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A Hungarian children’s book promoting minority rights drew criticism last year. Now Hungary’s ruling nationalist party has submitted legislation to ban content which it sees as promoting homosexuality and gender change to minors. The draft law would ban LGBT literature for under-18s, including educational material, and advertisements deemed to be promoting gay rights. Several human rights groups denounced it, saying it was similar to Russian restrictions on LGBT activities. Hungary’s constitution states that marriage is for heterosexual couples and proposes a same-sex adoption ban.
Praise: God for laws that protect children from unnecessary teaching prior to becoming adults. (Genesis 1:27)
More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-57439699 |
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A Jesus Film team begin their day by praying, ‘Holy Spirit, where should we go today?’ One day as they walked and prayed, they heard children’s voices. Following the sound, they entered a compound of 672 children and began talking to them about Jesus. The team had no idea the risk they were taking. The police heard about them and arrested them. Before being hauled away a team member turned on a NewLifeBox in his backpack and left it behind. The police beat them and then let them go. The team returned to the compound to retrieve the backpack. To their amazement hundreds of children were quiet, sitting in groups, eyes fixed on their smartphones, watching the Jesus Film. The battery-powered NewLifeBox they left behind creates a Wi-Fi hotspot, inviting anyone looking for a hotspot, and within 150 feet, to watch a film about Jesus. The children asked them questions about what they had watched and heard, saying ‘Can you help us tell our parents about Jesus?’
Praise: God that these children heard about Jesus Christ. May the door remain open for them to learn even more of Father, Son and Spirit. (Proverbs 22:6)
More: www.godreports.com/2021/06/at-training-camp-for-children-of-terrorists-672-kids-shown-jesus-film/ |
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Speaking on a beach in Cornwall at the G7 summit, ITV’s Robert Peston asked Boris Johnson whether he is now a practising Roman Catholic, having recently married in Westminster Cathedral. The Prime Minister replied, ‘I don’t discuss these deep issues, certainly not with you’. Peston laughed and followed up by saying that Sir Keir Starmer has said he does not believe in God, and asked again if Mr Johnson did. The Prime Minister paused then referenced Psalm 14: ‘The foolish man has said in his heart there is no God’. Peston accepted his answer and finished the interview. The sentence also appears in Psalm 53. The rest of the verse describes those who deny God: ‘They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.’
Pray: for all Christians in leadership positions in politics, commerce and industry to be unashamed of the gospel, and bold to encourage co-workers of the key to eternal life. (1 John 2:25)
More: premierchristian.news/en/news/article/watch-boris-johnson-quotes-bible-when-asked-if-he-believes-in-god |
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On 16 June Parliament rubber-stamped extending lockdown rules in England until 19 July. Scientists say Covid is growing – with much of it being driven by younger people who are not yet immunised. However, tentative signs in the latest daily data suggest growth may be beginning to slow. The rollout of vaccinations to younger people is key to reducing further spread. Rising infections have boosted a seven-day average to 7,888 cases. The UK recorded 9,055 cases on 16 June – the highest number since 25 February. Hospitalisations have also increased, but daily deaths remain low, with a weekly average of nine deaths within 28 days of a positive test. The Government has clearly announced that it wants to vaccinate all adults in the period between now and 19 July. That will make a very big difference and increase the overall population immunity.
Pray: for God to remove fear from people choosing not to be imunised. May all who can safely have immunisation do so and those at risk due to medical reasons abstain. (2 Timothy 1:7)
More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-57504172 |
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Justin Welby said, ‘The world is facing a crisis of truth. Claims and counterclaims about the virus, vaccines and the effectiveness of government responses take centre-stage globally. Conspiracy theories circle the globe; misinformation causes repercussions. We need to learn to judge the information we receive, think critically and kindly, and act accordingly.’ There has been a rise in conspiracy theories, anti-vaccination campaigns and growing confusion as people question whether Covid-19 is really a threat. Social media stand accused of spreading misinformation faster than reliable facts and corrections. Is the vaccine safe? Are the statistics accurate? How likely am I to get Covid? The postmodern idea of all truth being relative falls far short of the mark when the truth can save your life.
Pray: for people to hear, believe and trust all truth about the virus and vaccine and recognise reliable, trusted journalism. (Isaiah 26:3a)
More: www.christiantoday.com/article/five.things.weve.learnt.about.truth.in.the.pandemic/136955.htm |
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Leaders arrived at the summit with a global pandemic crisis raging around them, but the hard truth is that they left Cornwall having failed to take the real action needed to end the pandemic. G7 leaders said their commitments are just the beginning- a foundation on which they can build but there was little detail on how. UNICEF said, ‘This G7 commitment is the beginning of the action required to end this pandemic. However, the urgent need immediately to share more vaccines with the world remains.’ Pray for the richest countries, with the power to do something, to deliver vaccinations globally and quickly. These nations pledged to spend $100bn a year to help poor nations deal with cutting emissions and global warming, but only two nations came up with firm promises to stump up the cash. Pray for every nation which made the pledges on climate change to honour them.
Pray: for the G7 countries to commit to cutting emissions further and faster and provide more finance to help vulnerable countries respond to the impacts of climate change. (Leviticus 25:23-24)
More: news.sky.com/story/the-g7-faced-an-awesome-challenge-but-disappointed-on-climate-change-and-vaccines-for-poorer-nations-12331985 |
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Lament for the children and young people missing from the pews is ‘the heart’s cry of the Church’, the Archbishop of York said this week. He described his visits to churches mainly populated by older people and sometimes with no children or young people at all. ‘When I speak to them and ask them about their hopes and dreams for their church, almost without exception the first thing so-called older people say is “We wish there were more children and young people here.”’ Dr Sanjee Perera, the Archbishops’ adviser on minority ethnic Anglican concerns, spoke of decades of youth work in Anglican provinces that felt like ‘an exhausting losing battle’. Youth pastor Amanda Neill acknowledged that having a large youth group of more than 50 young people was ‘definitely unusual’. Young people think that the Church is outdated and irrelevant.
Pray: for churches to offer attractive young people Bible-based activities that are relevant to their lives. Pray for changes of perception of the Church by youth and their families. (Acts 11:21)
More: www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2021/18-june/news/uk/treasure-inter-generational-friendships-webinar-on-youth-and-diversity-is-told |
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Kent county council is refusing to accept any more unaccompanied child migrants, after warning its services were at breaking point for the second time in less than a year. The county is locked in a battle with the Home Office, and has issued legal proceedings against the home secretary, saying the level of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in the county had reached ‘unsafe’ levels. Kent’s cabinet member for integrated children’s services said the council had taken the move as it was clear that the Home Office did not intend to use existing powers to direct other local authorities to receive their fair share of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. Kent has nearly double the number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in care that the government says it is safe to have.
Pray: for provision for new arrivals to keep pace with the escalating numbers of migrants on UK shores. (Psalm 27:5)
More: www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/11/kent-county-council-refuses-accept-unaccompanied-child-migrants |
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Child protection services in England do not provide enough early support, says an independent review. With council budgets squeezed over the last ten years, spending has increasingly focussed on expensive crisis services which local authorities are legally required to provide. This means that cuts to early support for vulnerable families have dwindled, causing even larger needs for investigative interventions in ‘crisis’ situations. The current system is unsustainable and failing young people. Over the last three months, the review team spoke to over 1,000 young people, families and staff working in children’s services. They found a system under significant strain with an increasing number of families being investigated. Deprivation was a key factor among families needing help. Many asking for support found assessments and investigations added to their stress. The annual number of inquiries into whether a child is at risk of significant harm has risen to 201,000. But 135,000 needed no child protection plan. Concerns about risk have unnecessarily dominated workloads.
Pray: for a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a comprehensive, properly-funded care system that works for every child and family who needs it. (John 10:9)
More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-57502390 |
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The UK has accused France of the ‘offensive’ remark that Northern Ireland is not part of the UK. Since 2016 the two sides have been trying to work out how to deal with post-Brexit trade and Northern Ireland’s land border with the EU. The latest spat is centered on sausages. When Boris Johnson met Emmanuel Macron at the G7 summit, he asked him to imagine if Toulouse sausages were barred from sale in Paris, which left Macron ‘astonished’. He told him Toulouse is part of the same territory, and inaccurately said, ‘Northern Ireland was not part of the United Kingdom’. Johnson furiously replied, ‘Northern Ireland and Britain are part of the same country.’ After the testy exchange Johnson told the media, ‘Some of our friends seem to misunderstand that the UK is a single country and a single territory. I think they need to get that into their heads.’
Pray: for the EU and UK to do whatever it takes to recognise the unity of the United Kingdom. (1 Peter 3:8)
More: www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/13/uk-eu-sausage-spat-sizzles-on-final-day-g7-summit |
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Leo Varadkar, the Irish deputy prime minister and the leader of Fine Gael, says that while the views of unionists must be ‘acknowledged and respected, ‘no one group can have a veto on Ireland’s future’. He told delegates at a virtual Fine Gael conference on 15 June that he wanted to see the party establish a branch north of the border. ‘We should be proud to say unification is something we aspire to, It should be part of our mission as a party to work towards it.’ He also said there was a growing middle ground in Northern Ireland, and Fine Gael should reach out towards it. However, he said unification must not be the ‘annexation’ of Northern Ireland. ‘It means a new state in which almost a million people are British. Like the new South Africa, a rainbow nation, not just orange and green.’
Pray: for God’s designs of change to infuse peaceful agreements between the EU, Northern Ireland, Ireland and the UK reflecting multiplicity – without individual selfish ambition. (Philippians 2:3)
More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-57492552 |
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Haiti, the western hemisphere’s poorest nation, is often devastated by floods, hurricanes and earthquakes, with poverty making these disasters harsher than in richer countries. Money sent home by Haitians overseas saves lives but does not fill Haiti’s biggest needs: roads, bridges, clinics, schools and electricity. 70% of Haitians are Catholics, but many mingle their Catholicism with voodoo, which is rooted in West African animism. Evangelicals have grown in numbers, through love in action and openly standing against voodoo. Pray for good leaders at every level of society and church who will build the nation rather than loot or exploit it. Pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Haiti that will transform lives and communities. A truly renewed Catholic Church would be a great force for good. Pray that Catholics re-centre on simple, personal trust in Christ so that God can build their lives.
Pray: for the resilience of Haiti’s people, and that God will heal their land. (Leviticus 19:31)
More: drive.google.com/drive/folders/14r5clWv4_09LaEcWSKqeEs8XUwNewZZa |
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In Tigray 353,000 starving people are in phase 5 (catastrophe) and 1.769 million in phase 4 (emergency). In other words, famine, though the Ethiopian government refuses to call it famine. Huge numbers of deaths by starvation are unavoidable. In remote villages people are found dead in the morning, having perished overnight. Women who were kidnapped by soldiers and held as sexual slaves, now in hospitals or safe houses, are separated from their children, tormented by the fear they will starve without their mothers’ care. Death by starvation happens when the undernourished body consumes its own organs to generate enough energy to keep a flicker of life. Most of the nation is controlled by rebels or military who do not cooperate with humanitarian agencies. Eritrean forces joined the conflict and along with the Ethiopian army they pillage, burn crops, destroy health facilities, and prevent farmers from ploughing their land. This is a man-made famine. There is no drought, and last year’s locust swarms have gone.
Pray: for a famine prevention ceasefire and for cessation of violence so that access routes are opened for humanitarian aid to meet the many needs caused by this tragedy. (Job 5:20)
More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-57422168 |
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On 11 June Uganda recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases in a single day since the pandemic began. Cases were up 137% this week, forcing the state to impose a partial curfew. Last week, the UAE banned flights from Uganda after recording cases of the Indian virus while already struggling with the South African and British mutants. Uganda has a curfew between 9 pm and 5:30 am and has closed all learning institutions. The ministry of health announced a halt to the vaccination process citing the lack of jabs. All intensive care and high-dependency beds in the country are already occupied and vaccination against Covid-19 is progressing very slowly. Barely 750,000 people have received one dose (35,000 have received two doses), in a country of 45 million people.
Pray: for lockdown and curfew to successfully prevent further Covid spread. Pray for staff in medical facilities to have God’s strength of body, mind and spirit in this season of overload. (Psalm 32:7)
More: www.africanews.com/2021/06/07/uganda-imposes-another-lockdown-what-are-the-restrictions// |
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A tunnel used by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza has been discovered under one of the schools run by UNRWA. The school was one of two of the organisation’s facilities damaged during the 11-day conflict. But now officials at UNRWA have confirmed that a terror tunnel ran directly underneath the school. Also Israel’s bombing of Gaza’s Jala Tower caused international outrage as the office block housed media organisations Associated Press and Al-Jazeera. However, the building was also being used by Hamas’s military intelligence services to develop electronic jamming systems against the Iron Dome anti-missile defence system. Israel has defended its reasons for targeting the high-rise building, which it gave notice to evacuate, and as a good-will gesture has offered to rebuild the media offices.
Pray: for the media to use investigative journalism before repeating unhelpful untruths that may cause more hostility. (John 17:17)
More: www.cufi.org.uk/news/israel-reveals-how-hamas-used-gaza-media-building-to-jam-iron-dome/ |
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Before talking in Geneva relations between the USA and Russia were at rock bottom. After talking, both presidents praised their talks but have made little concrete progress at the first such meeting since 2018. Disagreements were stated, said Joe Biden, but not in a hyperbolic way, and he said Russia did not want a new cold war. Vladimir Putin said Mr Biden was an experienced statesman and the two ‘spoke the same language’. They agreed to begin a dialogue on nuclear arms control and said they would return ambassadors to each other’s capitals. However, there was little sign of agreement on cyber-security, Ukraine, or the fate of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is currently serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence in a penal colony. Mr Biden said there would be ‘devastating consequences’ for Russia if Navalny died in prison. Mr Putin hinted at a possible deal on exchanging prisoners, saying he believed compromises could be found.
Pray: for Russia and the USA to build lasting trust on the foundation of these and future talks. (Proverbs 10:11)
More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-57504755 |
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The head of Amnesty International said China has created a ‘dystopian hellscape’ for people detained in Xinjiang camps, who are routinely tortured. A report based on 50+ former detainees details crimes against humanity – including mass imprisonment, torture and persecution – carried out by Chinese authorities against Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities. The secretary general of Amnesty said, ‘China must immediately dismantle the internment camps, release the people arbitrarily detained in them and in prisons, and end the systematic attacks against Muslims in Xinjiang.’ Since 2017 hundreds of thousands – and possibly more than one million people – have been sent to camps in Xinjiang. China for a long time denied the existence of any camps. It eventually changed tack and now says the camps are voluntary ‘vocational training centres’, necessary to combat terrorism. President Xi Jinping said his government’s policies in the region are ‘totally correct’.
Pray: for the UN to establish an independent international mechanism to investigate and end abuses in Xinjiang. (Proverbs 10:11)
More: news.sky.com/story/china-detainees-in-xinjiang-camps-tortured-beaten-and-given-electric-shocks-says-amnesty-report-12329116 |
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On 10 June a bipartisan group of members of the US Congress launched a caucus against foreign corruption and kleptocracy at a virtual kickoff event. The new caucus will focus on fighting global corruption and kleptocracy (authoritarian governance model in which foreign officials use corruption to maintain their power and grow their influence in countries). Transparency International said this caucus is a clear recognition of the importance of combating global corruption by leaders, which has increased since the pandemic. Corruption, including stolen and misappropriated relief funding, harsh crackdowns on pandemic reporting in the media, and attempts to appropriate or dismantle democratic and rule-of-law institutions, robs all those in need of urgent aid.
Pray: for all who are working to end the harms caused by illicit finance and hold guilty institutions and individuals accountable. (Proverbs 15:27)
More: us.transparency.org/news/anticorruption-caucus-statement/ |
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