Well, can I begin this evening by thanking you for your invitation here tonight to London Dairy. It's good to be here to share with you. Thank you particularly to your pastor, to the Reverend Brian, for his kindness in giving us this invitation. I do appreciate the interest he shows through the work in the Public and Government and Morals Committee. It's always good to be able to pass on information to encourage the churches to respond to laws, to government policies. And I have to say, the Christian Institute, as it generates the information, as it conducts the research, it could all end there if the individual Christian people who receive that do nothing with it. But it's good to know that there are those who take that information forward, who respond to the public consultations, who write to their MPs and MLAs and those in positions of authority. It is our privilege as an organisation to work with the churches to encourage them in their responsive work. We're going to talk this evening about the work of the Christian Institute and as has already been outlined, two particular areas of work. But I want to begin this evening by considering our duty, our responsibility as Christians, as believers, as those who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our saviour. Because you see, as Christians, as those who know Christ, we have a duty and a responsibility to care about the honor of God's name. And when we see God's word and his laws being mocked and scoffed at in the society around us, what Christian believer is not stirred up within their souls? You see, we should want to stand up for what's right because of the honor of the Lord Jesus Christ. but also because of love for our neighbor. You see, when people break God's laws, when they disregard what his word has to say, there are harmful consequences for the individuals involved. And probably all of you can think of people you know, people whose lives have been damaged through things like drug and alcohol abuse, through the breakdown of marriage and the family unit, and through crime and violence. What Christian isn't moved to sadness when we see all this suffering? But you know, the Bible teaches us as believers that it's not just enough to feel sad about a situation. It tells us that we have a role to play in this world. And the Bible uses pictures to describe that role. In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus Christ used the illustration of salt and light to describe the role of the believer in this world. And so I want to read with you just four short verses from Matthew's Gospel, chapter 5, verses 13 through to 16. Matthew's Gospel, chapter 5, verses 13 through to 16. These are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. They were spoken 2,000 years ago, but God's word does not change, and we know it is as true today as it was when these words were spoken 2,000 years ago. So we're going to read from Matthew's Gospel, chapter 5, verses 13 through to 16. Ye are the salt of the earth, but if the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world, A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Well, amen, and there ends the reading of God's word. But I want us to notice three things from these verses. And the first of them is this, in using the metaphor, the visual aid, the illustration of salt and light, the Lord Jesus Christ is teaching us here that the world around us is fallen. You don't need me to tell you tonight, but in ancient times, in biblical times, 2,000 years ago, there were no fridges, no freezers, and so salt was used because it has properties as a preservative. It slows down the decay of meat and fish. And so the Lord Jesus Christ is teaching us here that the world around us has a constant tendency to decay and rottenness. But he goes on to say that we his people are the light of the world. And again the implication is clear. The world around us is a dark place in moral and in spiritual terms. Men and women are bankrupt. As we read in Isaiah chapter 53, all of us, like sheep, have gone astray. Everything about us is affected by sin and the fall. So that's the first thing to notice. The world around us, the society around us, is a fallen and a dark place. But the second thing to notice is that those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior, as their king, as their master, can make a radical different so on the one hand the world is a dark and decaying place but on the other hand those who follow Christ are like salt preventing and slowing down the decay and like light they are shining in and exposing the darkness and it's true isn't it if you look at Christian history there are many examples of godly Christian people who have been an influence for Christ on the neighborhoods the community, the society around them. Some of you might be familiar with the life story of William Wilberforce, a Christian MP in Britain 200 years ago, a man who used his influence in Parliament to bring about the end of the evils of the slave trade. in this nation. And there's one example of a godly Christian who was used to make a radical difference on a nation around him. And if we time this evening, we could think of many more examples of godly Christian people who have been used as salt and light on the societies in which God has placed them. So Christians can make a radical difference. But then the third thing to notice is that the Lord Jesus Christ tells us that we are to be like salt and light, but on certain conditions. We are the salt of the earth, but the salt mustn't lose its savour, it mustn't lose its saltiness, and we are to be the light of the world, but the light mustn't be hidden under a bushel. So the radical difference that the Christian can make is only on certain conditions. Salt that loses its saltiness is good for nothing. Salt that becomes adulterated by impurities is useless for practical purposes. And you know it's exactly the same with a Christian who loses their Christian distinctiveness. A Christian who lives and behaves and acts like a non-Christian cannot be any influence for Christ on those around them. But notice, neither can a Christian who's ashamed to be an influence. A Christian who keeps their light hidden provides no light for this dark world to see. And people, if we're living a godly life, then we will stand out, we will be noticed, we will be distinctive. And this is particularly so today in 2008 in Western Europe, when the whole culture around us is rejecting what are very basic concepts of right and wrong. But in the verses that we read together at verse 16 of Matthew 5, the Lord Jesus Christ tells us that he wants us to do our good deeds before men. Not that we would be noticed, but that ultimately our Heavenly Father would be praised and glorified. And when you take a godly stand, and when you argue that God's Word is right and true and relevant to people's lives, then you will provoke people's consciences. You know, pure salt has an edge, there's a sharpness to its taste as a chemical it gets a reaction. It's only salt that has lost its saltiness that's comfortable for people to live with. And people will feel guilty when sin is called sin, when it's described as sin, when it's declared to be sin. But if you think about it for a moment, surely that's a good thing. Because it's only when people realise that what they're doing is sinful, will they say that they have need of a saviour. So God calls us to be salt and light for Christ in the day and generation in which he has placed us. And the work of the Christian Institute is to encourage believers to be salt and light in this society. And I know some of you know a bit about our work. But for those who don't, I'm going to call upon Humphrey Dobson, who will share with you something of the background to the Christian Institute and give a general overview of the work in which we are involved. Well, good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name's Humphrey Dobson. I always count it a great privilege to be back in Northern Ireland. I'm just here for this evening, so thank you again for having us. Callum's asked me to say a little bit about what the Christian Institute does. We're a Christian charity, simply put, that speaks out on moral issues in the public arena. We conduct research, produce what we trust are helpful publications, and talk to the media, politicians, and others in a position of influence. As the minister's already said, all the literature we've brought with us this evening is free, so please do take a copy of whatever interests you before you leave. If you'd like to receive these through the post, Do fill in one of the postcards you'll have found on your seat and put it in the green crate there at the exit before you leave, and we'll say a little bit about that later. The Christian Institute was started in Newcastle in 1990, and since then we've grown to be an organisation supported by over 21,500 individuals and churches throughout the UK. Of those, about 3,000 our church leaders who clearly find the work necessary and useful. Each year, to give you a flavour of what is involved, the Institute makes about 12,000 outgoing telephone calls, distributes around 160,000 briefings and requests for action to supporters, politicians and the press, processes 11,000 items of incoming mail and donations, and we can receive 25,000 emails a year. So to handle that work, we employ 19 full-time members of staff, of whom Callum, Jen and I are three, and also three part-time members of staff. Well, we want to tell you about the issues we see facing God's people in Northern Ireland today. We want to encourage you to take action, to join us getting behind the campaigns which we are running. So without any further ado I'm going to hand back to Callum who's going to talk about religious liberty issues. I should have said, explained to my colleagues that I'm a Scotsman by birth but I love living in Northern Ireland and I know that Scots and Ulster people have something very much in common. We're very tight with the purse strings and so the offer of free literature really appeals to us greatly, although I know probably in County Londonderry and the city of Londonderry, you are slightly more reserved, but had we been doing a meeting in Ballymena, we would have found when we said the literature was free, it would have been lifted before we'd finished talking, but I think in this part of the northwest of the province, you can wait until the end of the meeting, but do please avail of the literature. I want to talk to you for some moments about some religious liberty cases. Because you see, there are some Christians about, and sadly, there are some of them here in Northern Ireland. And they take a very naive view of Christian involvement in public moral issues. Yes, on the one hand, they're uneasy about the promotion of things like abortion and euthanasia. But on the other hand, they worry that making public comment on these issues might distract from evangelism. Well, I would plead with you, please do not take that naive view. You see, even relatively small changes in our nation's laws and in our government's policies on public moral issues soon ratchet up to bigger and bigger changes that end up impacting upon gospel witness and the day-to-day lives of Christians. You see, some Christians think that there's absolutely no problem with our society becoming more and more godless, so long as there's freedom to preach the gospel. But you know, it doesn't work like that, because surprise, surprise, the same secular-minded people who oppose biblical teaching on marriage, on family life, on human life, also oppose gospel preaching on the street corner, on the radio, on television, in fact anywhere where it takes place. Because you see, freedom to preach the gospel necessarily involves the freedom to say that all of us are sinners, all of us have sinned, and all of us are in need of a saviour. And this must mean the freedom to say that certain activities, certain behaviours are sinful and wrong in God's eyes. But you know, that's precisely what is becoming more difficult. Because laws are being passed in our nation, policies introduced that give certain sins protection from criticism, that promote these sins in the loss of the land. And you might be thinking, well that's a bit extreme, that's not happening in our own nation. Well I'm sorry to tell you but it is there are people about in the United Kingdom who are very ready to use changes in the law and in government policy to clamp down upon the witness and evangelism of churches and individual Christian believers. And I'm going to share with you some examples, real life examples of how that has happened within our nation over the past five years. Now some of these examples are not pleasant to think about, I know that. But nonetheless, they are real life cases and they are issues that God's word addresses and deals with. So therefore, I think we're justified in considering them. The first case is of a Pentecostal church in Maesteg in South Wales, which just five years ago found itself before the court. A man had begun attending that church, a man who had undergone a so-called sex change. And that man was attending that church dressed as a woman and pretending to be a woman. And in some senses people were pleased he was under the sound of the gospel, but that wasn't that man's intention in being there. That man was insisting on using the lady's toilets in the church and was insisting on attending the lady's fellowship and prayer meetings. But the elders of the church explained to the man that he could not was not allowed to use the ladies' toilet or attend ladies' meetings, and so the man took the church to court and tried to sue them. A very unsettling time for the church. But the pastor of the church had contact with the Christian Institute, and we were able to fund a barrister to represent them in court. And thankfully, after a legal battle, the church was vindicated. The judge ruled in the church's favour and he ruled that the man had no legal entitlement to insist upon using ladies' toilets or attending ladies' meetings in that church. So many prayers were answered in that case, although it involved hard struggle to start with. Another example, just a couple of years ago, Milne Row Evangelical Church near Rochdale in Lancashire was involved in door-to-door evangelism and the distribution of gospel tracts in their local town. And one evening after the church had been delivering tracts, one of the members of the church was visited by police officers who told him that he had committed a serious racist offence by distributing Christian literature to Muslims. Well, the man was very unsettled by this and he spoke with the pastor of the church and the pastor was suspicious that this was in fact the law and the pastor contacted the Christian Institute and we were able to obtain legal advice which confirmed that in fact no laws had been broken. We were able to help the church write to the local police explaining what the law said and thankfully the police backed down from their complaint and so that church now can continue to evangelise its Muslim neighbours. Then not last summer, but the summer of 2006, there were nine firemen in Glasgow who, in the course of their jobs, were asked to take part in a gay pride parade through Glasgow city centre to attend the event wearing their uniform, to hand out fire safety leaflets at the event, and they were even told that a Kiss a Fireman competition was being organised. Well, the firemen agreed to distribute fire safety leaflets in the streets that the parade passed, but they refused to march with the parade. And for good reason, they felt uncomfortable about taking part in that event, knowing that they would be subject to catcalls, to inappropriate remarks, and knowing for some of them that it was an insult to their religious convictions. Well, sad to say, Strathclyde Fire Service took disciplinary action. One man who was a crew supervisor was demoted in his job with a £5,000 a year pay cut. Absolutely shocking, it ought to concern us. However, I can report that the Christian Institute funded legal representation for this man in an appeal and thankfully his pay and position have now been restored. Many prayers have been answered there. Then a case from just last year in Carlisle in the northwest of England. The city council in Carlisle tried to stop an evangelist handing out gospel tracts in the city centre. A council official told the representative of Open Air Mission that he could not distribute gospel literature without the council's permission. The council claimed that it was exercising legal powers that had come into force in 2006 and these powers are aimed at preventing litter caused by the distribution of handbills from nightclubs and other businesses. However, these laws do not apply to religious literature and the council there seemed unaware of this. Well openly our mission contacted the Christian Institute for Help and after taking a legal opinion, we helped Open Air Mission write to Carlisle City Council explaining the legal position. We pointed out to them that religious literature was exempt from these laws. And thankfully, the council responded with an unconditional apology. And so Open Air Mission can continue to engage in evangelistic work in Carlisle City. Well, thankfully, none of these four cases described resulted in a successful prosecution. And they show the importance of creating a fuss when Christian freedoms are challenged. You see, there are some officials working in public bodies, in social services, in policing, who are eager to add to the law in order to promote political correctness. And it's vital that when Christians are faced with these set of circumstances, that they stand their ground and challenge these sort of actions. Creating a fuss helps to ensure that these authorities, when they overstep the law, are held to account. It discourages them from doing the same thing again. Now at this point I don't want to sow paranoia. I do want to stress to you it is still perfectly legal in the United Kingdom to publicly say that homosexual practice is sinful. It's still perfectly legal to give gospel tracts to Muslim people. I don't want to give you the impression that police are about to launch dawn raids on churches across the land. That's not the case. But you do need to realise that there are some people who are very eager to make malicious complaints to the authorities or to try legal actions against Christians who simply disagree with them in public. And as our police service and as our law courts become more and more infected by political correctness, then these complaints and legal actions become more problematic for the Christians involved. And even here in Northern Ireland, there are publicly funded bodies that are promoting a very secular agenda within our province. There's not time to tell you about all of them tonight, but I want to tell you about one of them, the Human Rights Commission, which was formed in Northern Ireland under the terms of the Northern Ireland Act in 1999, and their primary function is to draw up a draft Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland, and nine years on they've still not done that, although it is being suggested that they will have produced a draft Bill by the end of this calendar year. Just two years ago, Professor Monica McWilliams, a former MLA, was appointed to be the Chief Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission, and many of the causes that the Human Rights Commission is championing are all that gay rights activists could ever dream of. For example, in a report published three years ago, the Human Rights Commission called for fertility treatment to be made available to lesbian couples to enable them to conceive children. It advocated that same-sex couples should be allowed to adopt children on the same basis as married couples. And they even argued that young people under the age of 16 should have the right to sexual health advice and treatment without the consent of their parents. And I know a number of you last year were praying for the court case on the sexual orientation regulations and the Human Rights Commission intervened in that judicial review and they didn't intervene on the side of the churches, they intervened in order to defend the regulations, to ensure that the regulations were kept in force. And they argued during that case that the regulations should be applied to the school curriculum. And they showed considerable contempt for many Christian people in Northern Ireland. The barristers representing the Human Rights Commission stated that traditional Bible teaching, that homosexual practice is sinful, is not worthy of respect in a democratic society. So there's what the Human Rights Commission is saying about traditional Christian belief, biblical belief, in our society. You know, as a church, we need to be alert to the crazy ideas being brought forward by bodies like the Human Rights Commission. You know, many of these recommendations, crazy though they sound, could eventually become law if Christians remain silent. That's why we've got to do something. The Christian freedoms, the gospel, liberties we enjoy in this nation today came at a price. They didn't cost us anything. But 300 years ago, 400 years ago, Covenanters in Scotland, Puritans in England, Reformers in Western Europe, some of them were imprisoned, some had their property and possessions confiscated, and others of them laid down their lives in order that we might have gospel liberty today. And if we today turn a blind eye and bury our heads in the sand when gospel freedoms are challenged, then we're on the risk of losing these gospel freedoms. But if we want to keep these gospel freedoms, and if we want future generations of believers to enjoy these gospel freedoms, we've got to be prepared to defend them. And when we do defend them, we don't just protect ourselves, we protect the liberty of our brothers and sisters in Christ, coming at a future date and time. You know, in order to defend gospel liberties, the Christian Institute has established a legal defence fund. And the aim of this is to fund the cost of legal actions and campaign work associated with gospel liberties. There are a growing number of cases where Christian freedom is being restricted by official bodies, often acting completely beyond the law. And my colleagues with me tonight could tell you more about how that is happening in the United Kingdom. Our Parliament And our law courts have laid down many precious rights and liberties here in the United Kingdom. And these freedoms must be used. And we want to use the Legal Defence Fund to protect Christian religious liberty and to restrain those who are unlawfully harassing and discriminating against Christian believers. And we also want to use the fund to intervene in strategic court cases where legal precedents could be set. that would affect gospel liberty. And if you're interested to read more, find out more about this issue, our religious liberty work, then on the table at the back are copies of this flyer about the Legal Defense Fund and about some religious liberty cases that the Institute has been involved in. There are more cases described in this piece of literature than there would be time to explain this evening. And also, I know that some of you were praying about the court case on the sexual orientation regulations last year. And this little briefing document will explain to you the outcome of the court case, what it means for Christian people in various areas of life. It will give you more detailed information than there would be time to explain tonight in the presentation. And if you're involved in open air work and street evangelism, then this is a copy of a briefing the Christian Institute published last year about the law on street evangelism, showing you what liberties we have, explaining to you what the law actually says. And again, this may be of interest to those involved in open-air work and door-to-door evangelism. Well, that's all that I want to say in the presentation about religious liberty. I'm going to hand back now to Humphrey Dobson, who will be talking about the issue of the sanctity of human life and some threats to it within our nation today. We live in an age of tremendous medical advancements. Our ability to save lives, heal injuries and alleviate pain has never been greater. Yet, the same society which trumpets medical developments designed to preserve life increasingly considers certain lives to be disposable. Most disposable of all are the unborn, that is, human embryos. I've come today from the mainland, and I'm ashamed to say that abortion is commonplace in Great Britain. We should be very thankful that abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland, Compared to its availability in the rest of the UK, abortions can be performed here only under extreme circumstances such as imminent danger to the mother's life. In 2004-05, the most recent figures available, 64 women, that's 64 women, underwent illegal medical abortion in Northern Ireland. For those who can't fulfill the requirements of Northern Ireland law, there's always the option of travelling to the mainland where abortion is available almost on demand, and those figures are quite startling. Last year, around 1,300 Northern Irish women did just that. Sadly, they made up only a tiny fraction of the total number of abortions in Great Britain, which number well over 200,000. Unborn babies killed in 2006. On top of this, the UK government continues to encourage destructive experiments on human embryos, which would be illegal in many other European countries. And we'll consider that science in a moment. First, though, I'd like to briefly consider the Bible's teaching on the sanctity of life. Why is it that, as Christians, we consider human life to be so precious? Our understanding of all the issues of human life stems from Genesis chapter 1. In Genesis 1 verses 26-27 we read this, and God said, let us make man in our image after our likeness. So God created man in his own image. In the image of God created he him. Male and female created he them. So mankind is unique. Man is special in the whole of creation because he is made in the image of God. It is because we are made in the image of God that murder is so wrong. After the flood, God said to Noah, Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed. For in the image of God made he man. Genesis 9 verse 6. The question that needs to be resolved in order to address abortion and embryo experiments is this. When does human life begin? What is the status of the embryo? The Bible makes clear statements about when human life begins. In Psalm 51 verse 5, David says, Behold, I was shapen in iniquity. In sin did my mother conceive me. David recognised that his need for a saviour began at the very point of his conception. Surely our most profound example of human life is that of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. In Luke 1, the angel told Mary that the power of the Most High would overshadow her and she would have a son called Jesus. The actual moment of the incarnation was when the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary. Incarnation didn't happen when Jesus was born, but when Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 1.20, the angel of the Lord assured Joseph he should marry Mary, who was already pregnant, with the words, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. Now, Slightly later in the scriptures, in the book of Hebrews, chapter 2, verse 17, that's not going to appear for you, but Hebrews 2.17 makes clear that Christ was human in every way that we are human. So, if Christ was human from his conception, as we've proved, so that must mark the point at which all human life begins. And if human life begins at conception, then surely abortion can never be acceptable, and experiments which destroy human embryos can never be condoned. Now, some people, and you'll have heard them, say to you and they say to me, that's all very well, but doesn't compassion compel us to allow abortion sometimes? What about those hard cases? where the mother's life is at risk or where the pregnancy results from a rape? What about instances where the child is badly handicapped? Let me say, first of all, it's helpful to put those doubts into perspective. Don't be knocked off course by them. There have been 6.7 million abortions in the rest of the UK since the 1967 Abortion Act became law. Of the abortions performed on residents in England and Wales, only 0.4% were because of a risk to the life of the mother. The percentage formed on the grounds that the embryo was handicapped was 1.3%, although even handicapped there is sometimes merely a cleft palate. And overall, in 2006, over 98% of abortions were carried out for social reasons. That's a true perspective on our abortion law in the rest of the UK. As Christians, we must be consistent in our recognition of the sanctity of all human life, surely from conception. This is true even if a child might be born with a disability. An unborn child who is handicapped has no less right to life than any other child. And if we go down the road of saying that we're not human until we reach a certain point in our development, how can we decide at what stage the embryo becomes a human? And what is there to stop people suggesting that human life doesn't begin until a few weeks after birth? A baby whose fragile life is entirely dependent upon others for survival could be argued to have less than a full less status than a full human being. Indeed, Professor Peter Singer, so-called Professor of Ethics at Princeton University, has already suggested this. We have to stand against all attempts to redefine at what point human life begins. It's actually been very encouraging in recent months to read that fewer and fewer doctors are willing to perform abortions on the mainland. And it's also been fascinating to see new technology which can show us amazing pictures of the unborn child. You may have seen that. It seems to be those things in particular that have sparked a fresh debate about abortion. But why are we interested in abortion here this evening? Well, the pro-abortion lobby, let me tell you, is mounting a concerted effort to extend abortion on demand to Northern Ireland. The power to change the law on abortion lies with the Westminster Parliament and not with Stormont. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, which is currently in the House of Commons, does not yet deal with abortion, but activists on both sides of the debate are planning to change that bill by tabling amendments to change the abortion law. Pro-life groups are rightly seeking to lower the present limit in the rest of the UK down from its current 24-week limit. But politicians who support abortion have clearly stated their intention not only to liberalise the GB law, but also to ensure that it's extended to cover Northern Ireland. One high-profile MP labelled it disgraceful that Northern Ireland's women have to travel to the mainland to access easy abortion. In July last year, the government stated that it has no plans to amend the law on abortion in Northern Ireland. But last month, the Prime Minister refused to promise that the government would oppose any backdoor attempt to legalise abortion in the province. Instead, he said it was up to MPs to decide on a free vote. I'm sorry to tell you that there is a very real threat in the next few weeks that abortion on demand could be extended to the province. in the Westminster Parliament, and it's vital that we are ready to speak out and pray against that happening. I just mentioned the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. In that Bill, abortion is by no means the only concern. You may have heard of the Government's proposals to allow scientists to create embryos which are part animal and part human. Scientists want to create these animal-human embryos in order to study what are called embryonic stem cells. Stem cells have the potential to develop into the body's specialist cells, such as the spinal cord or heart valves. The stem cells present in very young embryos can develop into any of the body's organs. But stem cells are not only found in embryos. They also exist in non-embryonic form, so-called adult stem cells. embryonic stem cells on the one hand and adult stem cells on the other. Adult stem cells can be found within a number of fully developed organs such as the placenta, teeth, nose or bone marrow. The claim by scientists who want to create animal-human embryos is that research into embryonic stem cells will one day provide cures for serious diseases and for healing all manner of injuries. That quest may be a noble one. but it is greatly misguided. Even from a scientific perspective, embryonic stem cell research is clearly not the right way forward. After more than a decade of research now, not one successful treatment using embryonic stem cells has been developed. Not one. And that's contrary to the impression you're being given in the media. Using animal human embryos is not likely to improve that situation further Anyway, animal human embryos are highly unlikely to develop in the same way as a human embryo, and so may be very limited in what they can tell us. Of course, doubts about how well science will work are not the major cause of concern. By succumbing to the scientists involved in that embryonic stem cell research, the government has totally morally capitulated. These experiments involve the destruction of countless human embryos, and any destructive experiment on human embryos is the destruction of human life. And we thought about that already this evening. This research will go beyond even that. By allowing the creation of animal human embryos, the government is blurring, legally and morally, the very definition of what it is to be a human. The image of God in humanity is being denigrated by splicing together man, with animal, and it is not surprising therefore that some have labelled these practices in vitro bestiality. The erosion of the distinction between human and animal is not just being allowed by the government, but actively encouraged. Instead of that dreadful and wicked path, the government should be supporting that adult stem cell research, such as that using the umbilical cord blood Not only would that avoid the moral repugnance of embryo experimentation, but adult stem cell research is proving itself to be successful. Adult stem cells are being used in at least 72 different medical treatments. I was privileged to meet one of the leading researchers in the field just a few weeks ago, and he says there's much more that they could do if the government would provide the funding to do so. That's 72 different treatments In stark contrast, you remember, to no treatments using embryonic stem cells. Well, animal-human combinations are not the only shocking aspect of the Human Fertilization and Embryology Bill. There's more to be found about those and about the other things I'm going to mention in a briefing here with the title of the Bill. Do take as many of those away as possible. Don't feel you've got to take in all the science that I'm saying. Do go away and and read about it here. Take as many as you like and give them to people you know. This has been in the news a lot recently. What other concerns are there? Well, there are also proposals that will allow children to be born in the future which genetically have two mothers and one father. That will be done in order to prevent the transmission of mitochondrial diseases. It's not possible to predict either the medical or the psychological effects on that child. The procedure would only take place in extremely rare circumstances, but it involves the genetic modification of a human being and sets a very dangerous precedent. More worryingly, the clause of the Bill permitting three-parent children includes a loophole which could in future allow full human reproductive cloning. I'm not making any of this up tonight. The UK in fact, currently has a very clear ban on human cloning for reproduction, and rightly so. The Bible is clear that human reproduction should occur by sexual intercourse within marriage. The government is repealing that ban, and potentially opening the door to human reproductive cloning. Once open, that door would be very difficult to close. The disturbing contents of this Bill do sadly not end there. The bill also legislates against the importance of a father to a child's well-being. At present, doctors must consider the need of a child for a father before giving fertility treatment to a woman. The bill removes that requirement and replaces it with the vague notion of supportive parenting, giving single women and lesbian couples far greater access to fertility treatment. The law will be very clear. That child will have no father. from the point of its conception. The government is pressing ahead with that, despite an abundance of evidence which emphasises the vital role fathers play in the upbringing of their children. Well, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill does make for very worrying reading. But I'd like to encourage you this evening that the battle is by no means lost. Although the House of Lords has approved this Bill, It has not yet been debated by the House of Commons. We think those debates will start roughly in about a month's time. MPs are already saying that they'll be guided on how they vote by representations from their constituents. There will be a number of occasions to fight for alterations to protect the sanctity of marriage and indeed the sanctity of human life itself. Well thank you very much Humphrey for outlining these very serious concerns. The onus is on us to take action and it would be wrong of us tonight to tell you about our biblical duty to be salt and light, to tell you about these terrible issues facing us in our nation today without leaving you with some practical points and suggestions as to things that each one of us can do to take a stand for Christ in our own circumstances and the places in which we find ourselves. And so for the last few moments, we're going to, between Humphrey and myself, share with you a number of different practical points and suggestions. I'll begin with the first suggestion, which is a very obvious one. It is simply be informed. Being informed is really the first step to being an effective Christian influence. If you want to influence the community, the neighborhood, the society around you, you've got to be aware of what's happening in that society. And there are many different ways of being informed, but one of them is through organizations like the Christian Institute. And if you want to be informed by us, as Humphrey has already said, there are little cards like these on your seats. Simply fill in your name and address on the card and leave it in the green basket on the table, by the door, and you can join the mailing list, and for any Balamina folks, it's totally free. In fact, for anybody else, it's totally free as well. And we don't bombard people with mail either. We're not writing out to them every week, but when issues arise in Parliament, then at that point, we write out to you and we say to you, look, such and such a law is being proposed. Here's why it's of concern to us as Christians. Here's what to do to respond. Here's what to be praying about. So being informed is vital. It makes everything else we do so much more effective. Humphrey. Above all else, what we're involved in together as Christians is a spiritual battle. So once we're informed about what's going on in the world, the very next thing we need to do is to pray about it. The Bible commands us to pray for those in authority over us. Let me quote 1 Timothy 2. I exhort, therefore, that first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. In whatever we do for Christ in life, prayer is our most effective tactic. The Bible says, says James chapter 5, the prayer of a righteous man. availeth much. All I would do to qualify that, if I may, is let's pray and act. Let's not pray instead of acting. We know that all good things ultimately come from God, but there's great wisdom in those words of Spurgeon, who said the Christian should work as if it all depended upon him, and pray as if it all depended upon God. So prayer and action go together. And then there's the issue of teaching. It's very important that biblical ethics are taught from our pulpits to our young people's organizations in our Bible study groups, because this not only equips Christians to live consistent personal lives, it also teaches us how to engage in the issues facing us in our nation today. Sadly, as our society becomes more and more godless, We can no longer assume that people know what the Bible teaches on a subject, even people who attend church. As Christians, we've got to be prepared to know not just what we believe, but why we believe what we believe. And we'll only be able to do this if we're informed and taught by God's word. Fourthly, it's simply the issue of prioritizing. We've got to be wise. None of us can bite off more than we can chew. We all have to consider other commitments like family or church. But just because we can't do everything doesn't give us an excuse for doing nothing. Take for example the television. You simply can't tackle every programme that offends against God's standards. But just because we can't tackle it all doesn't mean we can't tackle some of it. We can take on what we can and prioritise. There are clearly some broadcasts that cannot be ignored. So one way of prioritising is to focus on those things that cross the line, those things which try and push the moral boundaries back that one stage further, and those things need a response. And then there's the issue of persistence. Being a Christian influence isn't always easy. There will be resistance along the way. There will be those who will criticise us, but you know we're promised in God's word that our labour for the Lord is never in vain. And if we persevere, our efforts will bear fruit. They'll glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. And, you know, I would encourage you with an example from Christian history. We all know about William Wilberforce. We can often take a romantic view of his role in ending slavery here. But little do we know, it didn't happen overnight for Wilberforce. It took him 50 years almost of campaigning in Parliament. before slavery was abolished here. So if at first you don't succeed, don't give up, but try and try and try again. Sixthly, use the law. Don't be afraid to stand up for what is right. For example, we can look at how that was done in scripture. In Acts 16, we read that the apostle Paul was thrown into jail without trial, contrary to his rights as a Roman citizen. When the magistrates realised this, they wanted to release him on the quiet, but Paul insisted they bring him out and publicly escort him away. He was using his legal rights as a Roman citizen for the benefit of the church, and as a result, the magistrates would have been far more wary of arresting Christians in the future. Because of the Christian heritage we enjoy, as Callum has already said this evening, British law affords us many liberties, And there are those, as you've seen tonight, who want to take those liberties away. We must fight to keep them. And then there's the issue of strategic involvement in schools. Schools have great potential to influence our young people for good or for bad. Probably most children in Northern Ireland, in terms of receiving direct teaching, spend more hours under the instruction of a teacher in the classroom than they do under the instruction of their fathers in the home. So schools have great potential to influence young people for good or for bad. And if you're a parent, why not take an interest in what your children are learning? What materials are used in the RE class? Do they comply with the law that it should reflect Northern Ireland's Christian heritage? Or do they present a multi-faith approach? What literature is used in the English class? Does it promote virtues, like honesty or modesty? Or are the novels used downright indecent? What about the sex education lessons? Do they encourage abstinence before marriage? Or do they invite children to experiment? I don't know, but you can find out what is used with your children. And if you've concerns about some of the material, why not speak to your child's teacher about these things? And what about other possibilities? Why not? become a school governor, or join a parent teacher association, or set up a prayer group for a local school. There are many options available to us. Eighthly is the issue of letter writing. I can tell you from first-hand experience that letters are a surefire way to grab the interest of a politician. If those letters are reasonable, show a degree of understanding of the particular issue, and are short and to the point, You may only get a standard reply, or even no reply at all, but that doesn't mean they paid no attention. If a politician gets half a dozen letters on an issue, they know it's something they need to look into. And I hope Callum won't mind me digressing briefly. For the past few weeks, I've spent a lot of time with members of the House of Lords in Westminster on this embryology bill. A one peer said to me, I've had over 60 letters about this issue, people must be very concerned about it. And that was why he stayed on late into the evening to vote on a key vote. Another senior peer, former chief of the RAF, came to a meeting and said, I don't know anything about this bill, but I've had so many letters about it, I've come today to find out what it's all about. And they were letters from Christians just like you. Some of you may even have written. When you write those letters then, be brief and to the point, Try and keep to one side of paper. Be clear about what you want. Be reasonable and polite, but be firm. By all means, use the help of a third party like the Institute for background information. But do write those letters in your own words. It's important that it's your own letter. Reread it to make sure you've got the sense of what you were trying to say before you put it in the postbox. And do get others to write as well. And then following on from that, there's the issue of meeting with politicians. Most MLAs in Northern Ireland have constituency advice centers, which are open to constituents to attend. And if you have issues of concern, why not go along and raise them? And perhaps if it's an issue of particular concern, why not go as a delegation, a small group go together? A good idea would be to type up a few notes before you go, hold the meeting, and at the end of the meeting, the notes to the politician. And I understand you're particularly privileged in this church in that you have Gregory Campbell as one of your members, so you don't even need to go to an advice center to speak to a politician. You can speak with them, I'm sure, at the end of the service and raise matters of concern with them. Lastly, number 10, the issue of radio phone-ins. Have you ever been listening to one of those radio phone-ins on a moral issue, and being frustrated that no one is putting forward the Christian point of view. Well, there's an answer, and that's for you to pick up the phone. The only person listening who may be able to articulate a Christian response may be you. Now, obviously you need to know something about the subject matter, and if you're already on our mailing list, we trust you would be equipped. And you can also use our website, christian.org.uk, for that. You may be nervous about going on the radio, to be honest, so would I, but there's no need to worry. The top tip for a radio interview is just prepare three things you want to say, write them down beforehand, and whatever question you're asked, just say those three things. You've heard the politicians do it, so why can't you? Well, thank you very much for bearing with us.