The Bible’s authority: the General Synod
The Church of England's General Synod recently took place. On 7 July, the Archbishop of York John Sentamu rejected the authority of the Bible in response to an amendment proposed by Andrea Williams, to insert the words ‘as revealed in the Bible and taught by the Church’ to a motion calling for politicians to ‘prioritise the common good of all people.’ Andrea spoke on the need for the Bible to inform our understanding of the common good. The archbishop said, ‘If you’re going to serve the whole community please don’t limit our language. The Word became flesh and sadly we are now making it Word, Word and Word again. Resist the amendments.’ On 8 July the Synod passed a private member’s motion by an LGBT activist to ban therapy for unwanted same-sex attraction. Sentamu spoke in favour of the motion. Also rejected were the protection of life, the promotion of marriage and family, and the maintaining of Christian freedoms.
Is Christianity in crisis?
93% of the 12,000 Christians who took part in a State of Faith survey feel that their faith is being marginalised by society. Tim Dieppe of Christian Concern - which offers legal support to Christians who say they have been unfairly treated - said the results resonate ‘very much’ with experiences over the years. He believes that this research is the tip of the iceberg, and that there is now a very strong groundswell of people experiencing prejudice or marginalisation. The survey also revealed that a) half of respondents have personally experienced prejudice against their faith; b) 67% think it is considered unacceptable for Christians to share their faith; and c) another 67% feel unable to be open about their faith at work or equivalent setting. The full results of the survey can be found at
Autism / MMR vaccine debate continues
The father of an autistic child, who is also a GP administering MMR vaccine to babies, reports that outbreaks of measles in France and Italy have prompted the authorities to make childhood immunisation compulsory. Now a newspaper editorial demands similar UK measures, insisting that ‘parental refusal of immunisation should not be tolerated’. A notorious 1998 study in The Lancet suggested a link between MMR and autism. The paper presented no evidence for this link, which caused undue alarm among parents of children with autism and parents of children due for vaccinations. Since then a voluntary approach to childhood immunisation has successfully ensured high levels of protection for British children. An anti-vax cause has been politically endorsed by Donald Trump and Italy’s Beppe Grillo, in spite of accurate and ethical grounds for opposing compulsion. A voluntary approach to childhood immunisation has consistently protected British children despite scares and ill-informed campaigns.
Widespread wildfires
Wildfires are raging in central and southern Europe, with firefighters tackling blazes in five countries. Twelve fires broke out in Croatia's second largest city of Split. 4,500 hectares of land were destroyed, including homes. Fires are active in several municipalities in Montenegro; forest fires forced the evacuation of more than 100 campers on the Lustica peninsula and spread further inland. Two firefighting planes from NATO helped contain the blaze. Fires are also burning 300 acres of forest near Nice, and hundreds of firefighters are battling another fire in the south of France. In Corsica, fire swept through 200 hectares of scrubland near Bonifacio. Flames driven by strong winds raced towards homes which had to be evacuated. Houses were also evacuated due to a fire near Rome, and other fires continue to burn near Naples. 1,400 firefighters supported by water-bombing planes and helicopters have fought three blazes in northern Portugal since 16 July. See also item 4 in the ‘World’ section.
Europe wants Brexit clarifications
European Union’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said on Thursday 20 July that a ‘fundamental divergence’ with Britain remained on how to protect expats’ rights after Brexit, and insisted that the European Court of Justice should be the guarantor of the rights of citizens living abroad. Also, in a joint news conference with British Brexit secretary David Davis, he said Britain needed to provide clarification on the Brexit bill and on the Irish border at the next round of talks in late August. Expats’ rights, the financial settlement, and the Irish border are the three key issues to be solved before the EU is willing to begin talks on a future trade deal with Britain.
Ghana: reaching the unreached
Indigenous people are being reached in northern Ghana. The Komba people have demonstrated an exceptional openness to the gospel; many villages have openly invited Christian missionaries into their communities. Seventeen 17 national and international ministries are partnering to see Christianity reach this generation of unreached people. With a focus on local leadership training and evangelism, they are seeing a movement to Christ begin: 368 Komba leaders have been trained in disciple-making and church-planting, resulting in 63+ new churches. Missionaries are working side-by-side with local leaders, equipping them to do what God has called them to do. However, nominalism and self-absorption are rampant in this area, and 18 other people groups have not yet even heard of Jesus, while Muslims are launching an aggressive outreach, making significant inroads. There is a spiritual divide.
Sudan: healing the wounds
Health care for our brothers and sisters in South Kordofan, Sudan, faces a crisis. Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) reports that after hospitals were bombed and aid organisations chased from the country, only two doctors are treating 1.1 million people. Even if people weren’t being maimed in government bombings, medical aid would be desperately lacking for everyday needs such as delivering babies, treating malaria, and helping people injured in accidents. Last year, VOM delivered 44.5 tons of medicine to the South Kordofan region, and it is supporting the few medical workers still in the region by helping to build a clinic and providing badly needed mosquito nets for its patients. See also article 7 in this section.
Charities say G20 plans for Africa are flawed
This year’s G20 launched ‘Africa Partnership’, but charities are wary because it focuses on increasing private investment in the continent. Participating countries were invited to develop their own plans, to reduce the risk for private investors. At the summit, Britain set out proposals to build a partnership with a view to creating ‘more opportunities for London to become the finance hub for Africa’. Christian Aid described the G20 plan as badly flawed as it didn’t mention climate change. Oxfam said that it is important to recognise that growing economies will not automatically provide people with enough food to eat or life-saving medicines - especially as Africa is home to some of the most unequal countries on earth. Global Justice Now described it as ‘more like a partnership to exploit Africa - foisting the demands of international finance onto Africa in return for a bit of aid.’
North America: thousands flee wildfires
Wildfires barrelled across the baking landscape of the western US and Canada, destroying homes, forcing thousands to flee and demolishing forests and farms. A combination of high temperatures and parched land has added to the difficulties of firefighters in California. On 19 July, in California, just one of the many fires that are currently forcing thousands to flee their homes doubled in size (48,000 acres, compared to 23,000 the day before). Over 2,000 firefighters have contained only 7% of the ‘Detwiler Fire’ which is approaching the town of Mariposa and communities in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. These blazes are part of 37 active large fires spread across 12 western states, according to the National Interagency Fire Centre. Meanwhile in Canada firefighters are contending with over 200 fires burning in British Columbia. See also and item 1 in Europe section.
Iraq: harsh treatment of IS families
Nessrine Hamad, aged six, is covered with a painful rash and has tears in her eyes. ‘She has been like that for three days,’ her mother said. ‘It is because of the dirty water. Most of the children here have sores on their skin.’ Dozens of families accused of having relatives in IS have been forcibly displaced to Shahama camp by the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), under the control of the Iraqi army. The camp, located north of Tikrit, has been described by Human Rights Watch as ‘akin to an open-air prison’. They are prevented from coming and going freely, only allowed to leave via ambulance for medical emergencies, and even then some are rejected by the main hospital in Tikrit when staff discover they are from Shahama. Dirty water, food and medical shortages have made living conditions in the camp unbearable. People in the camp are also barred from having mobile phones.