Christian Extremism?!

Things are shifting, changing and accelerating in our Western world.  Look back just a decade or so, and it soon becomes apparent that constant change is here to stay.  Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali commented recently that Britain today is no longer post-Christian, but anti-Christian.  This change has occurred within a couple of decades, and should raise alarm bells for those who wish to be like the Men of Issachar – understanding the times and knowing what to do.

In this article, I will look at two examples of proposed legislation which indicate a seed change in the way our society is run.  Both are a warning for Christians to be prepared for what is coming.  Then, in the light of these, we will look at what we should do. 

Firstly, we’ll look at the issue of extremism.  In order to combat ‘extremism’ posed by the Islamic hard line agenda in the UK, Theresa May MP is proposing banning orders and extremist disruption orders. 

That appears to be a good thing, so what, if any, is the threat to Christians?  The failure to clearly define it opens a loophole for discrimination against Christians.  In an article on the Christian Concern web site (www.christianconcern.com), Andrea Williams comments:

In the world of Boris (Johnson), Theresa (May) and David (Cameron) we have to ask, what would constitute an extremist group?  Is it the nurses who want to be free to offer prayer or wear a cross at work?  (This government submitted legal argument against such nurses at the Strasbourg Court in 2012).  Or is it Counsellors such as Mike Davidson who believes that you can reduce unwanted same-sex attraction?  Boris lied and covered his back in order to shut down Mike’s viewpoint on the London transport system.

(Theresa May) lists activities that would justify being labelled an extremist: ‘spreading, inciting, promoting or justifying hatred on the grounds of disability, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation and/or transgender identity, proposing to overthrow democracy, members of the public, or a section of it, will be harmed’.

This is already with us, but it isn’t Muslims who are labelled extremist, being prosecuted or disciplined at work.  Ways are usually found to accommodate them.  It is the Christians!

The issue for us is that this legislation, unchecked, will see Christian organisations labelled as extremist.

Pro-life groups and street preachers regularly get arrested these days because the police say their message causes harassment, alarm and distress.  It’s a small step for this to be redefined as ‘inciting hatred’.

The UK in 2014 is not a safe place for Christians!

Secondly, we’ll look at the issue of ‘emotional abuse or neglect’.  Every day, social workers remove young children from their parents on the grounds of emotional abuse or neglect.  The number of children in this category, who are then fostered or put up for adoption, is increasing annually.

But what constitutes emotional abuse?  It sounds like a bad thing, but, once again, who defines it?  Some things are obvious, and the media regularly brings extreme cases to public attention.  We are horrified, and rightly so.  However, it was only a year or so ago when Christian foster parents were prevented from fostering in Derbyshire, despite a good and long track record, because they might ‘infect’ the children in their care with Christianity.  Is that emotional abuse?

Today, independent schools, including faith schools of all kinds, have to actively promote the LGBT agenda.  It’s no longer enough for such schools to simply make their pupils aware of gender issues, nor can they plead that they want to shield the children from LGBT issues at a young age.  If Christian schools refuse to comply, they may well be accused of emotional neglect – for, they will be told, every child has a right to know all the possible options and freely choose between them. 

Christian parents who believe good, Godly discipline includes smacking will equally be accused of emotional (as well as physical) abuse.  If they teach their children creation as truth, that Jesus is the only way to God, that celibacy before marriage and lifelong commitment between a man and a woman within it are the right way to live, the accusation will be the same.

Christian parents and educators, look out!  The United Kingdom in 2014 is not a safe place! 

We must not bury our heads in the sand any longer!  For whilst, at best, our laws are made to defend us from harm, in a relativist, secular, individualistic regime that has forgotten the Christian roots that once undergirded our nation, these laws put Christians in an invidious position.

It’s not solely Christians who have to think ahead and make contingency plans.   Some time ago (July 2012) Channel 4 news ran an article on networks which assist families fleeing from our oppressive social services. 

These underground networks, often run by parents who have already lost their children to the care system, have been formed in Southern Ireland and across the Continent to help families who are forced to flee because they will not get a fair hearing in the UK in the family courts.  They provide such things as safe houses, fake birth certificates, keys for rented homes in foreign countries, etc.

Interestingly, the parents interviewed by Channel 4 remarked that the charge levelled against them was not physical or sexual abuse, but emotional abuse, or the risk of future emotional neglect or abuse.  This, they say, is a charge that they cannot defend themselves against, and they are being punished for something they haven’t done.

If hundreds of parents every year are falling foul of the notoriously secretive family courts, where they feel they are not given a fair hearing by a system that is all too quick to remove children and break up families, how much more should Christians be thinking ahead to the day when they too will be accused of ‘emotional abuse, or the risk of future emotional abuse’?  How are we going to keep our families safe when Christianity is outlawed completely?

It may appear to be building arks in the desert, and like Noah, we may be mocked or accused of scaremongering, but we must be ready for the day when the next wave of anti-Christian legislation makes our position intolerable in today’s so-called ‘tolerant’ society. 

If we have to lie low, or flee, have we thought about what we will do and where will we go? Are we prepared practically?  We must be ahead of the game, so these are questions we must address urgently and find answers for.

To read the Channel 4 article, go to http://www.channel4.com/news/revealed-the-networks-helping-families-flee-social-services 

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