The UK Church faces danger of extinction beyond the decline in Christians
June 15th

In the United Kingdom, issues such as the legalization of abortion, equality laws, and same-sex marriage are increasingly prioritized over religious freedom.

In 2010, the UK enacted the Equality Act, which consolidated multiple anti-discrimination laws from previous decades. This legislation combined the 1970 Equal Pay Act, the 1975 Sex Discrimination Act, the 1976 Race Relations Act, the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act, and three regulations prohibiting employment discrimination based on religion, belief, sexual orientation, and age. The British Labor Party introduced the Equality Act as part of its 2005 general election commitments. aiming to simplify and unify individual anti-discrimination laws.
In 1971, the British Parliament established a new provision prohibiting same-sex marriage, and Scotland and Northern Ireland have banned it since 1973. In 2005, the Civil Partnership Act was introduced, granting same-sex couples legal recognition. In 2013, the Parliament and government legislated same-sex marriage, received the Queen’s signature, and implemented it in England and Wales in 2014. The law has been in effect in Scotland since the end of December 2014. Northern Ireland legalized not only same-sex marriage but also abortion in 2020.

In the UK, abortions are allowed within 24 weeks of pregnancy with the consent of two doctors, and exceptions such as maternal health and serious malformations are recognized even after 24 weeks. Since the abortion law was implemented in the UK on April 27, 1968, 9,675,153 fetuses lost their lives due to abortions over 53 years. In 2019 alone, England and Wales recorded 209,519 abortions, the highest number in history. During the same period, Scotland had 13,583 cases, the third highest in history. This trend is expected to worsen following the establishment of a pro-abortion government in Northern Ireland and the introduction of “Do-It-Yourself” (DIY) abortions across England, Scotland, and Wales. The DIY service was implemented during the COVID-19 lockdown, allowing women to receive abortion pills by mail without visiting a clinic. Northern Ireland’s new and radical abortion law allows abortions until birth for reasons including Down syndrome, cleft lip, and clubfoot, and selective abortions can also be conducted due to disability up to 24 weeks for fetuses without disabilities.

In 2022, the British public opinion survey agency YouGov asked 1,800 people for their opinions on how many transgenders there are. The British public thought that transgender people make up about 5% of the population, but the actual figure was only 0.3%-0.7%. According to this statistic, it can be seen that they are really only a minority. Also, people estimated that 15% of the population is gay or lesbian, but the true percentage was only 1.8%. Muslims are recognized as 15%, but the actual figure was 4%. However, John Bercow, who served as the Speaker of the House of Commons under the name of “freedom of religion” in the UK, said that the exercise of the rights of LGBTQ+ is “more important,” and furthermore, that their rights are more important than freedom of religion.

British and Western Protestant denominations permit same-sex marriage (2021)

As the British Methodist Church passed a resolution recognizing same-sex marriage in 2021, British and Western churches are opening the door to same-sex marriage one after another. Although it is said that it is an unavoidable choice for churches in line with social changes, there is also strong criticism that it goes against the spirit of the Bible. The British Methodist Church decided to accept same-sex marriage by an overwhelming figure of 254 in favor and 46 against in a vote to approve the definition of marriage held at the Birmingham General Assembly on the 30th of last month. At the general meeting, an opinion was proposed to define “the lifelong union of two people’s body, mind, and soul” as marriage. The British Methodist Church has 4,000 churches and 164,000 members, and is the fourth largest denomination in the UK. In response to this incident, Lee Chul, the bishop of the Christian Korean Methodist Church, stated in a telephone conversation with Kukmin Ilbo that “the British Methodist Church’s decision on homosexuality is unfortunate,” and “the Korean Methodist Church      clearly has the opposite position on the issue of homosexuality no matter what the British Methodist Church decides.”

The UK government legalized same-sex marriage in July 2013 and has been implementing it in England and Wales since 2014. The British Methodist Church also seems unable to resist this social trend. A few years ago, they published guidance to prayer and liturgy for the marriage of any two persons. The Anglican Church of England still does not allow same-sex marriage, but there is a growing number of requests for tolerance within the denomination. On the 2nd of last month, Bishop Paul Bass of the Diocese of Liverpool insisted that “the Anglican Church of England should bless same-sex couples by adopting a ‘gender-neutral marriage’ plan.”

The trend of recognizing same-sex marriage is becoming a reality in the Western Church. The Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) accepted same-sex marriage in 2015. At that time, they revised the definition of marriage to “a contract between two people.” In 2018, the American Episcopal Church passed a denominational law allowing same-sex couples to marry where they live. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Church of Christ also recognized same-sex marriage. Currently, a total of 38 states and Washington D.C. have legalized same-sex marriage in the United States. In 2020, the United Methodist Church (UMC) announced a plan to split into a conservative denomination seeking to uphold traditional church teachings and a progressive denomination embracing LGBTQ+ policies due to differing opinions on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ+ clergy. As an alternative to the UMC, the Global Methodist Church (GMC), a new conservative denomination, was launched in 2022.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Norway allowed officiating same-sex marriage ceremonies in 2016. The French Protestant Church permitted same-sex couples to celebrate in 2015. The Church of Sweden granted officiating same-sex marriage ceremonies in dioceses belonging to the Church of Sweden in 2009. On the 6th of last month, the Presbyterian Church of Canada allowed gay marriage and ordained homosexuals. The United Church of Australia (UCA) authorized same-sex marriage in 2019, revising marriage to “union of people.”
In 2022, among the 67 million people in the UK, 56.3% identified as Christian (7.6% Protestant, 36.4% Anglican), 34.8% as non-religious, 4.1% as Muslim, and 2.8% as Hindu. Among Christians, approximately 5.1 million, or 7.6%, were evangelicals.

A 2022 study suggested that, with the exception of Pentecostal and Evangelical churches, most Anglican, Catholic, and Methodist churches in England are on the verge of extinction within the next 40 years due to insufficient “transmission power” (evangelism and mission). Dr. John Hayward, a visiting professor at the University of South Wales, stated that at this rate, the Church of England and the Catholic Church could face extinction by 2062, while the Methodist Church could decline significantly by the mid-2040s. Elim Pentecostal, a Pentecostal church in England, is growing the fastest, followed by New Frontiers and FIEC (Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches), an independent evangelical church. Their growth rates ranged between 1 and 1.1.

Additionally, in a survey, only 6% of British adults identified as practicing Christians, while 42% identified as non-practicing. One in three non-Christians expressed interest in learning more about Jesus Christ. A quarter of Britons viewed Jesus as an “ordinary man,” while 33% perceived Him as a prophet or spiritual leader rather than God.

》Prayer Points

1.The intention of the United Kingdom was to combine and simplify individual anti-discrimination laws while enacting equality laws, but it is now realizing that this was a sin that ultimately caused all souls to abandon the Bible and God, which are for eternal life. Let’s pray that the leaders of the United Kingdom will turn away from the illusion that undermined the most basic human right—freedom of religion—
only to protect LGBTQ+ individuals, and become those who serve nonbelievers so they may be saved.

1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.(James 3:1-3,14-16,NIV)

2. Let’s urge the Church of England to repent of the sin that led to the recognition of same-sex marriage as a choice because they could not go against social trends. In this desperate crisis, where the very survival of the Church of England is at stake, let us pray that they will return to the Gospel of the Cross and be restored to the original church established by God.

22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.(Ephesians 1:22-23,NIV)

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