You have probably heard of the Equality Bill, presently before Parliament. It is a piece of legislation which has serious consequences for churches, other Christian organisations and even individual believers. It represents an unwarranted interference in the affairs of God’s kingdom, which is the exclusive domain of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Under the present law Christian bodies can protect their distinctive ethos by restricting employment to people whose beliefs and behaviour are consistent with that ethos. For instance, a church may currently refuse to employ someone who is an atheist or a practising homosexual. The Equality Bill would curtail the liberty of churches to insist that the conduct of their staff is in accordance with biblical teaching. Only those positions that are “wholly” or “mainly” concerned with the conduct of worship or teaching the faith would be safeguarded.

We give thanks to God that some important amendments were made to the Bill in the House of Lords last week. The effect of these is to preserve the status quo. The Government have now made it clear that they will not seek to overturn these amendments, as you can read here. Given their track record though they may simply look for another way to accomplish the same ends.

We know that a General Election is looming. Perhaps if another political party were in power they would take a different view on these matters, recognising that Christians have a conscience too? Sadly we can have no real confidence that a change of government would lead to a better situation for all the main parties appear to take a similar attitude to this subject.

It is worth considering the concept of ‘equality’. Christians and non-Christians come at it from different directions: even when our beliefs agree with those of unbelievers the reasons for them are not the same as theirs. We say that in the most fundamental sense all men are to be regarded as equal because we are all created by God and that in His own image (Gen.1:27). Whether we are male or female, black or white, tall or short or whatever we have our being from God.

We may in fact challenge the atheist to provide a logical reason for his belief that all men are equal. Denying the existence of a Creator as he does he has to rest upon the theory of evolution for an explanation of man’s origins. This theory, in its standard form, affirms that the different ‘races’ of mankind arose at different times in different places from different ancestors; they are therefore at different stages of development. It was this theory that provided a platform for the eugenicists of last century who advocated the improvement of human traits by the promotion of reproduction in ‘desirable’ racial and social groups and its suppression in ‘undesirable’ ones.

It is only the inconsistency between the theory of evolution and its outworking in practice (which we would attribute to the working of conscience) that keeps many from following through with their beliefs in this area. How much better and how much more satisfying to the mind and heart is the declaration of Scripture, that God “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26)!

The God who created our race has given great variety to it, as we can observe today when we have easy access to a knowledge of other countries. We find also that the Lord in His providence permits a great disparity among men with regard to their circumstances: there are masters and servants, rich and poor, healthy and sick. Yet for all this we are one race and equally human.

Where men are not to be regarded as equal is in their behaviour. This is real the problem today. We are told that any lifestyle choice is acceptable (generally with the qualification, “so long as it does not hurt anyone”). Whether we are heterosexual, homosexual or transsexual, married or living with a ‘partner’, it does not matter: the different relationships people enter into and the activities associated with them are all on a par and we must not discriminate between them.

There is an equality among men that we do not wish to be told about yet must. It is the explanation for this horrible confusion and the reason why Christians cannot condone it. Because of Adam’s fall we are all guilty of original sin. Our nature is biased toward evil and expresses itself in forbidden unions and perverse acts and in many other ways. Yet God requires righteousness of us. Where shall it be found? In Jesus Christ, the Saviour who died at Calvary. This is the good news that sinners need to hear! Let us continue to preach the gospel of grace and live by it.

 

“But the salvation of the just.

    is from the Lord above;

He in the time of their distress

    their stay and strength doth prove.”