An election to the Northern Ireland Assembly has been called for 5 May 2022. As Christian citizens we should think carefully about how to vote. The Christian Institute is a registered charity and cannot endorse any political party or candidate in the election. We cannot tell you who to vote for.
The Government has introduced an Online Safety Bill to bolster regulation of the internet. It risks unfashionable views – like biblical teaching on sexual ethics – being censored because some people don’t like them. This could profoundly limit religious freedom and debate. If something is legal to say offline, it should be allowed online.
Campaigners for assisted suicide are stepping up their efforts. There are new legislative proposals at both Westminster and Holyrood to enable terminally ill adults to get help to kill themselves.
With over 300 people helped in 2020 alone, The Christian Institute’s Legal Defence Fund is needed just as much today as it was 15 years ago.
The media has created a sense of crisis around conversion therapy and a ban is very likely. The Christian Institute supports protecting people from dangerous medical practices. But activists want prayer, pastoral conversations, preaching and even parenting to be caught. This is a fast-moving issue. This leaflet covers key developments since our previous briefing in November 2020.
Secular humanism plays an influential role in politics, education and the media today, and is explicitly anti-Christian. But it has hijacked the name and noble legacy of historic humanism. This briefing explores the roots of secular humanism in Unitarianism, showing how recently it emerged and the danger it poses.
Elections for the Scottish Parliament take place on 6 May 2021.
We have excellent laws on free speech. These include the freedom to disagree on transgenderism.
We live in a fallen world. But God’s common grace means the world is not as loveless, ugly and chaotic as it could be. The Bible teaches that God restrains evil so that God’s creation may be preserved, ordered lives can continue and ultimately that God may be glorified and the Gospel preached to all nations.
The Scottish Government’s original Hate Crime Bill was a major threat to free speech, including evangelism and Christian comment on sexual ethics. After a huge public backlash, Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has made significant concessions. The Bill is less dangerous. But the Government still needs to go further to make sure freedom of speech and expression is not undermined.