UK Doctors Uphold Right to Pray | 308 | Report 16

The GP magazine Pulse has reported on new guidance from the Medical Defence Union saying that GPs can pray with their patients as long as they ensure patients are ‘receptive’ to the offer. The guidance quotes a letter from Jane O’Brien, General Medical Council (GMC) Assistant Director for Standards and Fitness to Practise, published in the Daily Telegraph in 2009 suggesting that a ‘tactful’ offer to pray could be appropriate. The development is highly significant in that it follows a statement by the GMC’s Chief Executive Niall Dickson who in a recent Radio Four interview confirmed the appropriateness of sensitive faith discussions with patients. “Faith discussions are not normally part of the consultation, but there are occasions when they are appropriate.” Clare Gerada, Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, the largest Royal College in the UK, with 44000 members, tweeted on the new guidance that it was “good that sense is prevailing at last”.

Source: Prayer Alert; Christian Medical Comment

BIBLE STUDY: James 5:14-16

PRAISE: God for voices of reason in the GMC. Pray that Christian doctors may respond with sensitivity to their patients and to God’s voice.

Christianity More Vital in UK Today | 16th Mar 2010

George Pitcher, Vicar of St Bride’s, Fleet Street, and Religion Editor of Telegraph Media, was invited to Vanessa Feltz’s BBC radio show a few weeks ago to comment on the news that the number of Briton’s calling themselves Christians has dropped markedly. Responding to Ms Feltz’s suggestion that he should be downcast about the news, George Pitcher claimed he was actually quite cheerful about it.
“Leaving aside the fact that Christianity is, globally speaking, in the middle of a boom, it’s encouraging that so many people in Britain are still actually signing up to the faith. Remember, after all, that ours is the first generation for hundreds of years that isn’t Christian by default,” he said.
“Even in the middle of the last century,” he continued, “our parents would automatically tell census-takers that they were “Church of England”, without any real sense of conviction. It was just what you were. This applied less to other denominations, because the C of E was a default position – just part of the background; ambient noise.
By contrast, people these n – something unthinkable even a decade ago.”
“Secondly,” he says, “36 per cent of those surveyed were part of the ‘fuzzy faithful’… They’ve drifted from organised religion because of the fashion in recent decades for the materialistic lifestyle… Why is this encouraging? Well, Miss Feltz made a very good point: churches and synagogues and temples have historically provided networks of support, nourishment and education that we’re now lacking. The term that often crops up is ‘social cohesion’. Spirituality performed in private at home hardly has the same beneficial effects on society.
But I think people are becoming increasingly fed-up with the me-me-me consumerist lifestyle. A spiritual hunger will bring them back together in groups again, helping them to rediscover their common – and very often Christian – heritage. The resulting bodies may not call themselves churches, but that’s what they’ll be.”
George Pitcher ends with a remarkable statement: “All in all, Britain is going through one of those periods of religious refreshment that crop up every few decades…”

Source: The Daily Telegraph

BIBLE STUDY: Jeremiah 24:7

Day 16 – PRAY: That Christians may indeed practice a vital, living faith that puts Jesus at the centre.

http://revivalmedia.org/2010/03/15/christianity-more-vital-in-uk-today-16th-mar-2010

Christianity More Vital in UK Today | 15th Mar 2010

George Pitcher, Vicar of St Bride’s, Fleet Street, and Religion Editor of Telegraph Media, was invited to Vanessa Feltz’s BBC radio show a few weeks ago to comment on the news that the number of Briton’s calling themselves Christians has dropped markedly. Responding to Ms Feltz’s suggestion that he should be downcast about the news, George Pitcher claimed he was actually quite cheerful about it.
“Leaving aside the fact that Christianity is, globally speaking, in the middle of a boom, it’s encouraging that so many people in Britain are still actually signing up to the faith. Remember, after all, that ours is the first generation for hundreds of years that isn’t Christian by default,” he said.
“Even in the middle of the last century,” he continued, “our parents would automatically tell census-takers that they were “Church of England”, without any real sense of conviction. It was just what you were. This applied less to other denominations, because the C of E was a default position – just part of the background; ambient noise.
By contrast, people these n – something unthinkable even a decade ago.”
“Secondly,” he says, “36 per cent of those surveyed were part of the ‘fuzzy faithful’… They’ve drifted from organised religion because of the fashion in recent decades for the materialistic lifestyle… Why is this encouraging? Well, Miss Feltz made a very good point: churches and synagogues and temples have historically provided networks of support, nourishment and education that we’re now lacking. The term that often crops up is ‘social cohesion’. Spirituality performed in private at home hardly has the same beneficial effects on society.
But I think people are becoming increasingly fed-up with the me-me-me consumerist lifestyle. A spiritual hunger will bring them back together in groups again, helping them to rediscover their common – and very often Christian – heritage. The resulting bodies may not call themselves churches, but that’s what they’ll be.”
George Pitcher ends with a remarkable statement: “All in all, Britain is going through one of those periods of religious refreshment that crop up every few decades…”

Source: The Daily Telegraph

BIBLE STUDY: Jeremiah 24:7

Day 15 – PRAISE: God that fewer can mean better.

http://revivalmedia.org/2010/03/14/christianity-more-vital-in-uk-today-15th-mar-2010

UK: Churchgoing is On the Rise | 14th Mar 2010

It appears the long-term decline in UK churchgoing is levelling off and there are signs of a new interest in going to church.
A Tear Fund study showed that more than a quarter of adults in the UK attend church at least once a year while 15% went at least once a month in 2008, up from 13% in 2007. This trend appears to have continued into 2009. The study also showed that almost 3 million people would consider going to church given the right invitation.
However, the gender and age gaps are widening: only 35% of churchgoers are men and, among the critical under 16’s, attendance has continued to fall over the period.

Source: Tear Fund; Virgin Media

BIBLE STUDY: Isaiah 56:6-8

PRAISE: God for this change of momentum. Pray that churches may be ready to receive these people.

http://revivalmedia.org/2010/03/13/uk-churchgoing-is-on-the-rise-14th-mar-2010

Christianity More Vital in UK Today | 16th Feb 2010

George Pitcher, Vicar of St Bride’s, Fleet Street, and Religion Editor of Telegraph Media, was invited to Vanessa Feltz’s BBC radio show a few weeks ago to comment on the news that the number of Briton’s calling themselves Christians has dropped markedly. Responding to Ms Feltz’s suggestion that he should be downcast about the news, George Pitcher claimed he was actually quite cheerful about it.
“Leaving aside the fact that Christianity is, globally speaking, in the middle of a boom, it’s encouraging that so many people in Britain are still actually signing up to the faith. Remember, after all, that ours is the first generation for hundreds of years that isn’t Christian by default,” he said.
“Even in the middle of the last century,” he continued, “our parents would automatically tell census-takers that they were “Church of England”, without any real sense of conviction. It was just what you were. This applied less to other denominations, because the C of E was a default position – just part of the background; ambient noise.
By contrast, people these n – something unthinkable even a decade ago.”
“Secondly,” he says, “36 per cent of those surveyed were part of the ‘fuzzy faithful’… They’ve drifted from organised religion because of the fashion in recent decades for the materialistic lifestyle… Why is this encouraging? Well, Miss Feltz made a very good point: churches and synagogues and temples have historically provided networks of support, nourishment and education that we’re now lacking. The term that often crops up is ‘social cohesion’. Spirituality performed in private at home hardly has the same beneficial effects on society.
But I think people are becoming increasingly fed-up with the me-me-me consumerist lifestyle. A spiritual hunger will bring them back together in groups again, helping them to rediscover their common – and very often Christian – heritage. The resulting bodies may not call themselves churches, but that’s what they’ll be.”
George Pitcher ends with a remarkable statement: “All in all, Britain is going through one of those periods of religious refreshment that crop up every few decades…”

Source: The Daily Telegraph

BIBLE STUDY: Jeremiah 24:7

Day 16 – PRAY: That Christians may indeed practice a vital, living faith that puts Jesus at the centre.

Christianity More Vital in UK Today | 15th Feb 2010

George Pitcher, Vicar of St Bride’s, Fleet Street, and Religion Editor of Telegraph Media, was invited to Vanessa Feltz’s BBC radio show a few weeks ago to comment on the news that the number of Briton’s calling themselves Christians has dropped markedly. Responding to Ms Feltz’s suggestion that he should be downcast about the news, George Pitcher claimed he was actually quite cheerful about it.
“Leaving aside the fact that Christianity is, globally speaking, in the middle of a boom, it’s encouraging that so many people in Britain are still actually signing up to the faith. Remember, after all, that ours is the first generation for hundreds of years that isn’t Christian by default,” he said.
“Even in the middle of the last century,” he continued, “our parents would automatically tell census-takers that they were “Church of England”, without any real sense of conviction. It was just what you were. This applied less to other denominations, because the C of E was a default position – just part of the background; ambient noise.
By contrast, people these n – something unthinkable even a decade ago.”
“Secondly,” he says, “36 per cent of those surveyed were part of the ‘fuzzy faithful’… They’ve drifted from organised religion because of the fashion in recent decades for the materialistic lifestyle… Why is this encouraging? Well, Miss Feltz made a very good point: churches and synagogues and temples have historically provided networks of support, nourishment and education that we’re now lacking. The term that often crops up is ‘social cohesion’. Spirituality performed in private at home hardly has the same beneficial effects on society.
But I think people are becoming increasingly fed-up with the me-me-me consumerist lifestyle. A spiritual hunger will bring them back together in groups again, helping them to rediscover their common – and very often Christian – heritage. The resulting bodies may not call themselves churches, but that’s what they’ll be.”
George Pitcher ends with a remarkable statement: “All in all, Britain is going through one of those periods of religious refreshment that crop up every few decades…”

Source: The Daily Telegraph

BIBLE STUDY: Jeremiah 24:7

Day 15 – PRAISE: God that fewer can mean better.

UK: Churchgoing is On the Rise | 14th Feb 2010

It appears the long-term decline in UK churchgoing is levelling off and there are signs of a new interest in going to church.
A Tear Fund study showed that more than a quarter of adults in the UK attend church at least once a year while 15% went at least once a month in 2008, up from 13% in 2007. This trend appears to have continued into 2009. The study also showed that almost 3 million people would consider going to church given the right invitation.
However, the gender and age gaps are widening: only 35% of churchgoers are men and, among the critical under 16’s, attendance has continued to fall over the period.

Source: Tear Fund; Virgin Media

BIBLE STUDY: Isaiah 56:6-8

PRAISE: God for this change of momentum. Pray that churches may be ready to receive these people.

Gordon Brown: 'Britain Still Christian' | 30th Nov 09

The Prime Minister claimed that Britain’s values are still based on traditional religious teachings, and said it would be wrong if the devout were forced to keep their beliefs private. His comments, made in an interview with Premier Christian Radio, come amid growing concern that public sector employees are being punished for acting according to their faith. He added that faith has an important role to play in the public square, and that we need to be clear about what kind of society we want to be. “So I think the idea that you can say: What I do in my own life is privatized and I’m not going to try to suggest that these are values that can bind your society together, would be wrong,” Brown added.

Source: Prayer Alert

BIBLE STUDY: Proverbs 1:20

PRAY: That Parliament may continue to uphold the right of Christians to proclaim their faith.

Gordon Brown: 'Britain Still Christian' | 30th Oct 09

The Prime Minister claimed that Britain’s values are still based on traditional religious teachings, and said it would be wrong if the devout were forced to keep their beliefs private. His comments, made in an interview with Premier Christian Radio, come amid growing concern that public sector employees are being punished for acting according to their faith. He added that faith has an important role to play in the public square, and that we need to be clear about what kind of society we want to be. “So I think the idea that you can say: What I do in my own life is privatized and I’m not going to try to suggest that these are values that can bind your society together, would be wrong,” Brown added.

Source: Prayer Alert

BIBLE STUDY: Proverbs 1:20

PRAY: That Parliament may continue to uphold the right of Christians to proclaim their faith.