The laying on of hands (Part 1).

Call for a new law to protect religious freedom

The erosion of liberties experienced by Christians in Britain has rolled back the clock to the Dark Ages before Magna Carta.

Now Christian charity Barnabas Fund, generally focusing on the persecuted Church abroad, has launched a campaign (and petition) for Parliamentary protection of religious practice within the UK.

In Turn the Tide (Isaac Publishing), they spell out the urgent need for reclaiming religious freedom with a new law.

Liberally illustrated by a number of recent case studies demonstrating how far we have fallen down the slippery slope, the Barnabas book calls for an Act of Parliament designed to cover seven specific areas, including the freedom to interpret Scripture without Government interference.

Responding to the Casey Review

This is a response to the 2015 Casey Review set up to examine the proliferation of extremism but, in its 2016 report, effectively suggesting the implementation of a Government-approved version of Christianity.

The report defined extremism as views “at odds with those of mainstream society” – including traditional views of sexuality which amounted to “taking religion backwards”.

Barnabas Fund has launched a campaign for Parliamentary protection of religious practice in the UK.

Turn the Tide says: “The use of this pejorative term in a government report implies an attempt to impose a government-backed definition of ‘modern British’ Christianity.” They clearly also see the merit of doing the same with Islam. All of which is more akin to the sort of ‘Big Brother’ arrangement existing in China.

Barred from Office?

Related to this is the apparent re-introduction by stealth of the ‘Test Act’, which in past generations excluded non-conformists and others from certain professions.

And from the experience of the 2017 General Election, it seems that it already applies to Christians, who are effectively being barred from office because they do not subscribe to politically-correct dogma, particularly on sexual ethics. Some candidates were for this reason deemed by the media to be “unfit” for public office and Liberal-Democrat leader Tim Farron later felt forced to resign because he was unable to reconcile his faith with the views expected of his position.

Because of this, Barnabas insists that a new law must include “freedom from being required to affirm a particular worldview or set of beliefs in order to hold a public sector job or stand for election, work in professions such as teaching and law, or study at university.”

There have been a number of high-profile cases of people who have lost their jobs because they have dared to speak freely of their faith, or who have been taken to court because their consciences would not allow them to provide certain services, as in the case of Ashers Bakery, who refused to bake a cake with the slogan ‘Support Gay Marriage’.

We are witnessing the re-introduction by stealth of the ‘Test Act’, which in past generations excluded non-conformists from certain professions.

One of the most shocking cases was the recent suspension of Christian teacher Joshua Sutcliffe for calling a pupil a girl when she wished to be known as a boy. Quite apart from the obvious insanity of the ‘offence’ itself, the school had bizarrely conducted a survey of pupils’ religion which found that, out of 1,853 students, there were no – repeat no – Christians! And yet Mr Sutcliffe had been running a highly successful Bible Club at the school attended by over 100 pupils (bigger than most churches), which was subsequently shut down by the head.

You couldn’t make it up. I like the phrase I heard the other day: “We have become so open-minded that our brains are falling out.”

Recklessly Abandoning Freedom

As to the freedom we are so recklessly giving away, we are reminded that it started with the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215, Clause 1 of which states: “The English Church shall be free, and shall have its rights undiminished, and its liberties unimpaired.”

Though it took centuries to work through, with martyrs burnt at the stake in the process, religious restrictions were gradually lifted until we became the envy of the world, with the liberty enshrined so wonderfully within our shores in time exported around the globe.

In commending Turn the Tide and calling on people of faith to speak up, Democratic Unionist MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said:

I am alarmed at the gradual erosion of the religious liberties and values that we have sought to uphold in this country for centuries. We live in a society today where there is growing intolerance among the metropolitan liberal elites towards those of us who take a faith-based approach to life. They speak much of diversity and inclusion but promote laws that undermine the values dear to Christians and practise the exclusion of people whose religious views they find ‘unacceptable’.

For more information, and to sign the petition, visit OurReligiousFreedom.org.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘The Death of Western Christianity’ by Patrick Sookhdeo (Isaac Publishing, 2017).

Patrick Sookhdeo’s latest book must be one of the most important to emerge in 2017. Its penetrating analysis of the decline and possible demise of Christianity in the Western world is both alarming and yet highly plausible, simply because he adequately demonstrates something that Tozer first articulated, that the God of modern Christianity is not the God of the Bible (p3).

The beliefs of historic Christianity have been bent to satisfy our own self-indulgent needs and lifestyles. He claims that in our post-Christian era the Church in the West is scarcely distinguishable from the world and concludes that it is “well and truly trapped in the dungeons of its own decadence” (p14).

There are excellent if somewhat succinct sections on the many issues that have contributed towards the death throes of Christianity, including pluralism, hedonism, consumerism and especially Cultural Marxism, which is a major influence on our society today and has done so much damage to our foundations.

In addition, the onslaught of contemporary culture has already had a devastating effect upon the morals of younger people who profess Christianity but whose main goal in life remains that of self-fulfilment.

Sookhdeo’s latest book must be one of the most important to emerge in 2017.

Getting to the Heart of the Problem

There is also an illuminating chapter on our current post-truth era. The effect of such ‘truth decay’ has been to create ‘alternative facts’, ‘fake news’, ‘redefined realities’ and a situation where lying is seen as acceptable, even actively encouraged. Sookhdeo argues that the Church must take its share of the blame as it “has been influenced by the post-truth phenomenon and has been at times complicit in its spread” (p79).

In one of the most disturbing parts of the book the author explains that the marginalisation of Christianity has now been accomplished and the next phase is its criminalisation. The issues of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech are well explained and illustrated. Christians are now subject to intense scrutiny and even entrapment. Even the simple threat of prosecution can have a chilling and destabilising effect.

The key chapter of the book is that on Christian identity, which the author pinpoints as the heart of the problem. Losing our distinctive identity and calling means we lose the right to exist, but regaining it offers a means of survival and eventual re-strengthening. Here is the way forward, based upon knowing what we should believe and actually believing it, which includes living it out without fear or compromise.

A Stark and Difficult Message

Overall the author paints a disturbing and rather demoralising picture, one in which the Western Church can stand accused of dereliction of duty, even apostasy. How the Church has gone from Apostolic to apostate is a sad tale to relate, and not an easy one to read. The message is stark: “The West is not merely passively post-Christian and indifferent to Christianity; it is now actively anti-Christian and profoundly intolerant of the Christian faith” (p99). But it is a message that must be understood.

For the Church, losing its distinctive Christian identity and calling means it loses the right to exist.

Sookhdeo packs his book with many facts and figures, especially from the US, and uses many examples to make his case. Of course, there are exceptions to this dire situation; there will always be a faithful remnant. Revival and reversal are always possible, but preparing for even greater persecution in the future must be taken seriously.

The book ends with 28 pages of sources and references, an index of biblical references and a comprehensive general index.

The Death of Western Christianity (214pp) is available for £10 (free postage) from the Barnabas Fund website. Retails at £12.99.

Paul Luckraft surveys the Barnabas Fund’s short booklets on Islam.

(See base of article for ordering information)

Is the Muslim Isa the Biblical Jesus? (Patrick Sookhdeo, 2012, 24 pages)

This is one of the most important questions to ask when it comes to comparing Islam with Christianity, and a fitting starting point for our survey of booklets produced by the Barnabas Fund.

Islam is the only non-Christian religion which mentions Jesus in its holy book and yet it “denies His deity, His atonement, and His supreme place as Lord of all” (p5). The person of Christ is clearly a challenge to Muslims and likewise their response to Jesus challenges Christians.

The booklet sets out how Islam views Jesus (called Isa) in both the Qur’an and the Hadith (traditions) with lots of quotes from both which leave us in no doubt about the fundamental differences between the Muslim Isa and the biblical Jesus. There is also a short section on the role of Isa in the Islamic apocalyptic narrative, namely that he will return (as a Muslim) to fight and destroy the enemies of Islam which, of course, includes Jews and Christians!

Overall the booklet “explores Muslim beliefs about Jesus [and] shows how incompatible they are with the Christian confession of Jesus as Lord and Saviour” (p7). Although Islam reveres Isa as a prophet and miracle worker, its claim that he was a mere human being is the major point of departure from Christianity. For Christians who seek common ground with Islam it is important not to ignore or suppress the real differences over these two views of Jesus.

For those seeking to witness to Muslims here is a useful booklet, full of facts to help them discuss and debate from a secure place of knowledge.

In the same series…

Four other booklets in the same series also help equip Christians to this end. ‘What is Islam?’ is a useful 8-page summary covering the history and background of the Quran, Sharia law and what Muslims believe and practice. It concludes with two pages on the different kinds of Muslims in the world today, including Sunni, Shia, Sufi and Wahhabi.

‘What is Sharia?’ adds to the section in the above on the topic of Sharia. It covers its development and characteristics, and discusses the challenges of Sharia in Western countries.

‘Islam and Truth’ tackles the doctrine of taqiyya (dissimulation or concealing true beliefs and motives), and ‘Islam and Slavery’ provides an historical survey of how Islam has interacted with the contentious issue of the enslavement of human beings.

The UK, Islam and Operation Nehemiah

There are two other much longer booklets (just over 50 pages each) which may interest readers who want to know more about Islam in the UK. Both are written by Patrick Sookhdeo and explain the aims and objectives of the Barnabas Fund’s Operation Nehemiah, a project dedicated to the spiritual transformation of the UK.

One of these (‘Slippery Slope’) focuses on the increasing Islamisation of the UK, but also covers similar trends in Europe. The chapters are simply titled ‘Immigration’, ‘Integration’, ‘Islamisation’ and ‘Implications’. It ends with the mission statement of Operation Nehemiah (based on Nehemiah 3, rebuilding the walls) and encourages readers to sign up and support the mission.

The second booklet (‘The Way Ahead’) ends in a similar fashion and is subtitled ‘Returning Britain to its Christian Path’. This may well be on the heart of many who have experienced recent changes in society and at the very least want to understand this better, if not be spurred into action.

The retreat of Christianity in public life over recent decades has created a vacuum that has lent itself well to the increasing influence of Islam. This booklet is an eye-opening and thought-provoking assessment of what has become a vital aspect of the UK today and should be required reading for those wanting to engage in the important debate of how Britain will develop in the years to come.

Ordering information

All booklets are £1 each. Order from the Barnabas Fund website, by telephoning 02476 231923, or by writing to Barnabas Books, 9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX.