Queen’s chaplain resigns after Qu’ran reading in church
Rev Gavin Ashenden, one of 33 chaplains to the Queen, had become involved in a controversy because he openly criticised the reading of the Qu’ran in an Epiphany church service in which Muslims took part. During the service, which celebrated the wise men’s visit to Bethlehem and their acknowledgment of Jesus being God in human form, passages from the Qu’ran were read in Arabic stating that Jesus was not the Son of God. Rev Ashenden said he needed to resign from his post to avoid any misunderstanding that his statements were said on behalf of the Queen. He added, ‘I think it a higher and more compelling duty to speak out on behalf of the faith than to retain a public honour which precludes me doing so at this time.’
Thirty years of mapping the world for prayer and action
Global Mapping International (GMI) will close on 30 June - three decades after it began as a two-year global mapping project. ‘We thought we’d get it done in two years,’ GMI president and CEO Jon Hirst said. ‘Then we realised that the nature of gathering information for the Great Commission was never-ending. That led to us becoming an independent research organisation supporting the global Church.’ Its publication Operation World and other resources have helped foreign missionaries become more effective, with custom maps, infographics, etc. Hirst said that a changing approach to mission and funding structure has forced GMI to close. The need for independent mission research hasn’t disappeared, and he hopes a new group will step forward to take it up. He said, ‘God blesses causes and people, He doesn’t bless organisations. The structures of the 20th century won’t always be able to withstand the changes of the 21st.’ Before closing, GMI will give away all its research.
A Government without God
Stephen Green of Christian Voice recently wrote, ‘Our leaders try to run things in their own wisdom. Even though our Queen was anointed to reign under the authority of God in the Name of Jesus Christ and given the Holy Bible as “the rule for the whole life and government of Christian princes,” her ministers have passed law after law in opposition to the will of God.’ Good laws might not make men good, but they can restrain the wicked, and bad laws encourage evil. We must pray for our Government as never before, and pray that God will raise up men like John Knox and John Wesley in Britain today to call the nation to repentance. Pray for our nation and its people to turn from the belief that mankind knows best and to trust in God again. Pray for Christians in Parliament and all who are led by God’s Spirit in positions of authority to be strong in His power.
Christian doctor condemns IVF egg-sharing scheme
The health watchdog is looking into claims that women are being offered free IVF treatment if they give away half of their healthy eggs. Undercover reporters from the Daily Mail went to one clinic, and recorded a consultant talking about how thousands of pounds change hands for donated eggs. In one recording a nurse says, 'It's just like giving blood.' The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) says donations are supposed to be voluntary and unpaid. Dr Trevor Stammers is a Christian medical ethics expert and a former GP. He is also a lecturer at St Mary's University in Twickenham in London. He said the HFEA needs to act. ‘This story is extremely sad, disturbing but actually not surprising. Fertility treatment is extremely costly and women seeking it are very vulnerable, so the power of a doctor to persuade a woman to donate eggs for others is extremely powerful.’ He added that the HFEA needs a radical overhaul and more funding.
