Challenge - March 2013

The newsletter from CARE for Scotland

Reflections of a Challenging Decade Bill Baird, CARE for Scotland Manager, is due to retire in a couple of months after ten years in post. In this article he reflects on the past decade.

Some decades are so distinctive that they have acquired particular descriptions.

The 1920’s have become the ‘Roaring Twenties’ reflecting the economic prosperity and cultural change that happened after World War 1. The social liberalisation of the 1960s has of course resulted in that decade being known as the ‘Swinging Sixties.’

As I reflect on the last decade, effectively the first decade of the 21st century, can I find a neat phrase to summarise it? Perhaps, reflecting the name of our newsletter, and from the viewpoint of working for CARE for Scotland for the past ten years, my adjective would be ‘challenging.’

Especially, challenging to the JudaeoChristian heritage of Scotland.

So much has been challenged and continues to be challenged: the definition of marriage, whether people should have the right to end their own lives, radical changes to family and adoption laws, whether Christianity still has a place in our education system, a Government sexual health strategy which sidelined marriage to a footnote, and an undermining by the state of the role and responsibility of parents for their children.

The make-up of our parliament The social climate of Scotland has probably changed more in these past 10 years than in the previous 50. Is it any coincidence that these changes have happened since the Scottish Parliament

MARCH 2013

came into being in 1999? Probably not. One Christian MSP describes the Parliament as ‘aggressively secular’.

If this is the case the make-up of the Parliament probably doesn’t truly reflect the nature of Scottish society.

While elections to the Scottish Parliament are intended to produce proportional representation of the votes cast for each party, there is no doubt that there is an accountability deficit with almost half the MSPs being elected, anonymously, from party-nominated regional lists. Voters have no say about the individuals elected from the regional lists and know little about candidates’ background or views. Reassessment of the system is needed.

If the state of Scotland’s political system is a problem for Christians, is there a solution? The only solution can be to have more Christians involved in politics by becoming members of political

Signs of hopeful response Indeed despite all this challenge and change, ‘hope’ has for me been a feature of the past ten years as the Church has responded, albeit sometimes reluctantly, to the marginalisation of the Christian faith in our society.

It has been hopeful to see denominations, organisations and agencies of differing theological persuasions coming together as co-belligerents, laying aside theological differences to exercise their gospel responsibility.

It has been hopeful to see church congregations having a new vision of social action, becoming aware of the needs on their doorstep and with a desire to serve their local communities.

A report a few years ago on social action in Glasgow clearly showed that churches were providing vital caring services in many of the deprived areas of the city where no other agencies were involved.

‘The only solution can be to have more Christians involved in politics’ parties; rather than campaigning and complaining from the outside, seeking to change the system from within.

It has been one of CARE’s long-term aims to encourage Christian involvement in political life. In general terms, we have probably not been too successful in this.

However, the last ten years have seen a number of talented and faithful young people spend 11 months as an intern in the office of an MSP at Holyrood as part of the Leadership Programme. It has been wonderfully rewarding to see how, for many of them, their year on the Leadership Programme has been a springboard to further involvement in politics and public affairs; and MSPs have enthused about the benefit to them of having such gifted young people on their team. The future is hopeful!

It has been hopeful to realise that when we invite God into situations miraculous things can happen. I think especially of the frustration over many years to set up a pregnancy centre in Aberdeen. The prayers of many people were apparently not being answered. Then a series of God ‘coincidences’ occurred which brought the right people together and, quite independently, others were prompted to express an interest in pregnancy counselling. Before long trained advisers were in place, accommodation was secured and the Choices pregnancy centre now offers a range of services in sexual health and is warmly accepted and endorsed by secular agencies.

It has been hopeful to see Christian men aspiring to a pure lifestyle. The Call to Purity events and False Intimacy

conferences have created a safe environment of openness and vulnerability in which to share with one another the temptations men face, especially in this digital age.

Being a watchman Despite these signs of hope there have still been many challenges to established beliefs and institutions over the past ten years. There is a sense that CARE and similar organisations are always fighting a rearguard action, reacting and protesting against change. Part of CARE’s role inevitably involves being a Biblical ‘watchman’, alerting the Church to developments which run counter to our Christian beliefs as to what is best for society. If we place too much emphasis on reacting against change there is an inevitability that Christians begin to see ourselves as victims, constantly feeling that we are being marginalised by trends in society and persecuted by groups who don’t share our worldview.

Let’s not be victims In a book entitled ‘We’re Nearly All Victims Now!’ (Civitas 2006) David G Green shows how over recent time this notion of being victims has been developed by several groups. He calls the ideology ‘sectarian collectivism’ or ‘identity politics’ in which groups ‘demand political recognition for permanent victim status, entitling these groups to special protection or

preferential treatment by deploying the coercive mans of the state’. Originally, this would be a part of a Marxist philosophy where the poor were seen to be oppressed by affluent capitalists.

However Green argues that this approach has been adopted by other groups who use it to advance their own interests. He quotes blacks complaining of oppression by whites, of women by men, of the disabled by able-bodied, of homosexuals by heterosexuals. One could possibly also suggest non-Christian faiths seeing themselves as being victimised by the Judaeo-Christian heritage of the UK.

have. But do this with gentleness and respect....’ (I Peter 3. 14-15).

My hope for the future of the Church in Scotland is that, despite the rapid changes in our society which often

Those on our mailing list who have cooperated with us on many issues and projects and who have provided finance to enable our work to continue

‘Resist the temptation to see ourselves as victims’

contribute to the Christian faith being marginalised, we resist the temptation to see ourselves as victims, claiming the protection of the state against our ‘oppressors’. Instead, I believe that the most effective antidote to the increasing secularisation of our society is if we Christians ‘act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God’ (Micah 6.8) And Peter develops these ideas when he says, ‘But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear threats, do not be frightened.

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you

I believe that CARE will continue to have a key role in encouraging the Christian Church in Scotland to play a positive role in our nation, and to explain to society at large how embracing God’s ‘live-giving laws’ is the only hope to attain a settled, just and equitable society.

I would like to express my gratitude to the many people who have supported me, and CARE for Scotland, over the past ten years:

My colleagues Gordon MacDonald, Alastair Noble and Gareth Davies, and all at CARE who provide the vital ‘back office’ services Members of CARE’s Advisory Committee

Scottish

Those in other organisations and agencies who have collaborated with us on campaigns and projects With sincere thanks,

Births, Marriages & Deaths BIRTHS With Scotland having a rate of teenage pregnancy higher than most other Western European Countries, the Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee has launched an enquiry into the circumstances which contribute to this unenviable reputation.

Margo MacDonald MSP

The issue is about more than just the personal behaviour of our young people. Statistics show that there are more teenage mums in areas of social deprivation than in wealthier communities. Abortion rates resulting

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from teenage pregnancies also vary depending on social background.

Around 70% of pregnancies to girls in socially deprived areas are delivered and 30% result in a termination; the figures are exactly reversed with girls from more privileged backgrounds.

The Health and Sport Committee suggested that interested organisations and individuals should send in written evidence and invited others to present their views in person.

CARE

for

Scotland

encouraged

supporters and others with special knowledge of the area to make their personal views known, and many did. A consistent theme from those who wrote in was that young people were being sold short by current approaches to sex education which emphasised merely the mechanics of ‘safe-sex’ without any consideration of the emotional impact of early sexual encounters.

CARE for Scotland widely reported Similarly, CARE for Scotland’s own evidence suggested that, ‘The problem

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with the present dominant approach lies in an over-emphasis on harm reduction at the expense of providing a clear framework of values.’ We also criticised the involvement of health boards in sex education in schools because their approach frequently disregarded the Scottish Government’s guidelines that ‘sex and relationship education should be based on foundation of sound values and awareness of the law on sexual behaviour.’ We pointed out that the Scottish Government had taken the decision to cease funding some agencies which placed emphasis on the relational aspects of sexual involvement, not just a ‘harm reduction’ approach.

In addition Dr Alastair Noble, CARE for Scotland Education Officer, gave oral evidence to the Health and Sport Committee on 26th February and his comments were reported in The Times and The Scotsman newspapers as well as on a number of news web sites.

CARE for Scotland applauds the Health and Sport Committee for being willing to try to achieve an understanding of the complex mix of reasons which lead Scotland to have such a high level of teenage pregnancy. We look forward to their report and hope that they will have the insight and courage to be willing to break out of the mindset of policies and practices which has contributed to our present high levels of teenage pregnancy.

You can read CARE for Scotland’s evidence to the enquiry at www.care. org.uk/teen-preg-scotland Dr Alastair Noble’s evidence to the Committee can be viewed on the Scottish Parliament web site www.scottish.parliament. uk ; go to ‘News and Media’ and then ‘Committee Video Archive’ then ‘Health and Sport Committee’ then ‘26/02/13’.

MARRIAGES The re-definition of marriage continues to be a key political issue both north and south of the Border. Sadly in Scotland there are not the numbers of politicians prepared to champion true marriage in the way that Conservative MPs are willing to challenge their party leadership.

CARE for Scotland continues to be a principal partner in Scotland for Marriage and maintains a principled opposition to same-sex marriage as well as concern over the impact marriage re-

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definition would have on freedom of belief for churches and on freedom of speech for many others.

From Stornoway to Kelso The Scotland for Marriage campaign continues to highlight the consequences of marriage re-definition. Over the past few months meetings have been held around Scotland - from Stornoway to Kelso and many points in between – to update supporters on developments and to identify practical ways in which people can be involved in the campaign.

As a result of the meetings we have seen the Scotland for Marriage petition rise to over 40,000 signatures, tens of thousands of campaign postcards delivered to homes around the nation and teams of supporters out in town centres on Saturday mornings with petitions forms.

Yet another consultation Many Challenge readers will be aware of the Scottish Government consultation which ran between December 2012 and March 2013 on how the Government plans to implement the legislation on marriage re-definition. The Government proposals confirmed what CARE and Scotland for Marriage had feared for some time – that this legislation, while seeking to address the perceived injustice that same-sex couples cannot marry, will actually open up a huge number of new injustices where people are disadvantaged and discriminated against merely because of what they believe: that marriage should only be between a man and a woman.

Once the responses to the latest consultation have been analysed it is expected that the Government will publish its bill. This may be introduced as early as June for scrutiny by the Parliament’s Equal Opportunities Committee, with full consideration of the proposals in the autumn of 2013.

so that ministers and pastors who do not wish to carry out same-sex marriage ceremonies will not be required to do so.

This amendment will have to go through the Houses of Lords and Commons and there is no assurance that this amendment will be achieved.

There is lots of helpful information on the marriage issue at www.care.org.uk/ marriagescotland It is vital that CARE for Scotland supporters continue to highlight to their MSPs and MPs the injustices that will result should marriage be re-defined. Scottish MPs will have a vote in Westminster on marriage redefinition even although it will affect only England and Wales.

There has been recent justification of CARE’s fears over the consequences marriage re-definition would have when Rev Brian Ross, a volunteer police chaplain in the Glasgow area, was dismissed from his post. Brian was told by the local police superintendent that he was being discharged because he had stated on his private on-line blog that he believed marriage should only be between a man and a woman.

This view, he was told, is not in line with the police’s ‘equality and diversity policy’. One would have thought that a ‘diversity’ policy would have been able to accommodate a variety of viewpoints! There was no consideration of the helpful contribution Brian had made to the welfare of the local police force over many years.

DEATHS It would appear that Margo MacDonald MSP hopes to introduce her second bill to legalise assisted suicide in the late summer. CARE for Scotland still has gaps in its knowledge of where some MSPs stand on this issue. If you haven’t yet written to your eight MSPs (one from your local constituency and seven from the wider area in which you live) asking their views on assisted suicide, could you please do so and forward their replies to the CARE for Scotland office?

You can find out who your MSPs are at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/ msps.aspx by entering your postcode.

A number of legislative hurdles may still frustrate the Scottish Government’s plans. It has asked the Westminster Government to amend the Equality Act

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CARE For Scotland Challenge House, 29 Canal Street, Glasgow G4 0AD 0141 332 7212 | cfs@care.org.uk www.care.org.uk/scotland

CARE is a company limited by guarantee.

Registered in England & Wales at 53 Romney Street, London SW1P 3RF. Company No. 3481417 Charity No. 1066963 Scottish Charity No. SCO38911

Manager For Scotland Bill Baird bill.baird@care.org.uk

Parliamentary Officer Gordon Macdonald gordon.macdonald@care.org.uk

Education Officer Alastair Noble alastair.noble@care.org.uk

Human trafficking is the world’s fastestgrowing criminal industry. The Abolition Scotland campaign exists to raise awareness and mobilise prayer and action for the end of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Through screenings of award-winning documentary “Nefarious: Merchant of Souls”, churches and communities around the nation are having their eyes and hearts opened, and are responding to the call to partner with God’s heart in prayer, and to support Rhoda Grant MSP’s proposed Criminalisation of the Purchase of Sex (Scotland) Bill. The campaign is supported

by CARE for Scotland, Evangelical Alliance Scotland, Glasgow House of Prayer and Dundee for Christ.

Campaign director Philip Anderson suggests the following ways in which we can support Abolition Scotland:

Pray Our first response to injustice is prayer.

Your voice is heard in heaven, and Jesus taught in Luke 18 that justice is released when God’s people partner with His heart by praying with persistence and faith that says “I won’t give up until justice comes!”

For prayer ideas and resources, see www.abolitionscotland.org.

Host a screening

Nefarious. See the campaign website for more details.

Speak to your MSPs You have eight MSPs - one constituency and seven regional, and all eight have a vote. It is important that they know that you would like them to support the bill, so we have added a simple search function at www.abolitionscotland.org to find contact details for all your MSPs in one step. Please visit them at their surgery, or phone, email or tweet them. Please sign up for email updates at the campaign website, so that we can keep you up to date with important developments. For example, we are working towards a screening of Nefarious at the Scottish Parliament, and we would like you to invite your MSPs to attend when the date is confirmed.

Tell Others DVD copies of Nefarious are available to order via the campaign website for £14.50 each (including P&P) - you can become a voice for justice by showing friends and family this transformational film. Order your copy today!

For more information: Contact Phillip Anderson at phillip@abolitionscotland.org

Raise awareness in your church and community by hosting a screening of

Who chooses to donate your organs?

On 1st November 2012 Kenneth Gibson MSP secured a debate on the issue of presumed consent of organ donations.

‘Presumed consent’ means that it would be legal to remove the organs of any person after their death unless they had made it clear during their lives that they did not agree to this happening. The present situation requires people to have previously made a decision to allow their organs to be removed after death.

University interviewed transplant experts in 13 European countries with presumed consent legislation. Despite those laws, the levels of organ donation did not differ dramatically from the levels in countries, such as the United States, which require explicit (or express) consent. Moreover, some countries with presumed consent legislation had far lower levels of organ availability than other countries without this legislation.

likelihood that this could set a precedent that might be revisited as justification for other changes.

The expectation is that by changing the law in this way more organs would become available for transplanting to patients awaiting a replacement organ such as a liver, kidney, heart, lung or pancreas. Kenneth Gibson suggested that Scotland lags behind other European countries in the number of people who have offered their organs after death. However researchers from the prestigious John Hopkins

In addition to the international evidence suggesting that introducing presumed consent fails to create a significant increase in the number of organs that become available, the ethical challenges raised by presumed consent are not inconsiderable. In particular there is the risk of undermining the integrity of the patient-doctor relationship, the dilemma for families after a relative’s death, and the

CARE for Scotland believes that this is an issue which, while at face value appearing to be benign legislation, actually carries with it potential threats to civil liberties. We will be monitoring any further developments at Holyrood.

The Welsh Assembly has recently run a consultation on presumed consent, with the intention of proceeding to legislation in 2013. CARE’s briefings to supporters on the Welsh consultation provide helpful background on the topic, see www.care.org.uk/presumedconsent.