-14a)
Parents really want is more time to spend with their children
Last week's UNICEF report on parenting led to a flood of news items lamenting the consumer culture and its impact on British children. In fact, UNICEF interviewed a total of 25– yes, twenty-five – families across Europe . That's fewer than ten per country. This is hardly a good statistical base for drawing conclusions. Another report commissioned for the Labour party questioned 2000 adults in the UK and found ‘a yearning for traditional family values’, which many feel have disappeared, saying the ‘ideal’ family should have a mother and a father. This is quite a contrast to Government policies over the last decade encouraging mothers to go out to work. Jill Kirby, a family expert and author of The Price Of Parenthood, said: ‘This survey shows how out of touch current political parties are with what families really need and what most women want. They want more time with their children.’
Pray: for governments and policy to be much more oriented to support family life. (Eph.3:14-15)
Citizens Advice Bureaux: coming to a church near you
Citizens Advice is working with churches and other places of worship across the country to make advice services more accessible, particularly for those living in remote areas. This will provide face-to-face advice in the local community rather than users having to travel significant distances. Faithful Advice: A guide for advice services in places of worship published at the Citizens Advice service’s annual conference provides practical examples and guidelines for churches to set up face-to-face advice sessions on their premises. The guidelines acknowledge that as the public sector cuts bite, churches can play a vital role in offering premises for advice sessions, particularly where there are no alternative sites available locally. The Rt Revd John Gladwin, former Bishop of Chelmsford, said, ‘By working with faith organisations, Citizens Advice Bureaux have already established partnerships which enable them to reach out and provide advice services to some of the most vulnerable and disengaged sections of our communities.’
Pray: for the success of such ventures and for it to further emphasise to Government the importance of the church in society. (Ac.5:20)
More: http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentogod.newsDetail&newsid=533
Free church delegation attending party conferences
A delegation of Church leaders and representatives from the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church, the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers),The Salvation Army and the United Reformed Church will attend the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative party conferences in September and October. The Free Church delegation is urging Christians to pray for all politicians during the party conference season as they debate the challenging financial and social problems being experienced both in the UK and abroad. The delegation will be hosting prayer breakfasts with other Christian groups at all three conferences, which local Christians in Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester are encouraged to attend. During their visits to the party conferences, the delegation will have opportunities to meet with politicians and raise topics like poverty and inequality, the Big Society and wellbeing. They will also be raising issues that appear to have fallen off the news agenda, like the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons and climate change.
Pray: for leaders and delegates as they debate and formulate party policies. (Tit.2:6)
Toddlers among thousands of children branded racist
Teachers have branded more than 20,000 primary school children racist or homophobic following spats in the playground, figures have disclosed. Even some toddlers in nursery schools have been reported to local authorities for so-called hate speech. Critics have hit out at local authorities saying they are overreacting about playground squabbles. Under the 2000 Race Relations Act schools are obliged to report all ‘hate speech’ incidents to local authorities. Adrian Hart, of the Manifesto Club, called for the Government to ditch the policy of ‘hate speech’ reporting in schools. He said: ‘Children need space to play and to learn the meaning of words, without being reported to the local education authority. These policies are an inappropriate intervention into playground life, and undermine teachers’ ability to set a moral example to children and to teach them right from wrong. There is a world of difference between racist abuse and primary school playground spats.’
Pray: for a more moderate, sensible approach to managing ‘playground’ behaviour. (Ps.32:8)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/toddlers-among-thousands-of-children-branded-racist/