It's been a relatively tumultuous time for Christianity in the UK in the first month of 2006...

As the global Body of Christ surely we should have the same care and attention for Christian's world wide?

Firstly, a clamp down on 'intolerance' at Birmingham University has left the Christian Union homeless with funds frozen and then the Religious Hatred bill gets discussed afresh in Parliament. Christians across the UK have joined their voices and spoken out in both situations. And rightly so. As Church in the UK we need to be forthright when political correctness invades the religious freedoms we enjoy. Perhaps we are tasting a first fruit of persecution hitting our shores and coming to our doorstep.

We now rejoice at a positive outcome with the Religious Hatred bill and Missions week at Birmingham has had a high profile due to the CU using a marquee at the centre of the campus as opposed to the buildings they would usually use.

However, the challenge does not stop at CU rights and our freedom to openly discuss religion in this country. One only has to look at Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Eritrea and many other countries to realise that persecution is rampant across the world and affects millions of Christians worldwide. In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul describes the Church as the Body of Christ. In verse 26 he challenges that if one part suffers then the whole body suffers. Now there have been issues close to home where Christians in the UK have begun to raise their voices - crying out for rights. What about the rest of the Body of Christ? What about the three Sunday School teachers imprisoned in Indonesia? What about the increasing numbers of Christians in Eritrea being detained in appalling conditions such as metal shipping containers? Are we as vocal for their situations? Surely, if one part of the Body suffers we all do. Don't we?

The challenge is to be a global Church and we must be as active on behalf of Christians in Eritrea as in England - we are one Church, all one in Christ.