CR spoke with Andrea Williams to find out why she thinks a petition is needed

Andrea Williams

Following the judgement in the case of Foster Carers Owen and Eunice Johns, Christian Concern has launched a major new petition. In it they are calling on the Prime Minister to respect Christian conscience and take urgent action to address the problems created by equalities legislation. With Christian interest cases frequently in the courts and media, Rebecca Duffett spoke with Andrea Williams, Director of Christian Concern to find out more.

Rebecca: Why have you launched this petition?

Andrea: The Equalities and Conscience Petition is aimed at giving Christians a voice in this country to say, "We're here, we want to be involved in public life; we want to be in the workplace; but we can't leave our faith behind at the door of the workplace or behind at home. We're Christians 24/7 and we really need to take our place in the public sphere; so allow us to do that".

Rebecca: The case you are citing with this petition is the Owen and Eunice Johns case. What other cases are there that show there is a problem?

Andrea: Well, over Easter we had the extraordinary case of Colin Atkinson who after 15 years of having a palm cross in his van was asked to remove it because it might offend people. He refused to do that. We thank God that he has been allowed to continue to have his palm cross in his van. However the Equality & Conscience Petition is all about trying to ensure that those sorts of situations don't happen; that Equality and Diversity legislation is not used, or company policies are not used, to squeeze the Christian from this space.

We don't want nurses who've worn a little tiny cross around their neck for 38 years to find they are not allowed on front line nursing because they won't take off their cross. We don't want nurses suspended because they offer prayer. We don't want teachers suspended because they give their testimony to a child. We don't want foster carers unable to access the system because they believe a child needs a mother and a father. We don't want magistrates and doctors excluded from the system because they believe the children need a mother and a father. Christians everywhere need to find their voice and need to come behind these very brave people who've had the courage to stand up and to speak out, and that's really what the Equality and Conscience Petition is all about.

Rebecca: It mentions in the petition that if Christians don't have this freedom it's actually causing a barrier in their involvement in the Big Society; therefore the Government are shooting themselves in the foot if they don't act.

Andrea: That's right. The Big Society floats around in the ether with no grounding. Any Big Society idea has to have a big story behind it. We as Christians have the big story. We have the Lord Jesus Christ, the story of all history. What motivates us to act? It's Jesus who motivates us to act. It's Jesus that gives us compassion, longing for other individuals, longing to bring the hope that is in Him and in Him alone to others. Therefore Christians everywhere up and down the country are always ready to give themselves in sacrificial self-service to many community projects. We need to be allowed to do that full of faith. What David Cameron seems to look for, is this notion that somehow we can leave the faith side of it behind and not acknowledge what it is that motivates us to act in the way that we do.

Rebecca: How much can David Cameron actually do?

Andrea: David Cameron is the Prime Minister of this land. When he had the chance to speak up on behalf of Eunice and Owen Johns and to say that Christians should be free to foster and Eunice and Owen Johns should have been free to foster, he failed to take that opportunity. Now we do know that Christians are free to foster and that Christians everywhere must continue to seek to foster, but he should have taken the opportunity at that moment to ensure that justice was done. He could take any moment at any point during these cases to say that we need to ensure that conscience, Christian conscience, is permitted within this legislation. Where there is a conflict of rights between sexual orientation rights and Christian rights, that there is accommodation of conscience allowed and not the trumping of Christian conscience by sexual orientation rights.

Rebecca: So is the first step needed just building up the voice?

Andrea: The Equality and Conscience Petition currently has over 25,000 signatories. If we get 100,000 signatories then we'll be able to have a debate in parliament on this issue. I'm really crying out for Christians out there; to users of the Cross Rhythms website; to say "will you come alongside us; will you visit the Equality and Conscience Petition on the Christian Concern website; will you print it off and get lots of signatures so that we can reach 100,000"?

Extraordinarily David Cameron said that if a petition ever reached a million then we would be able to look to introduce a bill on that issue. Wouldn't that be extraordinary? Surely there are a million Christians in this country who want the freedom to continue to live out and speak out their faith.

Rebecca: Do you think it could also appeal to non-Christians on the equality issue?

Andrea: Oh absolutely. It's extraordinary how much support we have from people who don't believe at all, because they just want common sense back. They want old British values back. They feel bewildered at the moment by a kind of liberal tyranny. They don't know what they're allowed to say; they don't know what they're allowed to do. They feel bewildered by all of this. They're longing for their country back. What they're longing for in a sense; what has made Britain the country that she is; it's our great Christian traditions. It's our great Christian heritage. You know all of our great social institutions were founded on Christian principles; on biblical principles. The great social reformers, Rowntree, Peel, Fry, they all built on the back of the great preachers of Wilberforce and Wesley. We need to remember that all our systems, our education systems, our legal systems, our parliamentary systems, are based in Christian values. In a sense Christianity runs through the blood of Great Britain. It runs through the blood of her citizens and that's what they want back. The Equality and Diversity legislation has led to chaos and to oppression and it's really because it's rooted in secular liberal humanism where man is put as the final arbiter rather than God.

Rebecca: How long have we got to do the petition; when do you want to get all these signatures for?

Andrea: As soon as possible.

Rebecca: You haven't set a deadline?

Andrea: We haven't set a deadline. We really just want to make this happen. Of course if it goes on for too long and we don't get the signatures then they will laugh at us. Please can they not laugh at us? Please let's get the signatures.