Not The BBC News: 25 November 2016

New figures on the abortion rate in the USA reveal a drop in the percentage of pregnancies that are terminated in 2013, the latest year for which data are available. The figures which cover 47 US states (three including the most populous, California, cannot or will not provide data) suggest that the US sees approximately one abortion for every five live births. That compares favourably with the 1980s when the rate was higher than 1:3.

The civil war in South Sudan has escalated since July and both sides are accused of serious human rights abuses by Human Rights Watch. Many of the abuses have taken place in the south-western city of Yei. HRW has called for the UN to ban arms sales to the country and set up a war crimes commission.

In Rwanda, the Catholic Church has issued an apology for its role in the 1994 genocide. Although the Church itself played no direct role, the communique said: "Even though the church sent no body to do harm, we, the Catholic clerics in particular, apologise, again, for some of the church members, clerics, people who dedicated themselves to serve God and Christians in general who played a role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi."

In England, large numbers of gypsies are turning to Christianity. Although traditionally Catholic, a Gypsy-led Pentecostal movement called ‘Light and Life’ claims that 40% of the gypsies in England now belong to it. One member of the group said, "I see a great shift among Gypsies today. We've gone from being professional liars - and I was one of them. Now, we don't want to live that life no more, because the Holy Spirit's inside us. We want to go 100% legal. That's what happens when you're born again." He and many others have also become teetotal, in response to alcoholism being a major problem amongst gypsies.

Following a drought in Israel, numerous forest fires have broken out across the country. Several are believed to have been started simultaneously by organised arsonists. Parts of Haifa, the country’s third-largest city just north of Mount Carmel, have been evacuated.

There have been several political moves for and against LGBT rights this week. In the United Nations, 54 African nations challenged the legality of the new UN bureaucrat with a responsibility to enforce LGBT rights, but the challenge was defeated in an amendment proposed largely by Latin American and Caribbean nations. In the USA, the website of #AnywherebutTARGET, which urges shoppers to avoid shopping at Target in protest at its transgender-friendly bathroom policy, has been shut down by its web service provider because of the provider’s commitment to inclusiveness and diversity. In Texas, the Attorney General has upheld his previous advice to schools to ignore federal rules on accommodating transgender pupils as unenforceable.

In Canada, a judge in Ontario refused a parent’s request to be notified in advance when homosexuality and abortion were to be taught in his child’s school so that he could withdraw his child from those lessons; the judge decided that selective withdrawal of children from such classes “was antithetical to the legislative mandate […] favouring inclusivity, equality and multiculturalism.” Canada is also considering a Bill to make it a hate crime to refuse to use gender-neutral pronouns to transgender people; and after judges in Alberta decided that a year old boy should not be permitted to go in public dressed as a girl (which his father object to but his mother wanted), a local psychology professor called for the judges to be ‘re-educated’. Also in Toronto, there have been protests against police setting up a sting operation in a public park that resulted in 71 charges of indecent exposure and engaging sexual activity, including catching a registered sex offender breaching the requirement that he stay away from children while wearing only a T-shirt and masturbating. A politician from the New Democratic Party called for all 89 charges to be dropped immediately “before more lives are ruined”.

Back in the USA, several dress designers have refused to design clothes for the incoming First Lady, Melania Trump. However, there have been questions raised whether it is legal for them to refuse, given that Christian wedding cake makers have been successfully prosecuted for refusing to provide cakes for gay weddings.

The Polish Catholic Church has declared Jesus Christ to be the king if Poland. Christ has actually been given the honour twice before, at ceremonies in 1997 and 2000. But both were much smaller affairs, and did not have the official endorsement of the president. The decision also marks a change of heart by Poland's church hierarchy, who in 2008 said that naming Christ as Poland's king was 'inappropriate and unnecessary' (and repeated this statement in 2012). In January this year, however, they decided that 'recognition by the native community of the rule of Jesus Christ is theologically acceptable'.

Kim Clement, a prominent Christian ‘prophet’ from South Africa, has died of pneumonia at the age of 60. Clement’s ministry has been somewhat different to some other prophetic’ people; the focus of the outreach that he ran, initially in Detroit and now throughout the USA, is to “uplift wounded people”; and his meetings generally include a great deal of music from Kim himself as well as spoken words. One of Clement’s more notable prophecies, given in April 2008 in the last year of George Bush’s presidency, was that God would sway a political primary election in favour of Barack Obama because “there is an element of righteousness inside him to reach out to Jesus.”

Tullian Tchividjian, Billy Graham’s grandson who lost his wife and his church leadership position after confessing to an affair, has remarried and was recently invited to preach at a non-denominational church in California. Tchividjian preached that “God loves train wrecks and broken people because train wrecks and broken people are all that there are,…Until we see how bad we are we will never see how good God is. Grace will become nothing more than white noise to us unless we recognize just how desperately we need it."

In technology news, Black Friday discounts have spread even to the criminal marketplace of the dark web. Discounts available included 20% off knuckle-dusters; 15% off tasers; 12.5% off marijuana plants; and discounts on bundles of financial data.

And finally, an Iragi teenager has taken it on himself to recreate historic Assyrian artifacts destroyed by Islamic State over the past two years, especially from the city of Nimrud. He has recreated at least 18 Assyrian sculptures and one mural over the last year. "They waged a war on art and culture," 17 year old Nenous Thabit told CNN. "So, I decided to fight them with art." He added, “In Iraq, there are people who are killed because they are sculptors; ISIS view them as apostate," he added. "So, continuing to sculpt is a message that we will not be intimidated by those devils."

Not The BBC News: 18 November 2016

There is a major Christian revival going in in Iran. Twenty years ago the number of Christians in the country was estimated at 2-5,000; now it is between 300 and 400 thousand. Two hundred Iranians and Afghans were recently baptised just outside the country (the penalty for being baptised as a Christian inside the country is death). A ministry leader said, “Many people are tired of iron-fist government and are ready to find the truth. Iranians are spiritual people and it is natural to look for truth in Jesus.”

Pakistan’s television regulator has banned all 11 of the Christian TV channels airing in the country and has arrested some cable operators who were broadcasting the channels. Religious TV channels are not licensed by the media regulator but the Christian channels have been operating for 25 years alongside numerous Muslim channels. There is hope that the channels will still be available through the Internet.

Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, the Christian couple who have produced various faith-based programmes such as the recent film Ben Hur, are to start a faith-based TV network in the USA. “Light TV” will appear on networks in a dozen cities including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The 24-hour schedule will include ‘wholesome’ films such as Rocky and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Cliff Barrows, the music and program director for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, has died at the age of 93. Barrows has been with Billy Graham since 1949, and Graham’s crusades often began with spiritual solos from George Beverley Shea backed by a choir co-ordinated by Barrows. They also recorded Graham’s radio program, The Hour of Decision, for 64 years. When Graham (who is now 98) wrote his biography, he said of Barrows: “All of that talent is not the secret of Cliff’s effectiveness. It is his humility and his willingness to be a servant, which spring from his devotional life and his daily walk with Christ.”

The legal case regarding Ashers’ bakery in Northern Ireland may continue despite the Court of Appeal finding against the bakery. The Attorney general of Northern Ireland has the right to refer cases to the UK Supreme Court, independently of the normal appeals process, and is strongly considering doing so in this case. Meanwhile the BBC;’s legal correspondent, Joshua Rozenberg, has described the judgment as “possibly influenced by the belief that gay people are discriminated against in the province” and that such a view was “not legally sound.”

Pope Francis has issued a new Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, on matters of morality, and it is causing considerable confusion with different bishops and cardinals interpreting it differently. A group of cardinals recently wrote to the pope asking him to clarify five ‘yes or no’ questions regarding the document. Francis’ reply was that “Some, as with certain responses to Amoris Laetitia, persist in seeing only white or black, when rather one ought to discern in the flow of life."

Two by-elections have been held for the Provincial Parliament of Ontario in Canada. One was won by a 19 year old homeschool graduate who campaigned on a pro-life and pro-family platform. Sam Oosterhoff received the highest vote percentage in the last five elections. The ruling Liberal party in the province are proposing a ‘radical sex curriculum’ for schools; Oosterhoff says he will “never waver in support of parents as primary educators.”

And finally, an Iowa lawmaker plans to launch a bill in January that will penalise universities if they spend state funds offering grief counselling to students upset at the Presidential election result. Bobby Kaufmann, a Republican, is calling the bill the “Suck it up, buttercup” bill; it also seeks to criminalise any protest that blocks a highway. However, several universities in the state claim they are not spending any additional state funds on such counselling; and where such counselling has been offered by universities in other states, the reaction from students and faculty has sometimes been very negative.

Not The BBC News: 18 November 2016

There is a major Christian revival going in in Iran. Twenty years ago the number of Christians in the country was estimated at 2-5,000; now it is between 300 and 400 thousand. Two hundred Iranians and Afghans were recently baptised just outside the country (the penalty for being baptised as a Christian inside the country is death). A ministry leader said, “Many people are tired of iron-fist government and are ready to find the truth. Iranians are spiritual people and it is natural to look for truth in Jesus.”

Pakistan’s television regulator has banned all 11 of the Christian TV channels airing in the country and has arrested some cable operators who were broadcasting the channels. Religious TV channels are not licensed by the media regulator but the Christian channels have been operating for 25 years alongside numerous Muslim channels. There is hope that the channels will still be available through the Internet.

Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, the Christian couple who have produced various faith-based programmes such as the recent film Ben Hur, are to start a faith-based TV network in the USA. “Light TV” will appear on networks in a dozen cities including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The 24-hour schedule will include ‘wholesome’ films such as Rocky and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Cliff Barrows, the music and program director for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, has died at the age of 93. Barrows has been with Billy Graham since 1949, and Graham’s crusades often began with spiritual solos from George Beverley Shea backed by a choir co-ordinated by Barrows. They also recorded Graham’s radio program, The Hour of Decision, for 64 years. When Graham (who is now 98) wrote his biography, he said of Barrows: “All of that talent is not the secret of Cliff’s effectiveness. It is his humility and his willingness to be a servant, which spring from his devotional life and his daily walk with Christ.”

The legal case regarding Ashers’ bakery in Northern Ireland may continue despite the Court of Appeal finding against the bakery. The Attorney general of Northern Ireland has the right to refer cases to the UK Supreme Court, independently of the normal appeals process, and is strongly considering doing so in this case. Meanwhile the BBC;’s legal correspondent, Joshua Rozenberg, has described the judgment as “possibly influenced by the belief that gay people are discriminated against in the province” and that such a view was “not legally sound.”

Pope Francis has issued a new Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, on matters of morality, and it is causing considerable confusion with different bishops and cardinals interpreting it differently. A group of cardinals recently wrote to the pope asking him to clarify five ‘yes or no’ questions regarding the document. Francis’ reply was that “Some, as with certain responses to Amoris Laetitia, persist in seeing only white or black, when rather one ought to discern in the flow of life."

Two by-elections have been held for the Provincial Parliament of Ontario in Canada. One was won by a 19 year old homeschool graduate who campaigned on a pro-life and pro-family platform. Sam Oosterhoff received the highest vote percentage in the last five elections. The ruling Liberal party in the province are proposing a ‘radical sex curriculum’ for schools; Oosterhoff says he will “never waver in support of parents as primary educators.”

And finally, an Iowa lawmaker plans to launch a bill in January that will penalise universities if they spend state funds offering grief counselling to students upset at the Presidential election result. Bobby Kaufmann, a Republican, is calling the bill the “Suck it up, buttercup” bill; it also seeks to criminalise any protest that blocks a highway. However, several universities in the state claim they are not spending any additional state funds on such counselling; and where such counselling has been offered by universities in other states, the reaction from students and faculty has sometimes been very negative.

Not The BBC News: 8 November 2016

A UK Christian couple who fostered two young children for almost a year were barred from adopting the children because, according to social workers, their views that children need “a mummy and a daddy” were ‘concerning’ given that a gay couple had also recently applied to adopt the children. The couple were also told their three-bedroomed home was too small. The couple told a newspaper, “We are Christians and we expressed the view that a child needs a mother and a father. We expressed our views in modest, temperate terms based on our Christian convictions.” They added, “We have not expressed homophobic views unless Christian views are, by definition, homophobic.”

A Middle Eastern country has elected a Christian president. Michel Aoun is now president of Lebanon, after 45 failures by the government to agree a new leader over two and a half years. The 81 year old former general opposes the government of neighbouring Syria; he led a “War of Liberation” against Syrian forces in 1989, but was forced into exile in France where he lived for 15 years.

The US election has dominated the headlines for the past week or two, with abortion being a major issue, especially amongst Catholic voters. In Poland, however, where abortion is illegal in most circumstances, the government has just passed a law to give a cash grant to the parents of any baby which is born with a disability. The grant of approximately $1,000 is intended to complement the current state aid for disabled children of around $300 per month.

The BBC has come under fire once again for its liberal bias, from a journalist who worked for the BBC for 25 years. Robin Aitken wrote, “Feminism is never challenged; atheism is celebrated; ‘human rights’ trumps all (unless it is rights for the unborn).” Perhaps the most substantive criticism comes from the BBC’s News Style Guide, which instructs staff to describe pro-choice campaigners as ‘pro-choice’ and ‘favouring a woman’s right to choose’ but says that pro-life campaigners should be described as ‘anti-abortion’. The BBC has also been criticised for making a programme about transsexualism called “Just a Girl” aimed at 6 to 12 year olds.

In Uganda, a group of Muslims led by an imam attacked Christians who were harvesting rice, shouting ‘We are fighting for the cause of Allah’. 27 Christians were injured, 16 of them seriously; police have made several arrests. The root cause seems to be that the rice plantation is a project funded by churches from three denominations which helps the community in times of food shortage and also sells rice to pay school fees for needy children – and as a result, 21 Muslims have become Christians in the space of six months.

A young man from South Sudan who was snatched from his mother at the age of six and forced to become a child soldier, before being helped to escape by his older brother to Kenya and then to Australia, has won New South Wales’ award as “Australian of the Year”. Deng Adut said he was ‘shocked’ to receive the award, even though he has now qualified as a criminal lawyer; runs a law group which fights for members of the Sudanese community; and is studying for his second Master’s degree.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has appointed a new chaplain and has chosen a woman -- the Revd Isabelle Hamley, currently a tutor at St John’s College, Nottingham. The chaplain’s responsibility is to develop the Archbishop’s priority for prayer and the renewal of religious life.

And finally, a group of Beliebers (fans of the singer Justin Bieber) in Rio de Janeiro have started queueing to get a good spot at his next gig – which is five months away. A group of around 100 take it in turns to occupy the two tents outside the Sambadrome where Bieber is due to play on 29 March. "I'm not put off by sleeping rough," said one fan. "I absolutely love Justin Bieber. He inspires me and touches my heart."