Refugees who converted to Christianity are denied asylum if they can’t prove the authenticity of their Christian faith by answering questions when they attend an interview on arrival. Applications are turned down if the Home Office believes their conversion was a ploy to claim asylum. However, if a refugee has come to faith in an underground house church, where they’ve been able to borrow a New Testament for a week and have encountered the risen Lord Jesus, they are not going to know when the date of Pentecost is or the Catholic rule of abstinence on Fridays. An Iranian convert to Christianity told the BBC that he applied for asylum after fleeing persecution back home, but his application was denied following a failed interview. He was asked to name the last book of the Bible, Revelation, but his correct answer in the Farsi language was misunderstood by the interpreter.

According to PrivateHealthcareReports.com, the United Methodist Church (UMC) has voted 425-268 to reverse their pro-choice stance and to withdraw from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, which is a lobby group that advocates for abortion rights. Until the reversal, the UMC had been an outspoken pro-choice advocate, supporting on-demand abortion, and even partial birth abortion.

The Diocese of Blackburn, Lancashire, is preparing to welcome the Archbishop of York, Rt Revd John Sentamu, for his next big mission date, when he and nearly thirty Bishops from across the north of England will come to the diocese for the Crossroads Mission (8 to 11 September). This mission is about sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with people across Lancashire - and the Archbishop will be leading from the front. Crossroads Mission will involve every parish in the county.

A law banning ‘legal highs’ came into force on Thursday 26 May, with the Government saying it wants to do everything it can to eradicate this abhorrent trade. Legal highs, also called new psychoactive substances, mimic the effects of cannabis and heroin, and have previously been sold openly on the high street. Now, those involved in the supply or production of the drugs face a prison sentence of up to seven years. However, the police officer in charge of the issue has suggested officers may take a weaker approach. Commander Simon Bray said there are ‘all sorts of options around problem-solving in a proportionate way, so it’s not too heavy-handed on the more social end’. Some say the ban could send the sale of the drugs underground. The Government will continue to take action across education, prevention, treatment and recovery in order to reduce harmful drug use.

This week (ending today) the Presbyterian Church in Ireland has been holding its General Assembly, its governing and decision-making body. 1,000 people from 545 congregations have been involved in three and a half days of worship, prayer, Bible study, celebration and decision-making. Pray for God to bless all decisions prompted by Him and made by the assembly regarding strategic priorities in all-age mission, Church development and Church planting, and all aspects of supporting chaplaincy service in the forces, hospitals, hospices, and prisons. Pray also for its support to mission and ministry in universities and colleges through its chaplaincy services.

Prime Minister David Cameron has said it is ‘ludicrous’ that a college Christian Union could be stopped from meeting under the Government's counter-extremism strategy. Responding to Christian Conservative MP Fiona Bruce during Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Cameron said people needed to exercise some common sense in making these judgements. Mrs Bruce raised the issue after reports suggested an unnamed college Christian union had been stopped from meeting because of concerns that it might be breaching Prevent guidelines. This legislation was put together to stop children being influenced by extremists. Prevent is one part of the Government's initiative for countering extremism; it defines extremism, amongst other things, as ‘vocal or active opposition to different faiths and beliefs’. Mrs Bruce said that next week the annual National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast will host 600 community and faith leaders, as well as over a hundred MPs; yet a Christian Union is banned from holding prayer and Bible study meetings.

On 4 June Ukraine’s security service said that a French citizen detained in late May on the border with Poland had been planning attacks in France to coincide with the Euro 2016 football championship. The unnamed 25-year-old had been arrested with an arsenal of weapons and explosives including rocket launchers and Kalashnikov assault rifles in his vehicle. Authorities said the man had made contact with armed groups in Ukraine with the aim of buying weapons and explosives. A Paris police raid on his home uncovered ingredients for homemade explosives. The United States warned its citizens of the possibility of further attacks in Europe, saying targets could include Euro 2016 (which opens in France today). Gun attacks, remotely detonated bombs, and even drones carrying explosives and chemical weapons are just a few of the terrorist threats French authorities are preparing for. See also:

In Italy, the very birthplace of Roman Catholicism, a bill that contradicts the teaching of the Bible has been overwhelmingly approved by lawmakers, allowing the civil union of same-sex couples amid widespread strong objections, especially from the church. By 372 votes to 51, with 99 abstentions, the bill passed the strict scrutiny. It is now up to President Sergio Mattarella to decide which side he should choose - the Bible that says marriage is only between a man and a woman, or the bill that accords homosexuals that same right. The bill's approval by Italy's Chamber of Deputies was unexpected, and drew outrage from most Italians who thought their leaders were conservative. Its passage left homosexuals with one last step for victory against the Roman Catholic Church - President Pattarella's support or veto.

In Syria last month IS came under intense pressure from the US-led coalition, Kurdish forces, Syrian government troops and allies, the Iraqi army, and shelling from Turkey. The tide is turning against the brutal organisation, and its territorial control is shrinking. Pray for the cities recaptured from IS, asking God for righteous leaders. Pray also for an ultimate peace deal, particularly with the geo-political interests of countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Russia. Meanwhile refugees continue to flee the five-year-old conflict, with no prospect of returning home in the near future. Pray for their safety, and for international solidarity to meet all their needs. Finally, the battle for Aleppo continues. Fifteen people were killed and dozens wounded in a series of airstrikes with three medical facilities hit in the space of three hours on Thursday. See:

The island of Cyprus is occupied mainly by Greeks in the south and Turks in the north. One of the biggest stumbling blocks to any kind of north / south reunion is that Greek houses and land in the north have been occupied by Turks for nearly fifty years; churches have been pillaged or destroyed, with no one to look after them. Now, with three exceptions, the remaining Orthodox churches in the north will only be allowed to have religious ceremonies once a year. Speaking to a Turkish Cypriot newspaper, the minister responsible for this new policy said they were restricting ceremonies rather than forbidding them. One reason for this decision is the large numbers of people crossing the border from south to north to attend services in the churches where they used to worship. The division between the two parts of Cyprus is one of the most politically contentious anywhere in the world, dating back to 1974. See also