Tom Lennie reviews ‘The Challenge of Islam: Understanding and Responding to Islam's Increasing Influence in the UK’, by Tim Dieppe (2025)

Tom Lennie reviews ‘Christians in The Firing Line 2: Inspiring Faith Stories of the Individuals Behind Key Legal Cases and How their Faith Stood up Under Trial’, by Richard Scott (2023)

Two items in the news this week are significant for the future of the gospel in Britain.

Catharine Pakington reviews ‘The New Normal: The Transgender Agenda’ by Dr Lisa Nolland et al (2018, Wilberforce Publications).

‘The New Normal’ aims to help the Church face changing attitudes to gender and sexuality, being a follow-up to the November 2016 conference of the same name.¹

Since then, the campaign for ‘transgender rights’ has gathered pace with bewildering intensity but the Church seems to be largely ‘missing in action’. Theresa May has now launched the delayed consultation on removing safeguards to legally ‘change sex’. How will Christians respond?

Informative and Practical

This book is a vital tool to inform those willing to engage with the issue through the experienced contributors who have researched the background, development and implications of the movement. From the preface onwards, the reader is challenged to act on practical suggestions rather than be a passive observer. But as one author says, “we cannot know how to respond to something unless we first know what that something is”.

The 11 contributors come from backgrounds of theology, medicine, philosophy, sociology and literature to produce a work divided into two halves: ‘Other LGBT Issues’ helps to understand the context for ‘The Transgender Agenda’ and includes the personal experience of those who grew up with same-sex parenting and the abusive atmosphere of the LGBT movement.

It is shocking to read of the intensity of abuse faced by those who dare to resist or expose the lengths that this community will go to, whether against children or academics doing sound research.

This book is a vital informative tool, from experienced contributors who have researched the background, development and implications of the transgender movement.

Building a Comprehensive Picture

Chapters are naturally written in different styles, being the work of different authors. All are thought-provoking and worth reading while varying in accessibility, with some being more academic and others speaking more from personal experience. Together they build a picture by seeking answers to deep questions (although unbiased evidence may be hard to find). Why is it that this agenda is becoming the ‘new normal’ when a large proportion of the population in this secular society is not comfortable with it?

As Britain’s Christian foundations have weakened, individualism and demand for personal rights have grown. Laws are changed with concern for costly litigation under European directives without considering the impact on children and families, schools, healthcare, the integrity of official data and so many other areas of our society.

The final chapter, written by a literary critic, looks for evidence that homosexuals are ‘born that way’ (in the words of key LGBTQ+ authors) but finds graphic descriptions of negative upbringing and expectations and abusive sexual relations that result in individuals ‘turning gay’. These examples reveal confusion in the LGBTQ+ movement and are useful for that purpose but you may not wish to dwell on them.

Clearing the Fog

Definitions for terms are given but the book also highlights the difficulty in defining ‘gender identity’ in law when a fluid, chosen state of mind is being regarded as a more trustworthy indicator of identity than sex, a fixed, biological characteristic.

Is sex reassignment surgery even a proper medical procedure if the aim of medicine is to restore body faculties to their proper function or prevent dysfunction? Is it morally permissible? Yet we live in times when it is increasingly unacceptable to suggest that gender identity should be brought into line with biological truth.

All the chapters thought-provoking and worth reading while varying in accessibility, with some being more academic and others speaking more from personal experience.

The great confusion over defining terms such as ‘gender’ and ‘sex’ has been enough to create a fog that disables opposition. Can we recognise the lies perpetuated through the history of the movement that are promoted with such virulence in the Western world today? As we seek truth, we need to be prepared to support gender-conflicted people who come to us needing compassion and empathy while we hold to the biblical teaching that God created mankind in his image, male and female.

The book was launched with the view that the transgender movement could collapse if more people were prepared to challenge it, because it is so contrary to truth and science.² Be informed by reading the book, follow up with suggested websites, encourage others including church leaders and politicians to engage and, above all, pray.

‘The New Normal’ (211pp) is available on Amazon for £9.99 (paperback) or £5.99 (Kindle).

References

1 Christian Concern has created an online hub of resources to accompany the conference, available here.

2 Click here for coverage of the book's launch.

Full list of Contributors: Lisa S Nolland, Carys Moseley, Carlos D Flores, Robert Oscar Lopez, James D Lopez, Daniel Moody, John Nolland, Peter Saunders, Rick Thomas, Julia Gasper, Brittany Klein. As listed in the book cover.

The cancellation of a film about ex-gay people that made national news.

Last week the premiere of a new film documenting several testimonies of people who have been delivered out of an LGBT lifestyle, was cancelled due to pressure from the LGBT lobby. A peaceful protest was held outside Vue Cinema, Piccadilly, in response.

One PT reader who was present gave us this report…

"I read with interest your news report last week on the events surrounding Vue Cinema pulling the rug from under the feet of Core Issues Trust at the 11^th hour, and this, despite the agreement to screen ‘Voices of the Silenced’ having been in place since last year.

As it happened I was caught up in the aftermath of Vue’s very late decision not to screen the film. I had purchased a ticket from EventBrite and only by chance did I receive the news on the day, and of the plan to protest peacefully outside Vue, Piccadilly.

Oddly, my reaction to the cancellation was not one of disappointment or even annoyance. I felt strangely peaceful – excited even, knowing that the outcome would be good as I was reminded of Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”

Determined to be part of the protest group I arrived outside Vue Piccadilly before 6.30pm and was amused to see a heavy police presence outside! Presumably they had been warned to expect trouble. By 7:00pm they had all but disappeared, with just one officer walking up and down the length of the street glancing every so often at this motley crew of peaceful protesters, bemused. Meanwhile the Vue staff remained safely indoors and out of sight.

As you reported last week, a venue was found with just hours to spare, and the screening of the very sensitively produced and most informative ‘Voices of the Silenced’ went ahead.

As has become clear from reports of the past week, far more publicity has been generated for the film than if the screening had not been cancelled by Vue. It has been encouraging to see the truth of Romans 8:28 unfolding before us, although it does not excuse Vue’s surrender to the LGBT lobby. Yet, we can say that although man meant it for evil, God meant it for good. In the outcome we see an application of Genesis 50:20,

But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them. (KJV)"

Submitted by one of the many peaceful protesters outside Vue, Piccadilly on 8 February 2018.

Dr Lisa Nolland reports on an up-coming conference tackling sexuality and gender from a biblical perspective.

Many Christians and other social conservatives are becoming concerned by the LGBT rights takeover in the public (including religious) realms in the West. For increasing numbers of children, this social engineering is becoming embedded in the classroom.

Even Christian teachers are needing to 'explain' how two men or two women can now marry, leading children as young as seven or eight to start to believe that they are 'gay' because they too 'love' their same-sex best friend. Of course they do, but that doesn't mean they are gay!

The Church seems to be wanting to sit this one out, hoping against hope that things will return to normal. Sadly, of course, not only is that not going to happen, but indeed, the activists have only just begun! 'Stage Two' is that of totalitarian enforcement: just look at Canada to see how (in)'tolerant' it is now in places.¹

Silent Church

The average person does not begin to know how to navigate these minefields. Christian leaders of mainstream evangelical organisations in this country say very little, concentrating on politically correct or 'feel good' projects, or (like Archbishop Welby) wax lyrical about the needs of the LGBT communities. The very rare conservative 'extremist' willing to stand up for the truth is fined, fired or (at best) humiliated for making politically incorrect comments.

Mostly, however, the average Christian just wants to get on with life and the normal routines of family, work, etc. Even this, though, is increasingly difficult. Stonewall is in several hundred schools and it is only one of various LGBT programmes being pushed at the moment. With LGBT matters being pushed to the fore comes a turning up of the volume of all things sexual for children and teenagers.

Robbing Children

How do children know if they are gay or not? How can they find out if they are? As the excellent video Robbing children of their innocence notes, kids are tacitly encouraged to explore their sexuality in such programmes. That may or may not be the intention, but it is one of the outcomes. See for instance the subtexts of the 'sexual advice' on the highly-acclaimed, NHS-endorsed 'Respect Yourself' site for teenagers in Warwickshire.

Even more troubling is that such high risk and potentially life-altering sex acts as 'felching', 'fisting' and 'rimming' are whitewashed and tacitly promoted to under-age children.² This is complete madness - and yet few, if any, blow the whistle.

Being Prepared to Respond

Closer to home, though, how can one respond when your daughter tells you she is gay or your son insists he is a girl? What to do about the increasingly vociferous demands of Stonewall to 'make your school "safe"'? How about when your child comes home from a school RE session and asserts that Jesus never mentioned homosexuality so loving gay relationships must be OK?

Messy Church, Alpha and Christianity Explored simply cannot do the necessaries here. What can help, though, is The 'New Normal', a Christian Concern conference in November which will engage at the cutting edge of these issues. We will have leading people in their fields coming to update and inform, educate and inspire us as to how parents, pastors and youth workers, in particular can respond.

Beyond Our Borders

We also are doing our bit for those in the developing world who are at the mercy of the activists. The Diocese of Machakos, Anglican Church of Kenya, has created a unique and holistic programme on sex and gender issues which we are thrilled to support in The 'New Normal'. A collection of used clothing, shoes, toiletries, bags and suitcases as well as money will be taken at the London conference.

Proceeds will help at-risk-kids, families, the church and wider community in Machakos, near Nairobi, Kenya. Currently, we are not aware of any other kind of response by any church anywhere. So we want to give Bishop Joseph every possible support. Funds from 'progressives' will be denied to him, so it is vital we do our bit!

The 'New Normal' conference will be held on 12 November 2016 at the Emmanuel Centre, London (10am-5pm). For the full programme and to book tickets, click here.

Lisa Nolland (MA, MCS, PhD) is Convenor of Anglican Mainstream's Marriage, Sex and Culture Group. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to email Lisa.

References

1 E.g. Van Maren, J. Transgender madness is sweeping our schools. Parents, protect your children. LifeSite News, 26 August 2016.

2 See the Respect Yourself website.