Almost 1,000 church leaders have urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson not to impose controversial vaccine passports on churches in England.
In an open letter published a few days ago, the pastors and ministers say they are ‘are wholly opposed to this suggestion’ and say that to ‘deny people entry to hear this life-giving message and to receive this life-giving ministry would be a fundamental betrayal of Christ and the gospel.’
Lead signatories among the 934 letter writers are Dr Jamie Franklin, Curate, St George in the Meadows, Nottingham; The Revd David Johnston, Minister Emeritus, Presbyterian Church in Ireland; The Revd Dr William J. U. Philip, Minister, The Tron Church Glasgow and The Revd A. Paul Levy, Minister, Ealing International Presbyterian Church, London.
They say: ‘This scheme has the potential to bring about the end of liberal democracy as we know it and to create a surveillance state in which the government uses technology to control certain aspects of citizens’ lives. As such, this constitutes one of the most dangerous policy proposals ever to be made in the history of British politics.
‘For the church of Jesus Christ to shut out those deemed by the state to be social undesirables would be anathema to us and a denial of the truth of the gospel.’
Christian charity CARE has also written to the Prime Minister and described the idea as ‘antithetical to the very nature of the church’. Its letter says: ‘The imposition of vaccine certificates on churches would be most unwelcome and would represent a fundamental undermining of basic freedoms. The idea that access to a church should require some special certification is antithetical to the very nature of the church as a place of refuge for the most vulnerable in our society.
Nola Leach, CEO of CARE, commented: ‘Christians are understandably concerned at the prospect of a vaccine certificate system that would bar people who have not had the vaccine, for whatever reason, from attending church … This runs contrary to the ethos and the mission of the church, to welcome people from every corner of society to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.’
