Bishop rejects 'Christians in Britain are persecuted' claims

An Anglican bishop has rejected claims by some lobby groups and activists that Christians in Britain are being persecuted for their beliefs.

In a short television broadcast in the 4thought series on Channel 4, the Rt Rev Nick Baines, who is the Bishop of Croydon, said that, in fact "we're everywhere" and urged church people not to allow themselves to be fitted into a "hierarchy of victimhood".

Acknowledging the genuine and terrible persecutions in Christian history and affecting minorities around the world today, the bishop denied that the choices facing Christians in modern plural Britain were in any way comparable.

Even where there may be disagreement or conflict over symbols, values and beliefs "there is a choice" about what to say and how to act, he said.

The comments come as the pressure-group 'Christian Concern' launches a 'Not Ashamed Day' on 1 December, urging those who share their understanding of the Christian message to assert themselves in public life by "speaking up for the Christian foundation of our society."

Most church leaders and many more Christians are choosing not to get involved in the 'national initiative'.

On Twitter, the cause had fewer than 200 'followers' in the run up to the midday launch, and many responses have been less than enthusiastic.

One repondent posted: "I'm not ashamed of Jesus Christ, but I am ashamed of the moral superiority of many of his followers", and "I'm not ashamed of Jesus Christ, but I am ashamed of the violence and bigotry carried out in his name".

Andrew Copson, British Humanist Association Chief Executive said, ‘The increasingly desperate attempts to work up a victim narrative of “Christianophobia” by these activists have no basis in reality. The assumption behind it is that there is a groundswell of discrimination and persecution of Christians in Britain, but this assumption is false. Time and again the various claims of discrimination against Christians that have been tested in the courts have been assessed by impartial judges and found baseless. The narrative calls for increased religious liberty, but the demands would actually limit religious and other freedom for most people, through permitting wide discrimination by Christians against others.

‘Discrimination against non-Christians is in fact far more widespread than discrimination against Christians, and Christianity is still overly privileged in the UK. In almost one third of our state schools, preference is given to Christian parents in admissions over non-Christians, and to Christian staff over non-Christian staff. ‘

‘It is more than slightly ludicrous to suggest otherwise.’

The BHA also questioned the campaign’s focus on restoring respect for Britain’s Christian heritage or roots.

Mr Copson continued, ‘It is chauvinist and historically illiterate to ignore the vast pre-Christian and non-Christian contributions to the development of our culture, our common values and our positive social norms. Many British people today are the non-Christian children of non-Christian parents and non-Christian grandparents, with no connection to Christianity or in many cases, to any religion. There is no way that they should be excluded from British culture because of that fact.’

Simon Barrow, co-director of the religion and society think-tank Ekklesia, which has been monitoring claims about unfair treatment of Christians in Britain, and will be publishing a report about it shortly, commented: "While some noisy lobby groups and former church leaders are willing to accommodate to exaggerated or false claims about the status of Christians in Britain, many thousands of others (the majority, in fact) are not.

"For example, this week, the Methodist Church in Britain is rightfully turning our attention towards the 300 million Dalits (victims of caste-based discrimination) across the world."

He continued: "Using language that mixes up the inconveniences and challenges of living in a mixed society with the terror of living in a disintegrating or dictatorial one is something those involved in spreading the 'British Christians are persecuted' meme should most definitely be ashamed of."

"We need to be theologically clear amidst the siren voices of alarm," said Barrow. "That Christians do not rule others in the way they once did, does not amount to 'persecution'. Instead, it is an invitation to rediscover patterns of church life in a plural society which show the heart of the Christian message to be about embracing others, not isolating ourselves; multiplying hope, not spreading fear; developing peaceableness, not resorting to aggression; and advancing compassion, rather than retreating into defensiveness."