How equalities legislation can benefit us as Christians

When the Equalities Act was passed more than a decade ago, it seemed to limit the freedoms that Christians had long taken for granted.

It became unlawful to discriminate against others on grounds of religion or sexual orientation with the result that, for example, a Christian-owned hotel could no longer refuse a room to a same-sex couple. Similarly, a Christian could not serve as a magistrate and take the view that children were always better adopted by a heterosexual couple. New laws against hate speech meant Christians were more fearful of preaching the gospel in case they offended others; and they faced the possibility of disciplinary action in the workplace if they challenged transgender ideology. These changes reflected the fact that we live in a secular, post-Christian context. Christian views and values are no longer widely shared across society and deemed worthy of privileged status. Instead, government has to balance the interests of competing opinions in a multicultural society.

Adapted to new framework

In most cases Christians have learned to live within the new framework without compromising their faith. Many would question whether the gospel ever justified such discrimination. Far from fearing the impact of equalities legislation, Christians are now discovering that it provides them with significant protection and ensures they are not silenced or cancelled at the behest of the majority liberal progressive culture.

Several cases in the last month have illustrated the protection that the law can bring to Christians. Edinburgh City Council issued an apology to Destiny Ministries and paid £25,000 damages for cancelling their booking of the Usher Hall because of the views of an invited speaker on marriage and sexuality. This bodes well for the Billy Graham Association, which is pursuing legal claims against various venues that refused bookings because they disagreed with the views of Franklin Graham. Whether we agree theologically or politically with such ministries and speakers, the right to hire public venues is important to all evangelical churches, who might wish to hire a school for their services or a theatre for their mission events.

Protecting gracious expression

An Employment Appeal Tribunal has overturned an earlier decision against a researcher who was sacked by a ‘think tank’ for denying that transgender women could change their biological sex. The first tribunal had held that such ‘gender-critical’ views were ‘not worthy of protection in a democratic society,’ but the appeal found that there was a ‘protected belief’. This does not mean that people can engage in harassment of those who are transgender, but it does ensure that opinions can be graciously expressed. At almost the same time, a law student at the University of Abertay was cleared of misconduct for suggesting, during a seminar on gender, feminism and the law, that transgender women should not be entitled to compete in women’s sport. A growing number of agencies have also left a Stonewall ‘diversity scheme’ that has given inaccurate advice about transgender rights.

It is not that these cases reflect a fundamental change of direction. Instead, they highlight the careful balance of the equalities legislation. As Christians in a secular society, we should be thankful for the protection that we enjoy against discrimination because of our beliefs, and for our right to freedom of speech and worship.

The earliest Christians in the Roman Empire were a marginalised minority with little power, but they happily took advantage of the legal rights they enjoyed to assert their freedom of worship, and where necessary claimed their entitlements as citizens (Acts 18:12–17; 22:25). In our increasingly secular and polarised society we need to be prepared to do the same, remembering that many of our brothers and sisters around the world do not enjoy the protection available to us.