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The new religion changing the West

When will the silent Church speak up?

Trevor Phillips, Islamophobia and the gospel

Dr Clifford Hill comments on the Asher's Bakery ruling.

The High Court decision on the Asher's Bakery¹ is nothing less than a national scandal! The bakery owners Daniel and Karen McArthur did not insult or in any way abuse Gareth Lee who ordered a cake from them.

They were perfectly willing to bake the cake but unwilling to put a message on it that was offensive to their beliefs and values. Surely they had every right to do this - but not according to the High Court Judges' interpretation of British law.

Some Are More Equal Than Others

What is happening to our basic human rights: our precious heritage of freedom of speech, and our right to follow the dictates of our own conscience? Does the law really mean that anyone can be forced to declare something that is totally against their beliefs and values?

What would happen if it were not Christians but Muslims involved? If a Muslim baker had been asked to bake a cake with a message on it that offended his beliefs as a Muslim, would he not emphatically refuse to do so? And quite rightly so! He would no doubt claim that he was being asked to do something that was offensive to his beliefs - but according to the present law, as interpreted by the High Court Judges, he would be guilty of discrimination because he was refusing to offer a service to a customer.

I personally believe there is not a court of law in this country that would deny the right of Muslims to uphold their beliefs in a similar way as the MacArthurs have tried to do. So why are Christians denied a similar right? Have we reached such a stage of denial of our Christian heritage in this country that we must force Christians to deny their faith? Is this what we mean by equality – that we uphold the rights of all citizens to practice their faith in Britain, except Christians?!

Has Britain reached such a stage of denial of our Christian heritage that we must force Christians to deny their faith?

Outcry Against the Ruling

There has been no great outcry from church leaders, petitioning Downing Street on behalf of a lowly Belfast baker. Do the pastors no longer care for the flock?

Strikingly, some of the loudest voices shouting against the Judges' ruling have been in the mainstream, secular humanist press – voices including LGBT activist Peter Tachell (writing in The Independent and The Guardian) and gay journalists Matthew Wiggins (writing for the Belfast Tab) and Neil Midgley (writing for The Telegraph), who said:

Having won these political battles by exercising our own political freedoms, then, it is ironic that many gays are so keen to deny similar freedoms to Christians (or anyone else who disagrees with the gay agenda)...as a gay man, I vehemently support the Christian bakers' right not to bake pro-gay cakes. Because one day, the prevailing political consensus may change again. Our lawmakers may once again be tempted to turn against gay people. And on that day, I hope the Christian bakers will stand by me in my fight to protect fundamental freedoms that transcend any cake, any religion and any daft law.²

These commentators are wisely realising the implications of this ruling for the civil liberties of all, not just for conservative Christians – that it sets a dangerous precedent for denying anyone the freedom to conscientiously object, a precedent which could easily spread to affect other minorities in future, in an increasingly authoritarian state.

No Room for Conscientious Objection?

Traditionally in Britain we have always respected a person's conscience, even in the most extreme matters of national importance such as the right to refuse to fight when the nation is involved in war. Conscientious objectors who could prove the sincerity of their faith were always respected, even in the darkest days of war when the nation was fighting for survival. They were allowed to do alternative service such as ambulance-driving or working as medical orderlies on the front line rather than actually taking up a gun and killing the enemy.

Some of the loudest voices shouting against the ruling have been LGBT activists, who see its implications for future freedom of speech.

But those days seem to be over - this is now the brave new world of the tolerant society, where everything is tolerated except sincerely held convictions which conflict with the anarchy of secular humanism!

If the judges are right in their interpretation of the law in Britain as it stands, there needs to be a call for a change in the law from all right-minded citizens – all who value our right to freedom of speech and our right to hold different views. With this judgment we are well on the way to becoming a Nazi state, where we are all forced to accept the same set of social values and no-one dares express a contrary view.

The Road of Suffering

This was the situation that faced the first Christians living in the Roman Empire when they were forced to declare the divinity of the Roman Emperor. Thousands of Christians were tortured and died the most terrible deaths because they refused to say "Caesar is Lord". They were publicly humiliated, stripped naked and forced into the arena to be torn to pieces by wild animals for the entertainment of the crowds.

But is not this similar to what is happening today? The MacArthurs have been publicly vilified on social media. They have been called vile names for the stand they have made for marriage being part of God's creation and essential for the health and stability of society. They have suffered two years of abuse and public humiliation for their faith. They will certainly be honoured by God.

The Apostle Peter writing to the Christians in Rome said, "If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgement to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4.16-17).

Let us pray and hope that the nation continues no farther down this dangerous path towards persecution – and that the MacArthurs receive an apology for the injustice they have suffered. But for every step Britain does take on this road, let us also praise God for the example being set by those Christians called to suffer for their beliefs, and pray that the clear message they are living brings many others to faith in Jesus.

References

1 Named after the tribe of Asher (Gen 49:20).

2 Midgley, N. As a gay man, I'm horrified that Christian bakers are being forced to surrender their beliefs. The Telegraph, 24 October 2016.