‘As a Christian, I value public holidays to clearly mark religious festivals’, MP contributes to bank holiday debate

Among other bank holidays, the UK currently gives paid days off work on Christmas Day and Good Friday.

Over 50,000 signed two petitions calling for extra days off for Muslim and Hindu celebrations.

SNP MP Martyn Day suggested that because Muslims and Hindus are forced to take a day off for Christian events – they often struggle to book time off for their own religious occasions.

Responding, Christian DUP MP Jim Shannon suggested the solution wasn’t extra public holidays but instead more understanding from employers.

Speaking in the Commons, he said: “As a Christian, I value having public holidays to clearly mark the importance of religious holidays, but I understand that the Government are not disposed towards making that happen.

“Does the honourable Gentleman agree that, in the strongest terms, employers should work with their employees to accommodate their wishes to take time off to celebrate Eid? Working with employers is probably the best way forward.”

While no vote on the debate took place, many MPs used the opportunity to promote the importance of interfaith work.

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“Keep NYC Trash Free,” Signs in New York City Say about Socially Conservative Trump Supporters

“Keep NYC Trash Free,” Signs in New York City Say about Socially Conservative Trump Supporters



Signs claiming to be from the New York City sanitation department are calling Trump supporters and socially-conservative Christians “trash.”


Last week, posters appeared all over the Big Apple sporting the message, “Keep NYC Trash Free” with portraits of men and women wearing “Make America Great Again” hats, and holding Chick-Fil-A cups and Bibles. The posters have been placed on trashcans across the city and have the New York City Sanitation Department logo on them, The Blaze reports.


One specific poster shows a bearded man with a confederate flag heart tattoo on his arm who is wearing a MAGA hat and holding a Chick-Fil-A drinking cup. The man’s face is x-ed out and above his crossed out face reads the words, “Keep NYC Trash Free.” 


Another poster shows a woman who, like the bearded man in the first poster, is wearing a MAGA hat but this time instead of carrying a Chick-Fil-A cup, she is carrying a bible in her arm. The woman’s face is also crossed through and the. Poster is adorned with the same phrase calling for NYC to stay ‘trash’ free.

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Francis Chan Identifies Tactics Satan ‘Loves’ to Prevent Believers From Witnessing

(Screengrab: Together 2018)Pastor Francis Chan speaks at Together 2018 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on Oct. 20, 2018.

Pastor Francis Chan has warned that, in efforts to stop the Gospel from spreading, Satan is “going to do everything he can” to keep Christians isolated and absorbed in their phones, preventing them from becoming united and realizing the power of the Holy Spirit within them.

Chan, author of Crazy Love and founder of We Are Church, told the tens of thousands gathered at Texas Motor Speedway for Together 2018 that Satan “loves” the fact that over the years, Christianity has become so “dumbed down” that many professing believers rely on external “life jackets” to keep them afloat instead of resting in the power of the Holy Spirit.

“Satan knows if you actually believed in the power within you — that you’ll have the power to look another human being in the eyes, your friends, your family, and tell them the greatest thing that’s happened to you and of the forgiveness that is found in Jesus Christ,” he said.

It’s impossible to be witnesses to a watching world, Chan contended, when we’re constantly relying on others to do the work for us.

“You keep believing, ‘no, I need someone else. I need a life jacket. Give me my John Piper life jacket, give…

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Choirs across country set to raise money for the marginalised

The Church Urban Fund (CUF) have organised over 50 concerts, called Raise Your Voices, where pre-existing choirs will be gathered together to raise money for social action projects around the country.

Many of the choirs have already received grants from the CUF, such as the Memory cafe choir which was founded by a vicar in West London who applied for a grant to help older people in his area who were struggling with dementia or had a relative who was. 

Paul Hackwood, Executive Director for CUF said: “These events are about bringing people together to make a stand against injustice. They’re about collectively doing something that will have a lasting legacy in transforming many lives and communities around the country.

“Of course, these events will be entertaining and fun, but at the core of them is something very important: a group of people prepared to raise their voices and make a difference.”

Abi Bates from Church Urban Fund explained on Premier Christian Radio’s News Hour: “Our first event kicks off next Thursday night at Southwark Cathedral and that will have London International Gospel Choir, the memory cafe choir – so they’re people who either have dementia or have a loved one who’s had dementia – we’ve got the Rolling Tones – they’re basically pitch perfect in England!

“And then we’ve got the Queen’s Park singers…a traditional choir. So, all different…

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X-Factor Singer Tells How He Left Homosexuality, Found Jesus

X-Factor Singer Tells How He Left Homosexuality, Found Jesus



A contestant on the Malta version of X-Factor sparked applause and outrage this month when he described himself as a former homosexual who “found God.”


The controversy even led to the government releasing a statement. 


“I used to lead a homosexual lifestyle and then I found God. For a long time, I stopped following my passions to follow Jesus,” singer Matthew Grech said in a show clip, according to the Independent. “There can be love between two men and two women, yes — but only friendship love. Everything else is a sin.”


His audition clip was deleted from Facebook and YouTube following a backlash. He also called homosexuality a “lifestyle.” 


Some viewers objected to his association with a movement, River of Love, that supports gay conversion therapy.


Despite the controversy, he made it to the next round.


The Maltese government released a statement condemning Grech’s “homophobic” comments.


“Sexual orientation is not a lifestyle,” the statement read, in part. 


Grech wants the government to apologize. He also believes it pressured the network to remove his clips.


“They have stopped me from expressing my beliefs, and showing my true talents,” Grech told INewsMalta.


He’s not changing his beliefs about the gospel, though.


“Every romantic or sexual relationship between people of the same sex is, as said in the word of…

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‘It’s a Lie From Hell’

(PHOTO: ICON MEDIA GROUP)Matt Chandler speaks at Together 2018 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas.

Matt Chandler has warned young people against becoming “slaves to a type of works-based righteousness that has no power to change your life,” calling moralism a “lie from Hell” and assuring that Jesus loves His children right where they are” — no matter how broken.

Chandler, lead pastor at the Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, told thousands gathered at Texas Motor Speedway for Together 2018 that it’s easy, as a teen or millennial, to fall prey to the idea that Jesus can only love some future, perfected version of them.

“You start to believe, ‘Man, if I could just stop doing this, or start doing this, or just get away from this, then He would love me,'” Chandler said.

“And yet, the Gospel would say that while you were at your worst, Jesus saved you,” he continued. “It wasn’t when you got your act together, it was not when you stopped doing this or when you started doing this. No, it’s when you believed upon the promises of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. It’s when you turned from the world and you faced Him that the Gospel took root in your life.”

When we forget this important truth, Chandler said, we “drive joy out” and begin living a secret,…

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Group Ranks the Top 10 Best & Worst Countries for Atheists – Urban Christian News

A secular watchdog group has ranked the best and worst countries for atheists and non-religious people, finding the United States to be among the best, with Islamic regimes making up the worst.

The International Humanist and Ethical Union released on Monday its seventh annual Freedom of Thought Report at the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, which for the first time included national rankings.

“This is a world’s first. For the first time our report will show, with authority and accuracy, the discrimination faced by people around the world because of their nonreligious beliefs. This report paints a dark picture, with significant discrimination faced by our nonreligious friends and colleagues around the world,” said Andrew Copson, president of the IHEU.

“At a time of growing nationalism, we continue to see those who are brave enough to criticize and critique conservative religious leaders demonized as ‘unpatriotic’ and ‘subversive,’” he added.

The rankings included considerations such as the approach to religious freedom by governments, as well as educational, societal, and freedom of expression issues.

Belgium, the Netherlands, and Taiwan shared the No. 1 spot in the Top 10 best countries for nonreligious people list, followed by France, Japan, Nauru, São Tomé and Príncipe, Norway, the United States, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

(PHOTO: REUTERS)A member of the Saudi religious police warily eyes a woman holding a cell phone inside a mall in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia was identified as the worst country for atheists, followed by Iran, Afghanistan, Maldives,…

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Government urged to ‘do more’ to rescue kidnapped Christian Nigerian schoolgirl

Leah Sharibu has been held captive by the Boko Haram faction known as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) since February 2018.

The 15-year old was among 110 girls abducted in from their school in Dapchi, Yobe state.

 

While all of the surviving girls were freed, Leah wasn’t as she refused to renounce her Christian faith and convert to Islam.

The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA) and the Nigeria Evangelical Fellowship (NEF) have urged the international community to join them in praying for Leah.

Speaking on behalf of the organisations, Bishop Efraim Tendero, Secretary General of the WEA, said in a statement: “Leah is a 15-year old girl who could have saved her life by converting to Islam, but chose not to renounce her faith in Jesus Christ.

“Instead – and at the expense of her freedom – she remained strong in her faith and her relationship with Jesus, which serves as an inspiration and role model for all of us. Please join us in prayer for Leah and Alice that they will gain strength, comfort and assurance that they are in the good hands of our God.”

Alice Ngaddahis, a mother of two, is also being held by ISWAP.

The terrorists recently vowed to make the pair a “slave for life” and said that “it is now lawful for us to do whatever we want with them”.

Bishop Efraim added that the Nigerian government need to make…

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Israeli’s Communications Minister Goes to Dubai, Israel Makes Diplomatic Push in Gulf

Israeli’s Communications Minister Goes to Dubai, Israel Makes Diplomatic Push in Gulf



The communications minister for Israel asked for “peace and security” as he spoke during a telecommunications conference in Dubai.


“Peace and security in every state… with economic and scientific progress is what guarantees a future for the coming generations,” Ayoub Kara said at the conference in the United Arab Emirates.


The Arab areas have long debated whether Israel should be recognized as a state, but many of those Arab states have welcomed Israeli officials.


Kara’s visit comes after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Oman and Culture Minister Miri Regev visit to Abu Dhabi.


“This is the first time that an Israeli minister is here on a visit,” Regev said of his visit to Abu Dhabi.


“The whole message here is of unity and peace,” he said.


According to reports, the Israeli national anthem was also played during a judo tournament in Abu Dhabi over the weekend when an Israeli athlete won gold.


Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s visit to Oman was the first meeting of its kind since 1996, according to NBC News.


Israel and Oman do not share diplomatic relations, but in a statement from both Netanyahu and the Omani sultan said they “discussed ways to advance the Middle East peace process and discussed a number of issues of mutual interest to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East.”


Photo courtesy: Getty…

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Christian social worker backs study that reveals morale in industry is poor

A study by unions representing the sector also found 40 per cent are exposed to aggressive or physically abusive behaviour at least once a month.

Ruth is a Christian social worker based in London.

 

She told Premier’s News Hour that dealing with people is always complex: “You find out that it’s an ongoing process – it’s really difficult.

“So I think that it comes to a point where you think, ‘is it myself or is it the client?’ and I think that sometimes if you’re not giving 100 per cent you would rather just say, ok, I think I need to do something different.”

The online survey questioned almost 3,500 social workers and was carried out for the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) and its trade union arm, the Social Workers Union (SWU).

Most called for smaller caseloads or more staff and co-working on the most difficult cases to make the job less stressful.

Ruth said many social workers stick with their jobs by remembering the reason they entered the profession.

“The main reason why you come into social work is because you do have compassion for people,” she explained.

“It’s difficult – you tend to just stay in there because you have to remember the reason why you joined there in the first place.”

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