The criminalisation of offences to feelings is one
of the gravest threats the Church is facing today.
Criminalising offences to feelings
The criminalisation of offences to feelings is one
of the gravest threats the Church is facing today.
After all, there is so much in the Bible that can
offend secular feelings.
The criminalisation of offences to feelings took a
big leap forward with the Racial and Religious Hatred
Act 2006 that preceded the Equality Act 2010.
At the time, the National Secular Society warned:
“The use of the criminal law to prohibit offending
the sensibilities or feelings of particular groups in
society is inherently problematic, creating as it does
insurmountable issues of legal uncertainty and
imposing a major ‘chilling effect’ on free speech,
in other words, self-censorship.”
What can I do?
That time, the atheists proved more prescient than
most Christians, and this criminalisation of offences
to feelings was extended to sexual orientation with
the Equality Act 2010.
Any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim
or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or
prejudice based on a person’s actual or perceived
sexual orientation or gender is a hate crime.
Right now, the criminalised offences to feelings
include gender, race, religion, disability and sexuality,
but this criminalisation of offences to feelings can be
taken much further. Unless it is kept in check, it will
become a grave danger to the Church.
Stay informed
It is vital to stay informed on these issues. Here
are some websites that can keep you up-to-date:
• christiansinpolitics.org.uk
• christiansinparliament.org.uk
• christian.org.uk
• theosthinktank.co.uk
• christianconcern.com
• care.org.uk
• maranathacommunity.org.uk
• lawcf.org. Get involved in our giants programme
Get involved in our giants of society programme!
The forums for Politics & Government, Law & Order
are particularly relevant, but the other forums cover
many of these issues from different perspectives.
Please email [email protected] for more info.
Contact your MP when it matters
There are times when you might feel that it is
important that your local MP will know about a
particular issue, for example ahead of an
important vote in Parliament. It is good to remember that we are not facing
anything new, and that Bible advises us on how
to deal with these pressures. Paul, who was often
imprisoned for his faith, writes in 1 Timothy 2:1-4,
“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made
for all men, for kings and all who are in authority,
that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all
godliness and reverence. For this is good and
acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who
desires all men to be saved and to come to
the knowledge of the truth.”
Approaching politicians firmly but with a gracious
attitude is a powerful tool, especially as many
politicians suffer from daily public abuse.
You can find how to contact your local MP via
the parliament.uk website.
Pray
Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is in the
hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns
it wherever He wishes.”
Thankfully, the highest court of all is in Heaven! ❖
Revival Times February 2018 17