Doc dumped for trans beliefs

“Bullying and bigotry” by zealots

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NHS director loses fight over adoption views

BBC’s South-East Today reports on Richard Page’s case                 

Believing a dad and mum are best “undermined” staff confidence

Several years ago magistrate Richard Page told a legal colleague that he thought children … Read More

US State backs Christian baker

The US administration has given its support to Christian baker Jack Phillips, who refused to make a cake for a gay wedding and was found guilty of discriminating against the same-sex couple.

Addressing the Supreme Court, which is to make a decision on Phillips’ appeal against his conviction, Acting Solicitor General Jeff Wall wrote: “Forcing Phillips to create expression for and participate in a ceremony that violates his sincerely held religious beliefs invades his First Amendment rights…  An artist cannot be forced to paint, a musician cannot be forced to play, and a poet cannot be forced to write.”  Read More

Street preachers win cases

A victory for the street preachers whose case was HEART’s April 2017 cover story

Christian campaigners are celebrating court decisions in favour of three street preachers.

A victory for the street preachers whose case was HEART’s April 2017 cover story

Michael Overd and Michael Stockwell were arrested after preaching in Bristol city centre and fined in February, but Judge Picton overruled the conviction at Bristol Crown Court in July, saying he was “conscious of the right of freedom of speech and freedom of expression”. Read More

DEAR PRIME MINISTER… WHERE’S THE STRONG AND STABLE SUPPORT FOR CHRISTIANS?

Changing the cultural climate will require the boldness of a revivalist rather than a politician’s pragmatism

It is a year since Theresa May became Prime Minister after six years as Home Secretary.

In that year it does not seem as if anything has improved for Christians who stick their heads above the parapet by graciously refusing to bake a cake, offering to pray for a colleague or quoting the Bible in public (see the report on street preacher Mike Overd in HEART April/May 2017 called ‘Battle for the Bible’).

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BATTLE FOR THE BIBLE

Street preacher Mike Overd is unafraid to quote the Bible in public

Court bans ‘abusive’ Bible On UK streets

By Andrew Halloway

A PUBLIC PROSECUTOR HAS DECLARED THAT PREACHING FROM CERTAIN PARTS OF THE BIBLE IS “A CRIMINAL … Read More

So what does the conviction of the two street preachers in Bristol signify?

Rev Andrew Symes of Anglican Mainstream answers three of the most commonly voiced questions:

Are there other precautions these street preachers should have taken or that others should learn from for the future?

Andrew Symes: ‘People can shut down Christians quickly’

I personally don’t like street preachers who just shout at passers by.

I’ve been involved in street evangelism in the past where music and drama can draw a crowd; there can be a challenging but winsome message, the distribution of tracts and the offer of chat and prayer on a one to one basis.

So I think there can be street preaching that is effective and attractive, or annoying and off-putting. But that’s a matter of taste, and people shouldn’t be arrested for bad taste! If someone is courageous enough to preach in the street, they should perhaps work with local churches to make sure they are in the right place and doing it in a way that attracts people and doesn’t just repel them. I’m talking about the method… Read More

WHAT PRICE TRUTH?

llustration: Tim Charnick

By Philip Quenby

This nation currently has a serious blind spot, arguably as bad as anything that ever beset our ancestors. We have a problem with truth

We have created a tangle of competing rights so thick that even the best judges in the land struggle to cut through the undergrowth

Only a fool or a charlatan would argue that Britain has ever been a model of perfection. Yet the fact remains that for centuries this land set an example to the world of impartial justice and good governance.

This is not an idle boast. It is evident in comparative murder statistics, which are the best proxy we have for levels of violence and disorder down the ages and across societies. Right up to the late 1940s, the murder rate in England was substantially below that in (for example) the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Italy.

To understand why this country was so distinctive, we need to appreciate that it was not chance that brought about our system of government and our laws. They were instituted in an age when Christian belief was taken for granted: until very recently our laws were self-consciously Christian in inspiration and application. We should not underestimate how they have contributed greatly to our prosperity, freedoms and security.

Yet we are in the process of dismantling this heritage and replacing it with a confection of lies and half-truths. Read More

A “God-given moment” for our new Prime Minister

What would YOU like the new Prime Minister to do? After the recent turbulent political events, there is a new, apparently steady, hand at the top of government.

But unlike her temporary opponent, Andrea Leadsom, Mrs May has a track record of six years in charge of the Home Office – the government department which arguably has the most power to affect the lives of Christians. Read More

DEAR THERESA… Will your government now stand up for Christians?

Calling for an open and free society:  Andrea Williams of Christian Concern

A LEADING CAMPAIGNER FOR CHRISTIANS’ RIGHTS HAS CHALLENGED THERESA MAY TO HALT THE PROSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS IN THE WORKPLACE.

In an open letter to the new Prime Minister, Andrea Williams of Christian Concern writes that Theresa May’s tenure at the Home Office saw an ‘alarming’ increase in Christian organisations being forced to water down or deny their ethos and ‘countless’ instances of Christians being side-lined. Read More