Dear Editor,
It was interesting to read the piece in January’s en regarding Tim Farron’s view that ‘liberalism has stopped being liberal’. I wholeheartedly concur with him. We are moving from a ‘permissive’ society towards a ‘prescriptive’ one.
As Christians there is much in a ‘permissive’ society from which we would distance ourselves. Nevertheless, this ‘permissive’ society has allowed us to practice and preach what we believed.
However, in a ‘prescriptive’ society Christians are being told there are certain things they cannot preach and there are things which they must do. And if we breach the law of the land we must accept the consequences.
This is reminiscent of Peter’s predicament in Acts 4, when he was taken before the rulers of his day and told to stop preaching. His reply was: ‘Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God’ (verse 18). He was released with a warning, but continued preaching the good news. A second arrest resulted in him being flogged (5.40), yet he cheerfully accepted his punishment.
We are not likely to be flogged, and we are fortunate than we can lobby our politicians to change the law, but in the meantime … what do we do? Keep our heads down and keep quiet? Or graciously, and with love, obey the laws of God rather than those of men … and cheerfully accept the consequences?
Yours sincerely,
