Hello and welcome to the Parliamentary prayer update, my name is Gareth Wallace and I work in Westminster for the Evangelical Alliance Public Affairs Department.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill
The All Party Parliamentary Pro-life national tour “Not on your life…or anyone else’s” has been taking place in venues across the UK.
Prominent Christian pro-life MPs have been speaking along with representatives from CARE and the Christian Medical Fellowship.
The tour concludes in Cardiff on Tuesday the 4th March at 7.30pm. I took a group from my church along to the London leg of the tour on the 6th of February.
The atmosphere was very different to the usual Christian meeting! There were many angry demonstrators and hecklers who had to be held back by the police! This did not deter people it seemed, as there were several hundred people in the audience.
The talks given were clear and inspirational. The audience's passion actually seemed to be increased by the hecklers.
Lord Alton gave an overview of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) Bill and pointed out that:
- Since 1999 Over 34,000 Human Embryo’s have been passed on from IVF for use in embryo experimentation.
- Not one single cure has been yet been established from embryonic stem cell research. Adult stem cell research had led to 80 cures worldwide, with over 350 clinical trials ongoing.
Ann Widdecombe MP said:
- “What is the difference between a disabled child one day before birth and one day after birth? There is no difference: you can see one of them and not the other. What kind of society gives someone the right to life on whether you can see them or not?”
- “What is the difference between an unborn child of 24 weeks which is terminated and another of 24 weeks which is lying in a cot with all the medical resources we have poured into it? There is no difference.”
- She addressed the Women’s Rights issues which the hecklers raised by saying “50% of 7 million children aborted since 1967 were female. What rights did they have?”
Even if you have not been able to attend an event, you can still take action:
I got as many people as possible at my church to sign postcards. In total around 100 were sent representing 11 constituencies. I have already received a sympathetic letter from my own MP.
The most local MP to my church has a majority smaller than the number of people in the church congregation! You would be amazed how politically influential even one church can be.
Please pray that as many people as possible will petition the Prime Minster asking for a free vote on these issues of conscience. Pray that each and every MP will be flooded with polite letters and postcards defending the right to life.
Archbishop of Canterbury and Sharia
As I am sure you are aware the Archbishop of Canterbury recently raised the issue of Sharia law in the UK.
The Evangelical Alliance has been working on issues of freedom of conscience and religion for a number of years. The controversy over the Archbishop of Canterbury has heightened public interest, and we feel this is the time to widen the debate to the broader Christian community.
The Evangelical Alliance is very interested in hearing your opinions, and will feed them into an expert group who will be formulating a comprehensive Christian response to these issues.
Here are some questions to guide your thinking:
- What is your view of Sharia law operating within the British legal system?
- What is the relationship like between Christians and Muslims in your area? Can you describe any local examples of good or bad relations?
- How do you think the Evangelical Alliance should respond to this debate?
Please pray for wisdom as the Evangelical Alliance responds to media enquires on this sensitive topic.
Regardless of whether or not we agree with Rowan Williams, he has been put under intense media pressure over the last few weeks.
Please pray for the Archbishop of Canterbury his wife and family as they deal with the pressures that his role and profile brings.
Please pray for Evangelical Alliance member organisations such as Christian Solidarity Worldwide who work tirelessly for the rights of Persecuted Christians around the world, many of whom live under oppressive Islamic regimes.
London Elections
The London Mayoral election is taking place on Thursday the 1st May.
The Evangelical Alliance in partnership with the London Churches Group is once again planning a Hustings event for the London Mayoral Candidates.
This question and answer hustings event is taking place in St Martin in the Fields Church on the evening of Wednesday 23rd April.
This is a hugely exciting opportunity that won’t come around again for another four years. If you are a living in London please put the 23rd April in your diary.
More details will soon be published on the Evangelical Alliance website
Further Prayer and Action
For further insights on these and other issues The Evangelical Alliance Public Affairs department produces a monthly parliamentary magazine, PQ, and a monthly ‘Prayer and Campaigns’ action and prayer sheet. Both of these are available on our website along with topical political briefing material. If you have any questions please e-mail the public affairs team at:- pub-aff@eauk.org.
