Engaging with Elections
With fewer than 85 days to go until Referendum and Election Day on Thursday 5 May, please begin to think about how you can make the most of this chance to bring Christian influence to the political sphere.
There are a variety of ways to make a Christian impact. For example, the research in this leaflet concerning the Scottish Parliament elections suggests that fewer than 11,000 votes in the Glasgow region could see a Christian representative elected.
We’ll seek to bring you other ideas to engage with the Referendum and Elections over the weeks to come but please begin to think, pray and plan.
Islam and sharia law
Due to the debate surrounding the proposed mosque in Newham, we are highlighting resources on Islam and Sharia law.
The sect that is behind the proposed mosque is the ultra-conservative Tablighi Jamaat sect. To examine the differences between Sharia law and our laws, please see this table.
You can purchase Islam resources from our shop here.
You can access the Christian Concern ‘Islam’ section here.
Awake, Arise
Equipping the church to engage with societyOur 'Awake, Arise' day conferences seek to encourage Christians to engage with society robustly and relevantly at both the national and local level - and to provide the tools to do so. In partnership with various local churches, we have events coming up in the following areas over the next few weeks.
- Kettering - Northamptonshire (Sat 12th Feb)
- Romford - London (Sat 19th Feb)
Why not join us, if you can? More details are available
here.
Could you or church help to organise an event in your local area? If so, we'd love to hear from you - even if it's just a slight possibility at this stage.Please contact us:
info@awakearise.org.uk or 020 3327 1122 to find out more about how we can help.
Contribute to Office of National Statistics ‘National Well-being’ Consultation
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is holding a public consultation on national well-being with a view to developing new ways of measuring national well-being. It has drafted a list of factors that contribute to national well-being, yet unfortunately have left out the Christian faith.
Please let the ONS know how important your Christian faith is to your well-being and how important it is for you to be able to freely express and live out your faith and values. Please let them know your thoughts on the importance of strong marriages and families. Please let them know how important Christian values are to the nation’s health.
The consultation is a series of online questions that could be completed in ten minutes but may take longer. The questions can be accessed here. The consultation ends on 15 April 2011.
A useful Telegraph article by Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali on happiness can be found here.
Andrea Williams - Maiden Speech to General Synod
Andrea Minichiello Williams gave her maiden speech to the General Synod this week where she called on the established church to find her voice and speak of Christ and His truth at the heart of our nation.
She stated that there was a de facto religious bar in the UK for Christians who want to participate in some areas of public life and employment and drew attention to the many cases of Christians who, as a result of living out their faith, had found themselves in trouble with the law and even out of work.
She said that this was partly as a result of a secularist agenda legislated for by Parliament and that there is now a state enforced sexuality that Christians have to endorse.
For a transcript of her speech, please see Andrea’s Blog here.
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