1. Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

Homosexual sues church for right to be employed as youth worker

Discussion in '2007 Archive' started by mnw, Apr 3, 2007.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. mnw

    mnw New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2006
    Messages:
    1,221
    Likes Received:
    0
    This was sent out by the Christian Institute:

    Homosexual sues church for right to be employed as youth worker

    An Anglican Bishop has been accused of unlawful discrimination because he blocked the appointment of a practising homosexual to a youth worker post within the Church of England.

    The homosexual man, backed by ‘gay rights’ activist group Stonewall, is taking the diocese of Hereford to an employment tribunal for discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation.

    The Bishop of Hereford, Anthony Priddis, did not consent to the appointment in line with the Church of England’s policy of not employing practising homosexuals within the church.

    The legal action is being launched under the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 – these are different from the Sexual Orientation Regulations which were recently passed by Parliament and which do not directly affect employment.

    Although the employment regulations clearly contain protections which allow churches to refuse to employ practising homosexuals, lawyers representing the homosexual man will try to argue that this should only apply to the clergy.

    This is an important case which shows how ‘gay rights’ activists want to use the law to force churches to accept practising homosexuals on the staff.

    The hearing will open in Cardiff tomorrow (Wednesday 4 April 2007). It will consider various procedural issues as well as the principle at stake. The result will not be known for some weeks.

    Please pray:
    That the legal action will be unsuccessful.
    That clear statements will be made by the tribunal which protect the religious liberty of churches.
     
  2. mcdirector

    mcdirector Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2005
    Messages:
    8,292
    Likes Received:
    11
    ACK! I'm praying!
     
  3. carpro

    carpro Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Oct 14, 2004
    Messages:
    25,823
    Likes Received:
    1,167
    Faith:
    Baptist
    There will be many more such suits as Satan does his best to penetrate our Christian armor.
     
  4. Jack Matthews

    Jack Matthews New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2006
    Messages:
    833
    Likes Received:
    1
    Oh, the entanglements of a state church.

    I'll stick with the good old Baptist principle of a free church in a free state any day.

    This ought to be a red flag warning to those in Evangelical Christianity who scoff at the idea of church-state separation.
     
  5. mnw

    mnw New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2006
    Messages:
    1,221
    Likes Received:
    0
    Jack, sadly this law can be enacted against good old independent baptist churches too.

    This law has been a farce from day one. It eas rushed through the legal system and phony Tony got his people to vote in favour of the law.

    The law was brought into being here in Northern Ireland at the beginning of the year but has not been put in place all over the UK. I expected NI to get the cases first, but then realised the conservative majority here would probably slow down any cases.

    Then it made sense that mainland UK would be the first, and now, it is.

    I believe this is the first of many cases.
     
  6. go2church

    go2church Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2002
    Messages:
    4,304
    Likes Received:
    6
    Faith:
    Baptist
    As I was reading this the ad at the bottom was for children's books geared toward gay and lesbian parents. Strange indeed.
     
  7. James_Newman

    James_Newman New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2004
    Messages:
    5,013
    Likes Received:
    0
    Jack is right, though, as churches have allowed the camel to get his nose in the tent through various concessions to the IRS and what-have-you. Now he can come inside and dictate 'hiring' practices. The church that Jesus instituted was not meant to be a corporation of the state.
     
  8. Pastor Larry

    Pastor Larry <b>Moderator</b>
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    May 4, 2001
    Messages:
    21,763
    Likes Received:
    0
    It is patently absurd to think that the government can force the church to hire a homosexual. Being a corporation does not make the church a state entity. I wish these silly statements would get getting made.

    If the government tried to force a church to hire a homosexual, the church would say no. Any body that says "yes" will prove itself not to be a church.
     
  9. Jack Matthews

    Jack Matthews New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2006
    Messages:
    833
    Likes Received:
    1
    There are lots of those camel's noses under the tent which would cause churches and church institutions in this country to lose their right to hire only those individuals whose religious beliefs are consistent with the agency or institutions' Christian purpose. The Bush Faith Based Initiative is probably the worst one of those, private school voucher programs are another one. You can't plead separation if you are taking the government's money.

    Bro. Larry, you are thinking in American terms. Great Britain's perspective on church and state is much different than ours is. I'm not familiar with the differences in British law or constitution that would permit them to force a free, independent church to do this, but the Anglican church, or Church of England, is a state institution, not an independent one. There have been some technical points of independence in recent years in which the church has pulled back, and the state has relaxed its control, but I believe the Queen is still the head of the Church, and I think it still receives a substantial tax subsidy from the government which goes to pay its clergy, among other things. In spite of what its bishops might rule, ultimately, I can see where the courts could make the Church of England adhere to the conditions of this particular lawsuit.
     
    #9 Jack Matthews, Apr 3, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 3, 2007
  10. mnw

    mnw New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2006
    Messages:
    1,221
    Likes Received:
    0
    The case in the UK is such that the government will treat a person not "hiring" a homosexual because they are homosexual the same they would a company not hiring a woman for being a woman.

    It is hard to tell what will happen next. This time it will most likely blow over. But those pushing the homosexual agenda will keep putting on pressure.

    It could eventually come to the point where individual churches who get sued will have to close.

    I think we are a good way off that happening right now, but with the laws on the books at the moment it is possible.
     
  11. James_Newman

    James_Newman New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2004
    Messages:
    5,013
    Likes Received:
    0
    Thats for the courts to decide, Larry. And when they decide that the church is an entity of the state that must follow these hiring laws by virtue of its legal obligations, I pray that some churches will take a stand. But they won't have much of a legal leg to stand on. Thats when the government comes and takes all the church property. And others will say that thats what they get for not rendering unto caesar.
     
  12. mnw

    mnw New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2006
    Messages:
    1,221
    Likes Received:
    0
    I feel this drifting towards topics covered in the Hovind thread... :) I know there are similair areas being covered, but let's not go too far off topic. :)
     
  13. James_Newman

    James_Newman New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2004
    Messages:
    5,013
    Likes Received:
    0
    Did they happen to give a link to any article?
     
  14. amity

    amity New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2006
    Messages:
    811
    Likes Received:
    0
    In Britian, I understand that the Church (Church of England) IS an entity of the state. There is no separation of church and state there. The CoE is the established church, and that's that. And it is amazing how long the disabilities placed on other churches have been in place. About 500 years. Fought an entire civil war over this. King got beheaded. Still at it. Apparently, if one is a military chaplain with the UK armed forces, no matter what church one is a member of, one must follow the Book of Common Prayer, is that right?
     
    #15 amity, Apr 3, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 3, 2007
  15. Pastor Larry

    Pastor Larry <b>Moderator</b>
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    May 4, 2001
    Messages:
    21,763
    Likes Received:
    0
    No it's not. It's for the church to decide. The church decides what it will do and what it won't do. The church is not an entity of the state.

    To others, I realize the CoE is different being a state church. I was commenting directly on James' comments bringing the IRS into it.
     
  16. mnw

    mnw New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2006
    Messages:
    1,221
    Likes Received:
    0
    The CofE is the State church, that is correct. But there are also independent churches, there always have been. They may have been called puritans or dissidents, but they were always around.

    I am not sure what you mean by disabilities on other churches. The government has no say, absolutely no input into our church or many others.

    Of course, this new law may change that. But it affects everyone, not just the state church.
     
  17. NaasPreacher (C4K)

    NaasPreacher (C4K) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2003
    Messages:
    26,806
    Likes Received:
    80
    I appreciate mnw's input here. Being an Englishman living in the North of Ireland he has a lot to contribute to this discussion.

    I fear for this legislation. This case, involving the CofE could be a precedent setter, even though it, as a State entity, has problems that independent churches would not have to answer to...yet.

    The future is scary. Independent churches who must disobey this law could face lawsuits, fines, and even possible imprisonment.


    These are days when we must pray - I hope that our brothers and sisters in Christ in America will join us in praying, especially for Northern Ireland. This will be the first place where the battle is fought.

    I am not a big fan of Ian Paisley, but as First Minister of a devolved Northern Ireland, perhaps he can have an input into having this law revoked. He is a born again believer, and the Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, a Catholic, would be unified in their opposition to this law.

    Devolved government, which would bring a measure of self-rule to Northern Ireland, is due to come into effect in early May.

    Please understand folks just how serious this issue is and pray with us.

    For now, those of us in the Republic are safe. But, if this becomes law and "works" it could spread across the border.
     
  18. hillclimber1

    hillclimber1 Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2006
    Messages:
    2,447
    Likes Received:
    0
    He seems more emboldened every day.
     
  19. hillclimber1

    hillclimber1 Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2006
    Messages:
    2,447
    Likes Received:
    0
    I just read the rest of this thread, and I'll be praying over this. Incredibly important, and as we reflect, not surprising.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
Loading...