Metal for Jesus

Heavy metal music has roots in psychedelic rock, with amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, loud satanic lyrics and names like Black Sabbath. Rivalling satanic music since the 70’s have been Christian metal bands, also known as white metal or heavenly metal. It’s a form of heavy metal music defined by a Christian message in the lyrics as well as the dedication of the band members to Christianity. Many Christian bands are evangelists. There is also a Metal Bible that has been used by Christians to reach this ‘lost tribe of music lovers’. The Metal Bible was recently released in Danish, where 9,000 were distributed at the Roskilde Heavy Metal Festival. This Bible is available in English, Spanish, German, Swedish, Danish, Polish and Dutch. Versions in Russian, French, Portuguese and other languages are on the way. (See also Europe article 1)

Praise:

God for this ‘mega-cool’ special Bible that is available for metal-heads and is being used powerfully to bring people on the edge into God’s Kingdom.

Morocco: People reaching out with the Gospel

Melilla is located on the Mediterranean Sea coast on Moroccan Land, but has been under Spanish rule for hundreds of years, defying Morocco's claims to it . This city is an open door for the Gospel, and a way into North Africa. In recent years Melilla has been adopted by several groups worldwide, where teams would be sent to evangelise and distribute Christian material to North Africans. Lebanon is one of the countries that have adopted Melilla. 2015 would be the third year teams go to Melilla from Lebanon to distribute New Testaments and different evangelistic tools. Almost 700 evangelistic packages have been distributed to bless and change people’s lives and many positive conversations were had. This August, eleven college students will spend time in Melilla, sharing their faith and giving away Bibles and other Christian items. They’re praying for hearts to be softened and many respond to the gospel.

Praise:

God for these teams and all who hear His call to step out in faith and trust Him to use them. Pray for a thriving Arabic-speaking church to be planted in Melilla. (Ac.8:4)

Probe over ex PM, devout Christian Ted Heath

The handling of a child sex abuse claim involving former Prime Minister and devout Christian Sir Edward Heath is to be investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). Police are to be probed after allegations made by a retired senior officer were referred to the IPCC. It is alleged that a criminal prosecution was not pursued, when a person threatened to expose Sir Edward Heath’s possible involvement in offences concerning children. Sir Edward was the editor of the Church Times between 1948 and 1949 before his election as Member of Parliament in 1950. Police say they would like to hear from anyone who has any relevant information that may assist them in their enquiries. The NSPCC said, ‘Whether abuse happened in the past, or is occurring today, whether those being accused are authority figures or not, allegations of crimes against children must be investigated thoroughly.’

Pray:

for the media to remember that a person is innocent until proven guilty and for anything hidden to be revealed. (Mt.6:13)

Catholic Church – pro-active approach to clerical sexual abuse

The Catholic Church will apply nationally a project that pro-actively approaches sexual abuse by clergy. A recent pilot of the system resulted in doubling the number of people reporting abuse in a nine-month period. A Survivors’ Advisory Panel will assist the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission in England and Wales. A ‘Minister and Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors’ spokesperson said allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church and the Church of England should be dealt with independently. ‘Whilst both Churches have improved their policies and guidance there are really strong concerns about how policies are implemented. It’s down to individual bishops to decide when to report allegations to the police and what action to take. The increased number of prosecutions of clergy for abuse suggests this is an ongoing problem and the response of the Churches in the past leads us to believe they cannot be trusted to police themselves.’ See also

Pray:

for the Churches and independent bodies as they work to improve the handling of allegations. (Ps.45:4)

David Cameron accused by some of lack of compassion over asylum crisis

Speaking with the backing of the Church of England, the bishop of Dover accused the Government of forgetting their humanity and attacked the media for propagating a ‘toxicity’ that spread hostility towards migrants. The Right Rev Trevor Willmott urged Mr Cameron to upgrade his rhetoric after he described migrants as a ‘swarm’ and promised to introduce strong-arm tactics in Calais. Willmott said, ‘When we become harsh with each other and forget our humanity we end up in stand-off positions. To put migrants and refugees in that very unhelpful phrase categorises people.’ Save the Children echoed Willmott’s call to remember that the migrants were humans and many were refugees fleeing horrific abuse or extreme danger. The deputy mayor of Calais called the prime minister ‘racist’ and the UN special representative on migration said Britain’s attitude towards the crisis suggested the lessons of Nazism had not been learnt.

Pray:

for the British and French governments to draw up workable processes that prevent escalating border violence. (Pr.29:11)

BBC documentary reveals schoolchildren rude and idle

Chinese teachers give instruction for 12 hours a day and Chinese schools are at the top of international ratings in maths, sciences and literacy. Recently, five Chinese teachers spent a month teaching in a Hampshire school analysing teaching methods in the UK. The teachers found their group of 50 children, aged 13 and 14, were disruptive and unable to concentrate. Li Aiyun said, ‘When I gave out homework sheets, I expected everybody to be concentrated on the homework. But when I returned to the classroom students were chatting, some were eating and somebody was even putting make-up on her face.’ The Chinese teachers blamed ‘lack of motivation’ on poor performances. Science teacher Yang Jun said, ‘In China we don’t need classroom management skills because everyone is disciplined by nature, by families, by society - whereas here it is the most challenging part of teaching.’ The Chinese methods are to be screened in a BBC Two documentary, Are Our Kids Tough Enough?

Pray:

against classroom disruption in British schools and pray for the teachers to maintain the balance of respect for the students and the students' respect for their teachers. (Pr.22:6)

Ofsted accused of 'ignoring' the bullying of Christian students

Colin Hart, director of the Christian Institute has said Ofsted and the Department for Education have given ‘inadequate attention’ to the ‘bullying of Christian pupils’. His remarks follow a recent letter from the schools’ chief inspector addressing the issue of schools caught up in the so-called Trojan Horse scandal, which alleged Muslim groups were seeking to gain control of schools in Birmingham. In a letter addressed to the Education Secretary, Mr Hart said it was ‘striking’ that official reports listed explicit examples of anti-Christian intolerance in several schools involved in the scandal but none of these are noted in the Ofsted reports on those schools. He wrote, ‘You will see they include anti-Christian chanting in assemblies, GCSE pupils who opted to learn Christianity being left to teach themselves and Christians being called ‘ignorant’ or ‘liars’ by teachers.’ He went on to say that it was disturbing to witness a ‘complete lack of any specific plans of action to tackle anti-Christian intolerance’.

Pray:

for structures that detect intolerance to improve and for religious issues to be resolved. (Zech.7:9)

Euthanasia: Doctor slams NICE end-of-life guidelines

A leading doctor has slammed new guidelines prepared to replace the much-criticised Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP). Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Dr Patrick Pullcino, Professor of Clinical Neuroscience at the University of Kent, says the draft guidelines prepared by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) are even worse than the LCP. Christian Voice reported on the NICE guidelines based on a BBC article which was positive about the development. It seems they were wrong and they say, ‘There can be no doubt the BBC article was based on a press release from NICE, who appear to have put a positive spin on their work, claiming that they were calling for basic daily checks to make sure patients are well hydrated and nourished. We observed this was ‘a radical departure from the LCP’.' NICE went on to say that families would be encouraged to be more closely involved in care if appropriate and safe.

Pray:

for clear humane guidelines for end-of-life care that adhere to biblical principles.

Tony Blair should stand trial for war crime over Iraq?

Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn, a leading candidate to head the Labour party, has said former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair should be tried for war crimes over the 2003 Iraq war if evidence shows he broke international law. At the time when Britain joined a US-led invasion of Iraq, despite widespread public opposition, Corbyn organised mass protests against the war. Blair has previously said he had no regrets over the invasion, saying Saddam Hussein was a threat who had to be disarmed or removed. Corbyn said the long-running inquiry into the Iraq invasion needed to tackle unanswered questions about how Blair decided to get involved in the war. Lengthy delays to the publication of the report have frustrated MPs, including David Cameron who on Tuesday urged its independent head, John Chilcot, to set out a timetable for the publication of his findings.

Pray:

for the overdue Chilcot report to be honest in its evaluations and released soon for perusal. (Pr.8:7)

Germany: Heavy Metal festivals – Summer 2015

Large ‘Heavy Metal Festivals’ take place in Germany in the summer. These festivals are really Satan worship, even though many taking part are not actually aware of it. The spiritual consequences within Germany should not be underestimated. From August 13-16 in southern Germany, the Death Metal Festival takes place. Last year there were 35,000 visitors. This year 80+ bands are performing. The style of music is Extreme Metal, Death Metal, Black Metal and Thrash Metal. The lyrics express a destructive worldview – denial of every order that relates to our existence, knowledge, values and societies – often combined with total resignation. Song themes are often about death, disease, war, torture, horror and societal abnormalities, and extend to hatred of humanity and promotion of Satanism. Please pray for the spiritual protection of dedicated Christians evangelising at these festivals with the ‘Metal Bible’ (a modern translation with many testimonies from people out of the Metal music scene- see Praise article 1)

Pray:

that people will be open to the gospel and show interest in the Metal Bible, for the deliverance and salvation of many and for the protection of children and young people. (Ac.10:42)

German MP opens home to two migrants

German conservative MP, Martin Patzelt, has taken two Eritrean refugees into his home and is helping the young men find jobs locally. Mr Patzelt lives near Frankfurt in eastern Germany. The Eritreans have been staying with him for a month. Such initiatives help to ‘get rid of the polarisation and hostility’ towards migrants, he told German TV. Eritrea has an authoritarian government which forces citizens into military service - often for many years and in deplorable conditions. Generally Eritreans and Syrians are granted refugee status when they reach Germany, allowing them to stay there. However Germany is gripped by an intense debate over migrants. Numbers have soared this year due to boatloads crossing the Mediterranean. Speaking to the BBC, Mr Patzelt said many admired his commitment, but his motivation was political, not religious; hostility towards the influx of refugees could only be solved by engaging ordinary German citizens.

Pray:

for more people, who are able, to house people fleeing from war and oppressive regimes. (Mt.25:35)

Burundi: High-profile assassination has country on edge

On Sunday General Nshimirimana's pick-up was hit by two rockets and sprayed with automatic gunfire - days after President Nkurunziza was declared winner of a controversial election and months of fierce government crackdowns on opposition and an attempted coup. General Nshimirimana was behind the crackdown on protests and foiling the coup attempt. A source in the presidency said, ‘The situation is very serious, the general was essential, we are trying to manage a difficult situation. Our boys want to take revenge. You cannot imagine what the General represented for us.’ Another top pro-Nkurunziza general said, ‘They have declared war and they will see what they get. Then a second assassination on Monday of human rights defender Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa (one of the last remaining human rights activists working during the crisis) has increased risks of a new season of war. Targeted killings have been part of the landscape recently, but none as high-profile as these two, and arms are proliferating among civilians, with shooting through the night in many neighbourhoods.

Pray:

against waves of further revenge attacks in the coming hours and days. Ask God to protect and comfort innocent civilians caught in the middle of chaos.(Ps.72:4)

America: Fracking - hundreds of earthquakes a year in Oklahoma

According to state-conducted research, widespread fracking and fracking wastewater injection have transformed the state of Oklahoma from a place that had an average of two tiny earthquakes a year to the most seismically active area in the United States. In fact, the massive surge in fracking-related quakes has even alerted Oklahoma Geological Survey (OGS) as to the existence of many formerly stable and dormant underground faults that it didn’t previously know existed. EcoWatch reported, ‘Oklahoma was never big earthquake country but in the last six years their numbers have surged, going from an average of two a year over 3.0 magnitude to 585 last year, surpassing California as the US’s most seismically active state.’ The state of Oklahoma has even set up its own earthquake website, whereon it states this rise in seismic events has the attention of scientists, citizens, policymakers, media and industry. After 35 fracking earthquakes rocked Oklahoma in the first week of July the state has had more pressure than ever on it to put a damper on the cause before things get out of hand.

Pray:

for EcoWatch and others to be listened to and for the safety of people living in Oklahoma. (Mt.6:24)

Israel: Things happening in Israel right now

Last week there was a gay pride parade in Jerusalem. An orthodox Jewish man rushed into the parade and stabbed six people, wounding two seriously and one very seriously. The Supreme Court ordered that some homes built illegally in Beit El (Jewish settlement in Samaria) should be destroyed. This took place on the anniversary of the expulsion of the settlers from Gaza. Riots ensued that pitted Jew against Jew. On Monday a delegation of Jewish and Muslim religious leaders convened outside the Department of Pediatric Intensive Care at Sheba Medical Centre, to pray for the well-being of the victims of the Jewish firebomb terror attack on a Palestinian family last Friday morning. Also far-right activist Meir Ettinger was arrested for heading a cell planning to commit a series of violent acts against Palestinians. As part of the plan he branded ‘the revolt’ which would light the flames of conflict and anarchy in Israel. See also

Pray:

for the Lord to heal the divisions that exist among people living in Israel and that many people will find the ultimate solution in Yeshua. (Ps.133:1)

Thousands of Christians who fled IS facing long-term refugee status

Christians forced to flee Islamic State last year are still living in refugee camps and losing hope of ever returning home. Mosul-born Chaldean Catholic Sahar Mansour is now living in the refugee camp at Ankawa after being driven from his home by militants last year. There are more than 1,700 Syriac Catholic families living in the camp, ministered to by priests including Father Bashar Kthea, who himself fled from Qaraqosh last August. Qaraqosh was once home to Iraq's largest Christian community. It was overrun by Islamic State jihadists in 2014. Writing on behalf of Father Kthea to Catholic News Service Mansour said there is growing discontentment and frustration in the camp, particularly among young people for whom there are few prospects. ‘The majority of the young people are thinking not to stay in Erbil anymore and they do their best to flee,’ Sahar said.

Pray:

for refugees to have a better life as they wait and hope to return to their homeland. (Ps.37:18)

Canada: North Korea shows captive Canadian pastor ‘confessing’

Last month we reported on a Canadian Church having very little information about their founding pastor, Hyeon Soo Lim, detained in North Korea since early March. On 2 August North Korea released video footage of him confessing that he had committed crimes against the state. Dressed in a dark blue suit and tie Lim appeared to be reading from a script. ‘The worst crime I committed was to rashly defame and insult the highest dignity and the system of the republic.’ Last week he appeared before the media confessing to crimes aimed at overthrowing the state and was quoted saying he had travelled to North Korea in the guise of humanitarian work to gather information that he used outside the country to drive the regime to a collapse. Lim, a Canadian citizen, has over the years visited North Korea and established an orphanage and a nursing home.

Pray:

for the Canadian government to secure Lim's release, pray against North Korea’s further clamp down on Christian groups and pray for Lim to be a strong witness for Christ while being held captive. (Ps.10:14)

China: International concern as more lawyers detained

United Nations human rights experts, the European Union, UK, US and others have expressed concern regarding the detention of over 200 lawyers and activists in China since 10 July. (See Prayer-Alert 15July) On 16 July, five UN independent experts called on the Chinese authorities to stop harassing and intimidating lawyers and their colleagues, stating that ‘Lawyers are essential to ensure the rule of law; they need to be protected not harassed’. The British Embassy in Beijing expressed deep concern about the detentions. The US strongly urged China to release all those who have recently been detained for seeking to protect the rights of Chinese citizens. Last week, the UK’s Law Society wrote to the Chinese Premier raising concerns about the situation. The US Congressional-Executive Commission on China, said the ‘wave of repression constitutes an undeniable setback in US-China relations’.

Pray:

for international pressure to establish the release of 236 lawyers and family members. (Is.59:14,15)

Australia: Christians call ‘time to defend the faith with flowers’

A private member’s bill to legalise same sex marriage is expected to be presented to Federal Parliament in the week beginning Monday 10 August. In response to this move Christian ministries and organisations are asking Christians across the nation to defend their faith and make a visible statement to Australia’s national leaders of their desire for the definition of marriage to remain as being between a man and a woman. Christians are asked to say ‘Thank you with Flowers’ to Australian PMs who are valiantly defending the existing Biblical Covenant of Marriage between a man and a woman. Flowers are used to express thanks for life from the heart and Christians are going to take steps to set in place a carpet of flowers at Parliament House, Canberra on 10 August as a united expression of prayer and thanks to our Prime Minister and those supporting traditional marriage in Parliament.

Pray:

for thousands to respond to this call and book delivery of flowers to the steps of Parliament.(Gen.2:22)

Source: Prayer Alert - World Prayer Centre UK