Bishops: Share the Good News
The Church of England’s long history of witnessing to the unique significance of Jesus Christ is a duty that continues in today’s multi-faith environment, reiterates a new report. It affirms that missionary activity has always been a hallmark of the Anglican Church’s life and should continue to be so. The report’s foreword notes that: ‘the fear of getting it wrong should never obscure the Christian’s commitment to the good of all and to making Christ the centrepiece of that good. Too much reticence is as untrue to our history and our vocation as too much stridency.’ The document draws on case studies from across the country, where dioceses and parishes are actively engaged in inter-faith dialogue by expressing a ‘sensitive confidence’ about the Christian faith. The report suggests that there is a real desire among people of other faiths to hear about the beliefs which motivate Christian action and witness. Pray: for us all to speak out our belief in the Gospel message. (Mk.16:15 )
Marriage and family breakdown
Turning the tide of marriage and family breakdown is impossible. Is it? This is the theme of the Family Education Trust AGM and Conference this year. Sir Paul Coleridge, who is a senior judge in the Family Division of the High Court, and who has argued that promoting marriage as ‘the gold standard’ of family structures is long overdue, will address the conference. Also speaking will be Dr Arik Sigman who is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He will be talking about his book ‘The Spoilt Generation: restoring adult authority in child development’. Lisa Bullivant will also be speaking about her bold public stand against inappropriate sex education at her daughter’s primary school. The Family Education Trust AGM and Conference is being held this Saturday 26 June in London. Pray: for those attending this conference, that they and others will receive informed opinion on the restoration of family and marriage. (1Ti.3:4)
ITV: One hour of religion this year
ITV will broadcast just one hour of religious programming this year while Five will not show any, the channels have admitted to the Church of England. Adding to fears that Britain’s commercial television stations no longer see the value of traditional shows about faith, Channel 4 has scrapped the post of Commissioning Editor for Religion. The channels say audiences are no longer interested in programmes solely about religion, so they cannot afford to continue making them. It leaves the BBC as the main provider of religious documentaries and acts of worship on television whose public service licence requires BBC1 and BBC2 to broadcast 110 hours a year. However, BBC’s coverage of spiritual matters has been criticised by senior clergy who says it risks treating Christianity like a ‘rare species’. ITV and Channel 5 both cite economic pressures to target larger audiences as the reason to cut religious broadcasting that attracts smaller audiences. Pray: for ITV management to rethink their schedules and retain some religious broadcasting. (Gen.4:7)
Councils drop opening prayers
Leicester City Council, in addition to Enfield Council, has banned Christian prayers at the opening of council meetings. Colin Hall, Leicester’s new Lord Mayor and member of the National Secular Society (NSS) says: ‘I personally consider that religion, in whatever shape or form, has no role to play at all in the conduct of council business.’ Jayne Buckland, Mayor of Enfield, has chosen to replace the prayers with poetry readings in a bid to ‘support and encourage the arts'. Last month it was revealed (See Prayer Alert 1910) that the NSS was trying to use the courts to ban the North Devon Council of Bideford from starting its meetings with Christian prayers. London’s Mayor Boris Johnson slammed the NSS’s campaign, pointing out that Parliament has prayers before its meetings, and that it is helpful for both believers and non-believers. These examples reflect the growing influence of the NSS on our civil life. Pray: that Christian prayers will be reintroduced by future civic leaders where they have been banned. Pray about the anti-Christian influence of the National Secular Society. (Lk.18:7-8) More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/council-drops-prayers-for-poetry-readings/
