Is the Bible ‘Hate Speech’?
by Andrea Williams, Christian Concern:
Is the Bible a ‘hate book’? Andrea Williams comments on the recent hearing of Barry Trayhorn at the Employment Appeal Tribunal.
Is the Bible ‘hate speech’? Of course not, but of late, this is a thought that has crossed my mind.
If the current drift in the law is maintained the Bible will soon be declared a ‘hate book’ that discriminates against vulnerable classes of people. The words of the Bible are being rejected in our nation.
Such a thought would have been inconceivable 20 years ago. The Bible used to be respected as the book that set the moral and legal standards of our society. Go back just over 60 years to Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation Oath; the Bible is called “the most valuable thing that this world affords…Here is Wisdom; This is the royal Law; these are the lively Oracles of God”.
Christians were seen as people of honour; moral integrity and care.
This has changed.
A recent case of ours has exposed the irrational, illiberal and anti-Christian society in which we now live.
Barry Trayhorn is an ordained Pentecostal Minister who worked in the gardens at HMP Littlehey, a prison for sex offenders. He loves the Lord and through him many prisoners have come to know Jesus Christ. He was a regular volunteer at the Chapel service and the prison chaplain relied on him to cover many of the services.
During one such service in the Prison Chapel he read from 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 which says:
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
After saying these words, he said to the congregation of prisoners:
“You may want to complain about this, but this is the word of God. God loves you and wants to forgive you”
A prisoner complained against Rev Trayhorn, saying that those words from the bible violated the Prison’s Equality Policies.
There are a number of sex offenders at HMP Littlehey: heterosexual and homosexual sex criminals, many of which have been imprisoned for violent rape and sexual assault on adults and minors. One such prisoner complained. The Prison began disciplinary proceedings against Rev Trayhorn for “homophobic statements”. One sin only was singled out – what about drunkenness or theft?
The prison chaplain, instead of testifying for his friend Barry testified in writing against him, saying that he should have been more sensitive regarding his choice of scripture.
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