One of the two Japanese men shown in the latest ISIS hostage is a Christian who risked his life for his friend, who is the other hostage. Kenji Goto, a war correspondent, became a Christian in 1997; he was interviewed in the May 2014 Japanese issue of “Christianity Today”, in which he said, “I have seen horrible places and have risked my life, but I know that somehow God will always save me.” But he told the same publication that he never risked anything dangerous, citing a passage in the Bible, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” However, when his friend Haruna Yakawa (who had gone to work in Syria in an attempt to turn his life around after going bankrupt, losing his wife to cancer and attempting suicide) disappeared, Goto decided to go to Syria to meet his local contacts to try to help his friend. He obtained media credentials from the anti-government rebels in Aleppo, and set out for Raqqa, the capital of Islamic State in October; that was the last time he was heard of until the video was released.
The statements made by Nick Clegg in support of free speech following the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks have been challenged by former Conservative minister Lord Tebbitt. Tebbitt praises the statements themselves, but calls for Clegg to apply them also to “Christian preachers being threatened with prosecution for reading the Bible aloud in the street,” and also to support freedom of conscience for those who are prosecuted because of their views on gay marriage. Tebbitt called on Clegg (and others) to “come out as liberals rather than denying to others the right of free speech they demand for themselves.” Clegg’s support for “free speech even if it offends” is likely to remain high profile for a while, since it effectively contradicts UK legislation such as the “hate speech” provisions of the Religious and Racial Hatred Act 2006, and the use of the Equality Act against anyone believed guilty of offending another group; indeed, it is likely that Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons, if published in the UK, would have been prosecuted under such legislation.
The arguments regarding OFSTED and its application of the new guidelines on “spiritual and moral development” in its inspection of schools have become high profile following a controversial inspection of a Christian school in Sunderland. The headmaster made a formal complaint about OFSTED inspectors asking children of 9-11 “do you know what lesbians do?” and “do you know anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable in their own body?” which was backed up by the region’s MEP. The OFSTED report on the school added fuel to the fire; it gave the school the worst possible overall rating and placed the school in “special measures”, despite it having some of the best exam results in the area. The headmaster pointed to a phrase which was in the draft OFSTED report that he received, but was removed from the final report, which said, “The Christian ethos of the school permeates much of the school’s provision. This has restricted the development of a broad and balanced approach to the curriculum.”
The US House of Representatives has decided to drop a bill to ban most abortions past 20 weeks’ gestation. President Obama had already promised to veto the Bill if it was passed by Congress, but the newly Republican-controlled House had planned to pass it anyway. However, the Bill ran into trouble because it only provided exemptions for women who had become pregnant after being raped if they had reported the rape to the police. A number of female Republicans felt that was too restrictive, and so refused to support the Bill; but others in the party refused to accept any amendments on this issue, and so the Bill was dropped. Pro-life groups in the US have circulated several videos and posters recently, whose underlying message is that children born from rape are indistinguishable from those who were not.
In sport, the NFL playoffs have concluded. The Dallas Cowboys survived the first of the three playoffs round with the help of a controversial refereeing decision, but lost their second round match on an even more controversial decision. The Cowboys’ wide receiver Desi Bryant made a spectacular mid-air catch of a ball thrown half the length of the field, clutching it to his chest. But before he landed, he put the ball in one hand and reached for the goal line; the ball was knocked loose when his shoulder hit the ground. The game officials ruled that he had not caught it, because the ball had not been fully in control at the end of the move (when he landed), and it was an incomplete pass. After a storm on Twitter, the final verdict was that the officials had made a correct call of a bad rule. The Cowboys’ conquerors, the Green Bay Packers, lost to the Seattle Seahawks in a thrilling NFC Championship game which featured a last-quarter comeback from the Seahawks and a win in overtime. Russell Wilson, the Seahawks; quarterback, gave conspicuous praise and thanks to God in his emotional post-match interview; however, Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback of the Packers who is also a Christian, said, “I don’t think God cares about football.”
And finally, a court in Dusseldorf has ruled that it is legal for German men to urinate while standing up. The court case had been brought by a landlord who sued his male tenant for damage to the marble floor in the bathroom. However, the court ruled that standing up to pee was “within cultural norms”. The judge added that men who insist on standing "must expect occasional rows with housemates, especially women" but cannot be held to account for collateral damage. This issue has a relatively high profile in Germany; some toilets use prohibition signs to tell men not to stand up, but opponents have coined the derogatory word “Sitzpinkler” for men who do their number ones sitting down.
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