Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship

The Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship is a Christian organization in the United Kingdom that has a membership of some 2000 Christian legal professionals. With Christian ideology as a unifying principal their aim is to underpin legal practice with Christian values. They also seek to influence social change by actively lobbying British Government on issues that are central to its Biblically informed value system: these issues include abortion, gay rights, sex before marriage, and the enforcing of laws relating to blasphemy. Most recently they have tried to influence the outcome of voting on the passing of the Human Fertilisation and Embryo Bill.

History

The Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship was founded in 1852 as the Lawyers‘ Prayer Union, and was then subsequently renamed Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship. On the LCF website it states that it has a long history of uniting and equipping Christian lawyers and witnessing to members of the legal profession. The LCF, in its 150 years of activity, claims to have impacted both individual lives and the wider legal landscape through an uncompromising commitment to the Bible‘s teaching. Since its inception as a prayer union, the scope of LCF’s work has grown with the support of such patrons as Lord Denning and Lord Mackay of Clashfern. The LCF claims to have an expanding membership of more than 2000 Christian lawyers, with a network of regional groups spanning Britain, and international links which are particularly strong in East Africa.Information available at The Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship [http://www.lawcf.org/index.asp?page=About+Us website] ]

Vision

According to information on the fellowship's website they are attempting "to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8). They state that it is through Biblical principles that their vision has been constructed. This entails uniting and equipping Christian lawyers in their common calling and to witness to the Gospel through evangelistic outreach and by taking action to uphold justice and building unity through fellowship, prayer and the fellowship's commonly held beliefs. It means ensuring that a body of Christian lawyers can be united in Christ and will be well placed to give everyone in the legal profession the opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel. The fellowship also believes in equipping Christian lawyers through information, teaching, and support to enable them to fulfill their full potential as lawyers for Christ. They also believe in witnessing to the legal profession by speaking of the good news of Christ and demonstrating God’s character of justice and compassion by upholding Christian values in the administration of law at home and overseas.

Public exposure

On the 19th of May 2008, Dispatches, a current affairs program on the British television channel Channel 4, presented a feature entitled "In God's Name". The program dealt with the growing influence of Christian evangelical movements in the UK. Investigative journalist David Modell followed some of the leading members of Christian pressure groups as they attempted to win converts and convince MPs to pass laws which cohere with their beliefs. In particular the program highlighted the involvement of the Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship in lobbying the British Government on issues such as abortion, gay rights, sex before marriage, and the enforcing of laws relating to blasphemy. The program delves into the activities of the LCF's Director of Public Policy, Andrea Minichiello Williams, and includes footage of meetings with conservative politicians Norman Tebbit and Nadine Dorries; both of whom have acted on behalf of the LCF and have played a role in influencing policy on matters central to the LCF's agenda. [Modell, David. "Christian fundamentalists fighting spiritual battle in Parliament". [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1975933/Christian-fundamentalists-fighting-spiritual-battle-in-Parliament.html?pageNum=2 news story] in The Telegraph UK, Published 4:31PM BST 18/05/2008.] In the program Williams expresses a number of questionable views. On camera she states that she believes the world is 4000 years old, that Islam is a false religion, and that children raised in same sex families will not finish school, will become drug dependent, and grow up to be gender confused. [ [http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/dispatches/in+gods+name/2206647 "In God's Name"] Dispatches program page on the Channel 4 website.]

See also

*Fundamentalist Christianity
*Evangelism
*Christian Voice (UK)
*Carmell Christian Centre

References

External links

* [http://www.channel4.com/video/dispatches-in-gods-name/index.html Video clips] of the program "In Gods Name" on the Dispatches Homepage.
* The Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship [http://www.lawcf.org/index.asp?page=LCF+Home homepage] .