24 December 2021
In our final advent post, Christian Concern’s chief executive, Andrea Williams, shares the hope we have in Jesus this Christmas.
“Rejoice, everyone, for Jesus is king, He rules, He reigns, He’s beautiful, He’s a life-giver, a joy-bringer, He brings the whole of life to us.”
23 December 2021
What are you afraid of? Looking at Luke chapter 2, Christian Concern’s Head of Public Policy, Tim Dieppe, shares why we don’t need to be afraid this Christmas.
“Do not be afraid of what’s happening, do not be afraid of coronavirus. Do not be afraid of what the government may do or what the government may not do. Do not be afraid of what’s happening in our culture. Do not be afraid because God is with us, but do not be afraid as well because we have good news, that’s what the angels go on to say – they’re bringing good news, we have good news and it’s good news that’s still good news and relevant today. “The good news of a Saviour who was born around 2,000 years ago and a God who became man a God who became human for us about 2,000 years ago and is alive still today!”
22 December 2021
What’s in a name? A lot it seems! Christian Concern’s Head of Education, Steve Beegoo, unpacks the glorious meaning behind the two names an angel of the Lord told Joseph to give to Jesus.
“Rejoice, this Jesus, this Immanuel, Reigns. He is king. He is saviour. He is with you. Welcome him and acknowledge his invisible but real presence WITH you, even right now…”
21 December 2021
As we follow King Jesus, we can be assured that He is the perfect judge who will set all things right in the fullness of time. Watch Christian Legal Centre’s Rebecca Bensted share from Isaiah 11 which pictures Jesus as the perfect judge:
20 December 2021
Justice matters – which is why Jesus’ reign is so important. This Advent season, our co-founder Ade Omooba reminds us why it is good news that Jesus sits on the throne:
“Jesus is a good king. The best king. His mission was to make peace between God and mankind. When mankind is right with God, we also become at peace with each other,” he says. “Times may feel dark for you now. Sometimes we look at what’s happening in the world and are driven to despair. But we can rejoice – Jesus is the everlasting good King.”
As we follow King Jesus – following not only his pattern, plans and purposes for our lives, but those of society – we will see true justice, righteousness and peace.
Let’s be confident and full of joy this Christmas, because our good King sits on the throne.
Rejoice, he reigns.
18 December 2021
As we seek justice and speak truth in a world that seems to have drifted from God’s good ways, where is our true hope?
Ultimately, it’s not in our own human efforts. It’s not in political ideologies, social movements or economic solutions.
Our hope–and the hope for society–is found in the truth that Jesus is King, that he is seated on his throne, and that he shall one day return to establish his perfect rule and reign forever.
Rejoice, he reigns!
17 December 2021
What would you do if you were forced to choose between your career or your faith?
That’s exactly the situation faced by Seyi Omooba, a talented young actress who was subjected to unfair dismissal from a major casting role as Celie in a musical based on Alice Walker’s novel ‘The Color Purple’. This came after a fellow actor exposed a 4-year-old Facebook post in which Seyi expressed her Christian beliefs about human sexuality.
Seyi was ‘cancelled’ by the theatre, dropped by her agent, and subjected to the full force of a brutal PR campaign and aggressive character assassination in court. The Christian Legal Centre continues to stand with Seyi until the truth is honoured and justice is done.
Will you continue to pray that Seyi and Christians like her would remain to live and speak for Jesus in every area of society? Rejoice, he reigns!
16 December 2021
Nigel and Sally are one of the most joyful couples you could hope to meet. Over the past four years, they’ve faced trials, endured rejection, and made sacrifices to stand for truth. But, even now, they continue to – and they continue to stand firm.
Their case first appeared in the media over four years ago. When a six-year-old boy in their son’s class started to come to school sometimes dressed as a girl, Nigel and Sally raised concerns with the head teacher and class teacher at the Church of England school.
They were met with hostility, with the school writing back to the parents, saying that the refusal to ‘acknowledge a transgendered person’s true gender’ was ‘transphobic behaviour’ and considered a form of bullying.
This policy is one that has been adopted by the Department for Education as ‘best practice’. Nigel and Sally are now hoping to challenge this policy, taking the case to a judicial review.
Please pray that truth will shine through.
Rejoice, he reigns!
14 December 2021
Year after year, through the victories and the challenges, there’s one thing that constantly encourages us to keep going: the support, prayer and love of our community.
Here’s just one of their encouragements – rejoice, he reigns!
13 December 2021
New Christian schools are being set up all across the UK, bringing hope for generations to come.
King Alfred School in Dudley, the first modern Christian classical school in Britain, is among them. Founders Tom and Hayley Bowen are graduates of our Wilberforce Academy and have been supported on the path by our Head of Education Steve Beegoo. The low cost independent primary school seeks to help students “better glorify God in thought, word and deed”. Rejoice, he reigns!
11 December 2021
When Hatun Tash was chatting with another person at Speakers’ Corner in London, she couldn’t have expected to be stabbed by an aggressive attacker. Speakers’ Corner is widely heralded as the bastion of free speech, and Hatun regularly challenges Islam’s claims there and shares the truth of Jesus – despite often enduring threats, getting dragged on the ground, and being falsely accused and arrested. This unfair treatment culminated in a shocking assault, which resulted in her getting stabbed in the head and hand.
Even though justice is yet to be served for Hatun, we rejoice in a God who delivers perfect justice and will make all things right in the end.
10 December 2021
“It’s one thing to know the truth, but it’s another thing to walk in it.” Beth Davey, Wilberforce Academy graduate
In September, we held our 11th Wilberforce Academy – preparing the next generation of Christian leaders in public life.
Later, newspapers reported that Worcester College students had complained that we had held the conference there – but this gave us more chances to share the important work we do with a wider audience.
Rejoice, he reigns!
9 December 2021
In July, the Christian Legal Centre supported Joshua as he contested the fine given to him for evangelising in the streets of Camden on Good Friday. As he was sharing the good news of Jesus with the homeless, Joshua was surrounded and intimidated by four police officers, who ignored his explanation before fining and prosecuting him.
By God’s grace, justice was rightly served, and Joshua now continues to preach Christ to those in his local community. We know that Jesus is good news for everyone, and we remain committed to helping those who are stepping out to share it in our society. Rejoice, he reigns!
8 December 2021
Through our Church Unlocked campaign, we heard countless stories of how God used his church during lockdown to reach people with vital supplies, support and the good news of Jesus. Kingsborough Centre in Uxbridge started the first ever foodbank in London 22 years ago, which became an essential service for the local community during lockdown. They soon found that it not only met people’s physical needs, but it also opened up opportunities to meet their spiritual needs, with many open to hearing about God.
However, it wasn’t without its challenges. By April 2020, the church was serving four times as many people as it had been only three months earlier. Most of their volunteers were over 70, meaning that around 90% were forced to stay at home to shield. But still, God provided for his people.
Tunde Balogun, pastor of Kingsborough Centre, explains how: “We put word out, and people came in from all over the place, people who had been furloughed or lost their job. We were able to raise a great number of volunteers, drivers who would deliver. Everyday we were delivering food to people. Companies would send us leftovers for us to go and deliver.” Rejoice, He Reigns!
7 December 2021
“I don’t see therapy as suppression. It’s not about pushing anything down; it’s about taking these feelings and realising that they are a symptom of a deeper issue and then working through them. I’m taking a symptom and filling it up with healthier things. That’s all therapy is – that’s all rehabilitation is.”
Healing from his past and having found his identity in Christ, Sam says that he now has a much healthier sense of who he really is. But with government proposing a ban on so-called ‘conversion therapy’, other people like him would be left stranded in their struggles with identity issues. Will you pray with us that God would reign over this situation and that this ban would not come to pass, so that everyone would be free to find healing, hope and true identity in Jesus?
6 December 2021
Throughout the pandemic, Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre empowered church leaders across the UK to challenge their governments over the forced closures of churches. Wonderfully, this resulted in a judgment in Scotland that protected church freedoms going forward.
Jesus is the King of Kings – above every earthly ruler – worshipping him together is a central part of the Christian life. We give thanks that churches are free to open their doors to all who seek Jesus without interference.
Rejoice, he reigns!
4 December 2021
In May, we shared with you the remarkable story of Bernard, a school chaplain who lost his job – and was also reported to the government’s terrorist watchdog – after preaching a sermon on respect and ‘identity politics’. His story went around the globe, with even a self-described gay atheist donating to his case.
Bernard says, “When it has been desperately difficult at times, the overwhelming sense I’ve had is that I’m more certain than ever about what God has called me to do.” Rejoice, He reigns!
3 December 2021
Our love for God and our society compels us to engage in a range of key issues each year – especially those where the darkness is greatest or the consequences gravest. And every year, even in the situations which seem impossible to overcome, we are always reminded that our God is above all, and that his purposes will always prevail.
We’ve seen this throughout the past 12 months as we’ve sought his justice for church freedoms, unborn lives, young children and Christian professionals – and we know we will continue to see his faithfulness in the next.
Rejoice, He reigns – now, and forever.
2 December 2021
Sometimes, loving God and protecting life made in his image is costly.
Dr Dermot Kearney knows this from personal experience. Dr Kearney provided life-saving treatment to unborn babies after their mothers regretted taking the first abortion pill, Mifepristone. His level of care for his patients went above and beyond expectations, with many of the women he helped going on to speak highly of his concern and compassion for them, whatever the outcome.
Better still, there are many happy mothers and healthy babies alive today because of this service.
Laura (not her real name) felt she had made a terrible mistake after taking the first abortion pill. After giving birth to a healthy baby boy, she said: Laura says: “I am completely in love. I have my miracle baby and I could not be happier.”
Following pressure from pro-choice activists, Dr Kearney was banned by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service from providing this life-saving treatment. We’re supporting Dr Kearney in overturning this decision, so that mothers like Laura and their babies are protected, supported and cherished, just as God intended.
1 December 2021
Joy. We talk about it a lot at Christmas. But what grounds do we have for rejoicing in a world that, right now in 2021, often feels full of despair and darkness?
Because of King Jesus. Even here, even now, he is still reigning. The same message heralded in ages past – that ‘to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders’ is as true today as it was when he was born. Where he governs, there is love, justice, truth, freedom, and hope.
As we approach Christmas, we’ll be sharing stories where we’ve seen God at work this year, and rejoicing together that he is still on the throne, that his ways are still better, and that he is still ruling and reigning. Rejoice, he reigns!
