Fight for Biblical principles in national life
In reflecting on how Britain has drastically shifted from the application of biblical truths in daily living, a UK-based attorney has appealed to Christians in the Caribbean to be vocal and visible in pushing against agendas which are against Judaeo-Christian principles.
Chief executive officer of Christian Concern, Andrea Williams, has been very vocal against practices such as abortion and same-sex marriages in England. During a recent lecture organised by the Issachar Foundation Jamaica, Williams recounted several cases of Christians being persecuted in the UK for standing up for values that were widely accepted prior to the 1980s.
“If you had said in the 1980’s that we were going to redefine sex in law, that we would be able to re-write our birth certificates to say a person born a man can be known in law as a woman, I would have said that that was impossible. If you would have said to me that street preachers would have found themselves locked up in police cells in Great Britain, I would have said that that was impossible. If you would have told me that nurses would have lost their jobs for offering prayers, I would have said that that was impossible. But indeed, all of these things have come to pass,” Williams said.
Williams was called to the bar in 1988, and Christian Concern was started 15 years ago. The organisation has gained prominence in the UK and internationally for regularly campaigning on issues many churches have chosen to ignore. Some have branded the group as being too radical, but Williams and her team remain undaunted as they tackle the many cases of Christians who have lost their jobs, have been ostracised, and have had their freedoms threatened for defending biblical principles.
The attorney noted that the cultural revolution in the UK started after Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne in 1952. Since then, abortion and same-sex marriage have been made legal, more children are now being born out of wedlock and the divorce rate has skyrocketed. There was the advent of contraceptive pills in the 1960s, and casual sex became widely endorsed. More than 10 million abortions have been committed in the UK since the passing of the Abortion Act in 1967.
Noting that the number of babies killed in the UK is more than triple Jamaica’s population, Williams insisted that the church needs to speak for the unborn. She shared that during the COVID-19 pandemic, several women were given abortion pills to end their pregnancies, and the distribution of these pills continues.
“When reproductive groups come to you in the Caribbean saying this is safe medical practice, please be aware that in many cases, it is not that safe,” she warned.
Williams indicated that biblical truth is no longer tolerated in the UK. Even children are being excluded from school for refusing to participate in LGBTQ pride parades and are being put in isolation for making reference to the Bible in sex education classes. Pastors, doctors, teachers, nurses are among a wide cross-section of professionals who are losing their jobs for standing by their faith.
“As the voice of Christianity has grown dimmer in the public space, there is another religion that rises up, which is tolerated by the left [and] is tolerated by the LGBT movement. What you have is the rise in Islam,” Williams revealed.
Sadly, the general Christian community has been very reserved in the face of increasing attacks on their faith. Williams noted that the churches in England have been asleep for the most part, although there are recent signs that some are beginning to wake up.
“I can handle the LGBTQ activists; I can handle people who don’t know Christ, but what really upsets me is a church that doesn’t see the need to proclaim Christ into the culture,” Williams said.
“I do want to say to the church leaders here, please awake and arise; please lead your church,” she urged.