Watch and pray

If you have any love for politics, recent months have served up treat after treat.

First, there’s the ongoing saga of the never-ending vote. The Prime Minister has a deal on the table, but is struggling to win the support she needs. By the time this is published, there may well have been a vote on the deal which may well have been lost, leading, maybe, to another vote. Honestly, who knows what is going on at Westminster? Second, we are increasingly in unchartered constitutional territory. All the talk of a second referendum, the People’s Vote and the Speaker’s re-interpreting of long-standing House of Commons’ precedents all point to the same conclusion: it’s all a bit messy.

Unsettling time

The Brexit drama shows no signs of slowing down and even if you try and avoid it, there’s no doubt it is an unsettling time for our nation. By the time you read this, the PM may still be in place or equally, we might be days away from a General Election. Hard to believe though it might be, Brexit is not the only political issue of weight. As 2019 begins, what are some of the key challenges on the horizon? Especially, as a Christian, how should I face this New Year? Some I suspect feel a sense of foreboding and this is understandable. As a society we have largely abandoned our Judeo-Christian heritage and in its place, secularism and individualism have become more and more dominant.

Abortion law

This has repercussions in a number of areas. Take the value of life. Last year witnessed a brazen attempt to introduce even more extreme abortion laws in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The catalyst for this was the result of the referendum in Ireland where 66% of the population voted to repeal the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution which protected the life of the unborn and the mother. No sooner had this vote passed than pressure began to be turned on Northern Ireland. That’s because Northern Ireland (NI) did not adopt the 1967 Abortion Act. Instead, abortion in NI is prohibited except in the most extreme cases where the mother’s life is judged to be at risk. Under the Offences Against the Persons Act (OAPA) 1861, not only is it illegal to receive an abortion, it is also illegal to provide one. For those advocating for abortion, this is deemed restrictive and anti-choice. But it is thanks to NI’s life-affirming laws that there are 100,000 people alive across the Province today.

The Johnson Bill

The attempt to change abortion law found its focus in a Ten Minute Rule Bill debate in October last year. Labour MP Diana Johnson proposed to amend Section 58 and repeal Section 59 of the OAPA. The effect would have been to introduce across England, Wales and Northern Ireland one of the most extreme abortion regimes anywhere in the world. Abortion would be available for no reason, anytime and anywhere. Key safeguards that remain in place at the moment – such as the requirement to have the form signed off by two doctors and the limitations on where an abortion can take place – would be rendered null and void.

The Johnson Bill is unlikely to become law because it was blocked at second reading. However, we know that proponents of so called ‘decriminalisation’ are determined to push ahead. The issue of abortion is likely to be a key one for anyone associated with the pro-life cause in the coming months. I suspect advocates of more extreme abortion laws will try and use the Domestic Abuse Bill to force through their proposed changes.

It is hard to be optimistic on this one. The brutal reality is we need God to work powerfully if this change is to be resisted. Not only do we need MPs to change their minds but we also need to understand exactly what the other side are proposing. Don’t be fooled by the language of ‘decriminalisation’. It is a smokescreen designed to win broad support. The reality behind it is a radical abortion regime where, in effect, anything goes.

To help promote a better story when it comes to abortion, CARE in NI launched a campaign in January. Billboards and bus stops across NI carried an advert with the words ‘Fearfully and wonderfully made’ from Psalm 139. I’m convinced that in 2019 we need to learn how to better communicate on sensitive issues like abortion.

Extremism consultation

Concerns about the value of life are not the only issue that will no doubt come up in 2019. Readers of en will remember a few years ago, in its desire to combat extremism, the Government proposed granting Ofsted the power to inspect what it called ‘out of school educational settings’ to ensure they were properly promoting so-called British values. Thankfully, that move was dropped. A big part of the Government’s problem is that it cannot find a legally watertight definition of extremism to use in law.

Well, now the Government have outsourced the issue to the Commission for Countering Extremism (CCE). They have launched a public consultation, which wants to find out what people think about extremism and how best to go about addressing it. There is an enormous danger here. It is possible that well-intentioned counter-extremism measures could end up impacting free speech and liberty. If the definition used is too broad, it could be used to suppress ‘unfashionable’ ideas. In particular, Christian claims to exclusive truth or evangelical views on sexuality and even the telling of the good news could be deemed to be ‘extremist’. However extremism is tackled, free speech must be protected.

The issue of free speech, I’m quite sure, will continue to be prominent in the coming year. While we celebrate and thank God for the amazing outcome in the Asher’s bakery case, such cases could happen again. Our friends at the Christian Institute and the Christian Legal Centre do us all a service by investing in key cases that will set precedents for the future. At the heart of cases like that of the Asher’s is the fundamental concern about free speech.

Not giving in to despair

James reminds us in his letter that we do not know what tomorrow may bring and so, therefore, we should approach the future with a right blend of humility and planning. It is easy to give into a spirit of despair and unbelief because of the state of our society. But are we allowing our feelings to be shaped and informed by the Word of God? Surely his promises give us grounds for hope. We must be like the watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem, found in Isaiah 62. We must give God no rest or peace until his purposes are accomplished.

Seek God’s face

Centuries ago when faced with spiritual decline, God’s people set themselves to seek his face and to pray for the tide to turn. It is time surely for us to both continue to do Kingdom work, in faith, trusting in the power of God to sustain us while also praying and looking for a mighty demonstration of God’s power. If history teaches us anything, it is that God’s plans and purposes are unstoppable. The sheer fact that Jesus reigns, that God is in control of all things, is a glorious comfort when political life is so fraught with discord, disunity and disagreement.

So here’s to uncertainty on the one hand and yet glorious, comforting certainty on the other. I don’t know what will happen to the PM. I don’t know what sort of Brexit we’ll end up with. But I do know that Jesus reigns and, while we have time, we need to crack on in being salt and light so others can see Christ portrayed in us.