POLITICAL UPDATE

NORTHERN IRELAND

The elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly are to be held at the end of May.  Please pray that those standing for righteousness be upheld and returned, and that the men of violence, Sinn Fein/IRA in particular, are exposed and defeated.  Please pray that a God-honouring agreement comes out, not an agreement or a sham peace at any price.

Please pray in particular for Jeffrey Donaldson MP, who is standing in the Assembly elections.  Jeffrey has promised to be with us on 2nd June in Westminster Chapel if the circumstances of the Province allow.

SEX EDUCATION LEADS TO CHILD ABUSE – IT’S OFFICIAL

The Government has decided to accept a proposal from sex education groups, including the Family Planning Association, to exempt sex educators from offences in the Sexual Offences Bill, now going through the House of Lords.

The proposals will exempt anyone conducting sex education from the offence of facilitating a child sex offence, for example by distributing condoms or the morning-after-pill.  So now we know: what sex educators do in the classroom is likely to result in child abuse.

Incredibly, the Opposition raised no objection.  They seem still to be in thrall to the child sex industry and not to have noticed that sex education in our land is one of roots of immorality in general and teenage sexual activity in particular.  Lady Noakes from the Conservative front bench and Lady Walmsley from the Lib Dems actually welcomed the Government proposal.  Only Baroness Blatch spoke against it.

SECTION 28

The Local Government Bill is also now proceeding through the House of Lords.  The Bill was amended in the House of Commons to repeal Section 28, which forbids local authorities from promoting homosexuality.  Unless peers vote against the clause in the Bill which repeals Section 28, school children will be subjected to homosexual propaganda.  That means that the Conservative front bench in the Lords will have to oppose the measure, and insist on their peers joining them (a ‘three‑line whip’).

PRAY: That there will actually be some opposition to evil in the House of Lords.  Please pray for Baroness Blatch and Lady O’Cathain who are currently the last line of defence for children and righteousness.

WRITE: To Mr Iain Duncan-Smith MP, Leader of the Opposition, House of Commons, London SW1A 1AA.  Insist that Opposition peers oppose the gay rights lobby and the sex educators.  Write to your own MP as well.

SELECT COMMITTEE TO REPORT

The House of Lords Select Committee On Religious Offences (the ‘Colville Committee’) still had not reported as we went to press.  The Clerk, Mr Ian Mackley, told us before the Recess that Lord Colville hoped to report just after.  However, that depends on agreement in the Committee.

Lord Colville would obviously prefer a report which recommends the abolition of our religious offences, including the law against blasphemy, and the introduction of religious hatred legislation.  However, if he fails to get unanimous agreement from the Committee for that, he may have to redraft the report to merely list options.  Including the abolition of the law against blasphemy even as an option would in our eyes be a disaster, so we urge prayer that the report recommend the status quo.

Looking ahead, after publication there will probably be a debate on the report in the House of Lords.  We shall with God’s grace prepare a new briefing at that time for their Lordships’ House so that any debate is fully informed, and will let members know so that prayer and action may be fully mobilised.

PRAY:  Please pray that the Committee fails to agree rather than publishes a report which either recommends abolition of our law against blasphemy or includes it as an option.  Pray that the Christians on the Colville Committee remain strong in the face of pressure.  Pray that the report will recommend keeping the status quo.