The UK’s Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship has joined with the country’s Evangelical Alliance in providing a free resource to encourage Christians to speak publicly about their faith.
Called Speak Up, the resource provides an overview of how different areas of the law apply to sharing the Christian message with people and, according to its creators, “provides a vital correction to fears that Christians may have to be quiet about what they believe when sharing the Gospel”.
Mark Barrell, executive director at the Lawyer’s Christian Fellowship, said while it can sometimes seem as though “we live in a society where it is increasingly difficult to share our faith” and noted there have been occasional situations when talking about Jesus has led a Christian into legal trouble, the law provides “very substantial protection for our freedom to speak about our faith in Christ”.
“The challenge for Christians is to have courage and certainty in sharing the Gospel rather than allowing the shutting down of our freedoms,” he said. “We want to encourage people that we have more freedom than we often think but it is also our responsibility to use that freedom, to show its value and tell many about the good news of Jesus.”
The resource, which, along with a 16 page summary guide can be downloaded for free, calls for Christians to always act with wisdom and sensitivity when sharing their faith but also talks about the wide ranging freedoms they have under UK law to speak about their faith at work, home, with neighbours and on the street.
Dave Landrum, director of advocacy at the Evangelical Alliance, said evangelism was a “sign of a free and healthy society”. “So we should celebrate and exercise our freedoms. Some may be worried about whether they will get in trouble if they do so. With wisdom, we want to give Christians the confidence to talk about Jesus.”
