Free Church Press Release – 22nd December 2022 –
Free Church Response to the Passing of the GRA Act
To: All editors and journalists.
(Embargoed until after the Act is passed).
The Free Church of Scotland notes the significance of the passing of the Gender Recognition Act in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 22nd December 2022. We agree with Pink News that this is a significant moment in the history of our nation and parliament.
We stand with our feminist sisters, both within and outwith the Church, who recognising the danger that this Act poses to women’s rights, have been so courageous and determined in standing up for those rights. We apologise that we have been so slow to stand with them.
We stand with the people of Scotland who in poll after poll have shown their opposition to the redefinition of humanity that this Act embodies.
We stand with the children of Scotland who are being placed in harm’s way by the passing of this ill – considered Act. The medicalisation of a psychological condition, the removal of parent’s rights, and the indoctrination of children in our schools into this harmful ideology is something we cannot be silent about.
We love and want to help those within our communities who struggle with gender identity disorder, as our fellow human beings made in the image of God. It is precisely because we believe that they are made in the image of God, that we do not think it is good for them to be told that they can remake themselves in their own perceived image.
We call upon the Church of Scotland to repent of its support of this evil Act, and to stand with us and other churches (including the Catholic Church, the Baptists, the FIEC, Independent churches, the African churches and others) to oppose this ideology and to speak up for the truth of Christ.
December the 21st was the darkest day of the year. December the 22nd has turned out to be one of the darkest days in Scotland’s history. As a national church, we love our nation and are distressed at how far we have moved from our Christian foundations. We believe that Scotland’s parliament has voted for legislation which promotes lying, removes women’s rights, and encourages state sponsored child abuse. And yet our politicians are congratulating themselves and glorying in their shame.
We urge all our members to do what they can to oppose this injustice and to shine the light of Christ into the darkness.
As a church we will take the following actions:
We will not recognise birth certificates which lie.
We will not promote lies in our churches and we will discourage our people from endorsing or going along with the collective delusion that seems to have taken hold of so much of Scottish society – anywhere.
We will continue to proclaim and teach that when God created humanity he made us male and female. He made all of us equally in his image. We don’t get to remake that image – at least not without destroying it. Although our politicians may have had worthy motives the reality is that the equality they speak about will not be achieved by this act. In fact this Act will destroy equality. It reminds us of the secular prophet George Orwell’s perceptive observation in Animal Farm – “All animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others”. Like Orwell we believe it is hypocritical for a government to promise equality to all its citizens but give power and privilege to an elite.
In the Church we have a wide variety of political opinions, and are not party political. But there are some political issues which are so important, that we cannot keep silent. Just as we would advise our people not to vote for those who deny the humanity of God in other races, so we now advise our people (and other Christians) not to vote for any politician who has denied the humanity of God in creating two sexes. We urge all Scots to vote out of office any politician who is so arrogant as to think they can re-create humanity in its own ideological image.
We continue to pray for our political leaders – as those who are God’s servants in the civil sphere. We give to Caesar’s what is Caesar’s – but we will not give to Caesar what is God’s.
We call upon the Scottish Parliament to repent of its actions. To seek a better and more caring way to help those who suffer from GID, to ensure that women’s spaces are protected, that children are not indoctrinated into Queer theory and that we will not be prosecuted for saying what God says in his Word.
The Free Church of Scotland.
“Righteousness exalts a nation; but sin condemns any people” (Proverbs 14:34)
Important Note: In case you wondered….. This is NOT the Free Church Press release. As far as I know there wasn’t one. This is the press release I think the Church should have put out. Yesterday….
The Eye of the Storm – The Transgender Backlash and the Timing of the Lord