Australia: resurgence in far-right activity
Australia has banned Nazi symbols nationally, in an effort to crack down on far-right groups. The ban includes the trade and public display of flags, armbands, T-shirts, and insignia, and the publication of symbols online promoting Nazi ideology. Public displays of swastikas or SS symbols is punishable by up to a year in prison. The new laws do not cover the Nazi salute. Nazi symbols are already banned in many states, but now they are not allowed anywhere due to a resurgence in far-right activity. At a Melbourne rally recently a group of neo-Nazis performed Nazi salutes on the steps of the Victorian parliament. This triggered a political backlash calling for greater efforts to tackle displays of Nazi regalia. ‘There is no place in Australia for symbols that glorify the horrors of the Holocaust. We will no longer allow people to profit from the display and sale of items which celebrate the Nazis’, said the attorney general.
Global: El Niño and climate change
El Niño is associated with record breaking temperatures globally. Whether this will happen in 2023 or 2024 is not yet certain. The EU's Climate Change Service believes 2023 is more likely. 2022 was Europe's second warmest year and hottest summer ever: this year is predicted to be hotter. The effects of El Niño, which take months to be felt, may mean that 2024 breaks temperature records. Extreme weather is making coffee cost more and taste worse; we need to be prepared. See Pray for Europe’s climate adaptation conference in Dublin from 19 to 21 June, where 500 policy makers will hear from Europe’s leading climate researchers. Pray for God to work in this event to cause individuals to devise workable solutions in their particular area of expertise.
Seeds of prayer bearing fruit
Several of Jesus' parables liken the preaching of the Gospel to the scattering of seeds, which sprout and bear fruit in due time. Our May online gatherings showed how the word of God has been scattered throughout our countryside and that shoots are sprouting up in all sorts of places. Believers are building relationships and communities centred around the good news of Jesus Christ. People of all ages are asking questions, seeking a deeper and truer meaning to life. Christians have been prepared over time, often unbeknown to them, for the people and places to which the Lord has sent them. These may be a pub, a lunch for older residents, an after-school club, a quiet garden, a bible reading group or a new church thriving in a barn through the hospitality of a farmer.
Take back the rainbow
The rainbow is a symbol for the LGBT community. A former transgender is on a mission to take it back to a Christian symbol. Nichol Collins was a lesbian and drug dealer called Esco in clubs and streets and was known for partying and violence. But now she is a Christian who stands up for God and her faith. ‘I was attacked from behind by a man with a hammer, and glory to God, I miraculously suffered no injury. I tell people God literally used that to knock some sense into me. It took me seven months to come out of men's clothes. I didn't jump into dresses right away, I was bald, I felt ugly, but as I submitted myself to God, he began to beautify me with salvation.’ Collins now uses inspirational rainbows and Bible quotes designs in her Christian clothing line called Globeshakers as a reminder of God's word.
