Members of the United Reformed Church (URC) have expressed shock and dismay at recent events taking place in Myanmar, starting with the military coup on 1 February:

Speak out for those who cannot speak,
    for the rights of all the destitute.
Speak out, judge righteously,
    defend the rights of the poor and needy.

(Proverbs 31:8-9)

We have listened – almost in disbelief – to reports of unarmed civilian protesters, including children, being killed indiscriminately by members of the Myanmar Armed Forces. We are outraged by the blatant disregard for the welfare, safety and wellbeing of Myanmar’s citizens displayed by the military regime which claims to be “on the side of the people”, and the callous behaviour of military leaders in light of the violence used to suppress the nationwide protests resulting in the deaths of more than 100 protesters on a single day (27 March).

Churches and charities have joined together to urge the UK government to act decisively and urgently in tackling the harm caused by gambling. They issued the following statement ahead of the deadline for submissions to a review of the Gambling Act:

Our Churches and charities, which will all be making submissions to the UK government’s review of the 2005 Gambling Act, have united to call on the government to treat gambling as a public health issue. Gambling related harms affect families, communities, colleagues and friends as well as individuals, and can cause mental and physical ill health, indebtedness, family breakdown and most tragically may even result in suicide. 

Given today’s political climate in the UK and around the world, the Revd Dr John Bradbury, General Secretary of the United Reformed Church, reflects on how Palm Sunday is a poignant time for us to ask: "What type of world do we want to live in?"

Do we want to be led by the sweeping force of populist nationalism when history and the Bible has already warned us what the outcome will be or do we want to work towards what God in Christ would have us overcome?:

“Hosanna!”, they cried. A whipped-up crowd can be an exciting and intoxicating experience. It can be a toxic experience.