All Articles For McGeown, Martyn

Introduction Readers will recall the recent case (September 2019) of the British doctor, David Mackereth, whose Christian beliefs were judged unworthy of legal protection. The judge ruled: All three heads, belief in Genesis 1:27, lack of belief in transgenderism and conscientious objection to transgenderism, in our judgment are incompatible with human dignity and conflict with the fundamental rights of others. In this article I examine two other cases in England, one of which mirrors the Mackereth case, while the oth­er is a partial victory for free speech. Both deal with the right to criticize transgenderism on Twitter. A leap backward:...

It is unusual that I should be able to report progress on topics recently covered in this rubric (SB, October 1, 2019), but the legal machinery has moved more quickly than I anticipated. On September 26, 2019 an employment tribunal in England dismissed Dr. David Mackereth’s case against his employer. The panel of judges found that there was no ground for Mackereth’s complaint that he was subject to discrimination/harassment on the basis of his religious beliefs. On the contrary, his beliefs are “incompatible with human dignity and conflict with the fundamental rights of others.” When I read that in the...

Madness in British Columbia We live in an age in which there is a new hierarchy of rights, with transgender rights currently at the apex. Because of the perceived rights of “sexual minorities,” more and more small business owners feel the pressure. We have already seen Christian bakers, florists, and photographers harassed for declining to service same-sex weddings. Transgender activists are now targeting small businesses also to demand official recognition of their “gender identity.” One controversial case came to light recently, and although Christians will not be affected in this case, for they would not practice such a profession, a...

Dr. Mackereth’s pronoun problem Dr. David Mackereth has worked as a medical doctor in the Accident and Emergency Department of government-run hospitals in England for over twenty years. Last year he became a benefits assessor for the UK Department of Work and Pensions, a job that involves determining whether a person fits the criteria necessary to claim social-welfare benefits on the grounds of disability. A few days after he began his new job, he claims he was asked in a performance evaluation a hypothetical question: “If you have a man, 6 feet tall with a beard, who says he wants...

On May 17, 2019 the U.S. House of Representatives under the leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi passed, 236-173, H.R. 5, titled the “Equality Act.” This piece of legislation, a priority for Speaker Pelosi and her party, would, if it becomes law, expand protections against discrimination in the USA by amending the Civil Rights Act (1964), which outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (gender), or national origin. The “Equality Act,” which, by passing the House (something it was not able to do between 2015 and 2019), has taken one more step toward becoming federal law, would add the words...

“One Scotland” is a campaign by the Scottish government to tackle bigotry, prejudice, and hatred in Scotland. The website of “One Scotland” bears the logo of the Scottish government and boasts that its aim is to promote a “fairer Scotland.” In conjunction with the Scottish police, “One Scotland” actively encourages members of the public to “report hate crimes.” The website of the Scottish Police states: Did you know that “Hate Crime” is any criminal offence committed against an individual or property that is motivated by a person’s hatred of someone because of his or her actual or perceived race, religion,...

The European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) states in Article 10: Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. This Article shall not prevent States from requiring the licensing of broadcasting, television or cinema enterprises. The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with it duties and responsibilities, may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of national...

Conditional versus unconditional perseverance (or preservation) Conditionality is the key to Arminianism, where salvation depends on the activity of the sinner: God chooses you if He foresees you will believe (conditional election); Christ redeems you by the cross if you accept it (conditional atonement); the Spirit saves you if you do not resist Him (resistible grace); and God will keep you in the state of salvation if you cooperate with His grace (conditional perseverance). Of course, conditional salvation requires that the sinner be partially depraved, so that he retains some power of free will (partial depravity). If you wanted to...

Presbyterian Church in Ireland breaks ties with the Church of Scotland Presbyterian Church in Ireland breaks ties with the Church of Scotland The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI), the church of my youth, made two headline-grabbing decisions this summer, which have caused a headache for those who care about the denomination’s public image. The first decision concerns the PCI’s relationship to two other denominations, the Church of Scotland and the United Reformed Church (of England and Wales, no relation to the URC in the USA), both of which in recent years have compromised on the biblical teaching concerning sexuality, especially...

On Friday, May 25, 2018, the unborn child in Ireland lost his precious, constitutional right to life because the Irish people expunged that right from the Irish Constitution. Prior to May 25, the Irish Constitution, Article 40.3.3, otherwise known as the “Eighth Amendment,” read as follows: The [Irish] State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right. This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the...