When truth is silenced

On March 5, the Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship (LCF) held a seminar entitled ‘When the truth is silenced — freedom of religion and the Christian response to 21st-century rights discourses’. Billed as a seminar which would look at the impact of the law on religious freedom, the evening was chaired by the public policy officer of LCF, Andrea Williams.

Addressing the packed room of 150 or so, Williams introduced barrister Paul Diamond, who set the legal scene by reference to one of the numerous cases in which he has been instructed. Extrapolating from this one case several issues of general relevance, Diamond gave an insight into the convoluted world of employment rights as they applied to a Christian man who had been dismissed following his refusal to work on Sundays.

Williams then invited four guest speakers to talk about their experience of attempts to silence their proclamation of biblical truth in the past 12 months, often with accompanying high profile media coverage.

JP on the bench

Extremely topically, the first to speak was Andrew McClintock, the Christian JP who last year asked as a matter of conscience to be excused deciding cases which potentially involved the placement of children with same sex couples. McClintock was told on March 2 that, were he to remain on the bench, he would be compelled to apply the law.

McClintock went on to explain that with the introduction of the Civil Partnership Act in December 2005 he had communicated to his employers his unwillingness to be a party to placing a child with a same sex couple — a spin off aspect of the legislation — both on the grounds of Christian conscience and also out of concern for the welfare of the child.

Meeting a brick wall, McClintock tendered his resignation in January 2006, but was encouraged by the LCF to challenge the position in which he found himself, arguing that he had been constructively dismissed because of his religious views.

McClintock observed in passing that several rabbis and imans to whom he had spoken supported his position, and highlighted the likely future reduction in diversity of those sitting on the bench.

Andrea Williams picked up on this theme, remarking on the increasing exclusion from the ‘public square’ of those who hold firm religious views. She spoke of the Church’s responsibility to stand up for biblical truth, and lamented its corporate failure in the past to do so.

Silver Ring thing

The next speaker was Philip Playford, the father of 15-year-old Lydia Playford who, last year, attracted media attention following her refusal at school to remove a silver ring which she wore as an expression of her faith. Speaking elegantly and clearly, Playford explained how Lydia had decided to take a stand and, when asked to remove the ring because it allegedly contravened the school’s non-jewellery policy, refused to do so, pointing to the school’s tolerance of the wearing of bangles by other pupils of differing faiths. Playford told of the grounds on which the school argued, citing Health and Safety, which the Playfords countered with an offer to indemnify the school in the event of an accident and with, later, advice from RoSPA. Despite this, Lydia was placed in isolation for her lessons. The matter was taken up in the House of Commons but, despite favourable comments from the Department for Education and Skills, the school refused to alter its position. The case is now pending for Judicial Review in the High Court.

At uni

Observing wryly that he was the only person in the room not wearing a suit, Exeter University student Ben Martin was the next to speak. He explained how, last autumn, the University Guild had imposed on the Christian Union a change of name to the Evangelical Christian Union after one student complained that the CU’s doctrinal basis was too narrowly drawn and therefore, it was claimed, exclusive. Subsequently the CU had its Union funding and other privileges withdrawn. The CU fought back, and after serving on the Guild formal notice of its intention to litigate, had its privileges restored. Martin asked the audience for prayer to support the CU in its continued struggle for recognition as a legitimate and mainstream part of student body.

‘Christian’ worker

Introducing the last speaker, Williams challenged the room with the observation, ‘If we pretend this is not persecution we will remain apathetic’. Gosia Shannon is unlikely to find herself described as apathetic. As a worker in the Polish community in North London she felt led by God to change the name of her group to simply add the word ‘Christian’ to its title. Despite being supported by a majority of the group members to adopt the change of name, the Local Authority, upon whom the group is dependant for funding, objected to the association with Christianity and withdrew financial support. With the assistance of the LCF and media interest the Council retreated but funding remains in place only until the end of March 2007.

The evening closed with a Q&A session which highlighted more examples of daily challenges to those who seek to proclaim biblical truth.

Richard Kershaw

© Evangelicals Now - April 2007
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