Christian Legal Centre
Encyclopedia
The Christian Legal Centre (CLC) is a legal organization which was set up in December 2007 to provide legal support for Christian
s in the United Kingdom
and lobby
on their behalf.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and lobby
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
on their behalf.
Notable cases
Since its inception, the CLC has provided legal support in a number of high-profile cases in the UK. Notable examples include:- Emily Mapfuwa, a Christian who launched a private prosecution against the Baltic Centre for Contemporary ArtBALTIC Centre for Contemporary ArtThe Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art is an international centre for contemporary art located on the south bank of the River Tyne alongside the Gateshead Millennium Bridge in Gateshead, North East England, United Kingdom...
in GatesheadGatesheadGateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
for exhibiting a statue by Terence KohTerence KohTerence Koh is a Canadian artist. Koh creates handmade books and zines, prints, photographs, sculptures, performances, and installations. Much of his diverse work involves queer, punk, and pornographic sensibilities. Koh has also worked under the alias "asianpunkboy", though it appears that name...
depicting JesusJesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
with an erection. In a BBC EssexBBC EssexBBC Essex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Essex. It broadcasts from its studios on New London Road in Chelmsford on 103.5 and 95.3 FM, and on 729 , 765 , and 1530 AM. It is also available on DAB and live streaming via the internet.-History:BBC Essex launched on 5...
radio interview, Michael Phillips (a solicitor working for CLC who is also a member of The Lawyers Christian Fellowship) admitted that Ms Mapfuwa had never actually visited the exhibition. In fact she lives over 250 miles away in Brentwood, EssexBrentwood, EssexBrentwood is a town and the principal settlement of the Borough of Brentwood, in the county of Essex in the east of England. It is located in the London commuter belt, 20 miles east north-east of Charing Cross in London, and near the M25 motorway....
. The case was eventually discontinued by the Crown Prosecution ServiceCrown Prosecution ServiceThe Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. Its role is similar to that of the longer-established Crown Office in Scotland, and the...
. - Eunice and Owen Johns, a Christian couple who applied to become foster parents with Derby City Council. They withdrew their application after a social worker expressed concerns when they said they could not tell a child a homosexual lifestyle was acceptable. The two parties jointly agreed to take the case to the High CourtHigh Court of JusticeThe High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
, for clarification of the law, but the court sided with the city council; stating that laws protecting people from discrimination, because of their sexual orientation, "should take precedence" over the right not to be discriminated against on religious grounds. - Hybrid embryo research: The CLC and Comment on Reproductive Ethics (CORE) were refused permission to apply for a judicial reviewJudicial reviewJudicial review is the doctrine under which legislative and executive actions are subject to review by the judiciary. Specific courts with judicial review power must annul the acts of the state when it finds them incompatible with a higher authority...
to overturn the Human Fertilisation and Embryology AuthorityHuman Fertilisation and Embryology AuthorityThe Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is a statutory body in the United Kingdom that regulates and inspects all UK clinics providing in vitro fertilisation, artificial insemination and the storage of human eggs, sperm or embryos. It also regulates Human Embryo research...
's decision to allow laboratory testing of hybrid embryos. Mrs Justice DobbsLinda DobbsDame Linda Penelope Dobbs, DBE , styled The Hon. Mrs Justice Dobbs, was the first non-white person to be appointed to the senior judiciary of England and Wales, being appointed a high court judge in 2004....
at the High Court in London ruled that the application was "totally without merit", and ordered the CLC to pay costs amounting to some £20,000. - Gary McFarlaneMcFarlane v Relate Avon LtdMcFarlane v Relate Avon Ltd [2010] EWCA Civ 880; [2010] IRLR 872; 29 BHRC 249 was an application in the Court of Appeal of England and Wales for permission to appeal against a decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal, that a relationship counsellor dismissed for refusing to counsel same sex...
, a counsellor for RelateRelateRelate is a charity providing relationship support throughout the United Kingdom. Services include counselling for couples, families, young people and individuals, sex therapy, mediation and training courses....
(a relationship support charity) who was sacked for refusing to offer counselling and therapy to same-sex couples. The charity admitted to a charge of wrongful dismissalWrongful dismissalWrongful dismissal, also called wrongful termination or wrongful discharge, is an idiom and legal phrase, describing a situation in which an employee's contract of employment has been terminated by the employer in circumstances where the termination breaches one or more terms of the contract of...
, conceding that he should have been served notice instead of being fired immediately for 'gross misconductMisconductA misconduct is a legal term meaning a wrongful, improper, or unlawful conduct motivated by premeditated or intentional purpose or by obstinate indifference to the consequences of one's acts....
'. Further claims of unfair dismissalUnfair dismissalUnfair dismissal is the term used in UK labour law to describe an employer's action when terminating an employee's employment contrary to the requirements of the Employment Rights Act 1996...
and discrimination on the grounds of religionReligious discriminationReligious discrimination is valuing or treating a person or group differently because of what they do or do not believe.A concept like that of 'religious discrimination' is necessary to take into account ambiguities of the term religious persecution. The infamous cases in which people have been...
were dismissed. His appeal against this ruling was dismissed by the High Court in April 2010. - Graham Cogman, a police constable from NorfolkNorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
who was sacked for sending emails to colleagues in which he quoted bible passages condemning homosexuality and forwarded details of a group that offered to "cure" homosexuals.
- Shirley Chaplin, a nurse who was supported by the CLC in an unsuccessful bid to sue the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS TrustRoyal Devon and Exeter HospitalThe Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital , is a medium-sized teaching hospital situated in Exeter, England. The hospital is part of the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust which also runs Heavitree Hospital, Honeylands Children’s Centre , the Exeter Mobility...
for discrimination because it had moved her to a desk job after she refused to remove a crucifix when asked to do so on health and safety grounds (hospital dress code prohibits front-line staff from wearing any type of necklace).
On March 28 2010, six current and former Anglican bishops; Lord Carey of Clifton, Michael Scott-JoyntMichael Scott-JoyntMichael Charles Scott-Joynt is an English ecclesiastic and prelate of the Order of the Garter. He was appointed Bishop of Winchester, one of the five senior bishoprics in the Church of England, in 1995. He had previously served as Bishop of Stafford in the Diocese of Lichfield from 1987 and before...
, Michael Nazir-AliMichael Nazir-AliMichael James Nazir-Ali was the 106th Bishop of Rochester in the Church of England: he retired in September 2009, taking up a position as director of the Oxford Centre for Training, Research, Advocacy and Dialogue...
, Peter ForsterPeter ForsterPeter Robert Forster is a British Anglican bishop. He is currently the Bishop of Chester in the Church of England.Born in Solihull, the son of Thomas and Edna , Forster was educated at the town's Tudor Grange Grammar School and Merton College, Oxford, where he received a Master of Arts in...
, Anthony PriddisAnthony PriddisAnthony Martin Priddis is the current Bishop of Hereford ion the Church of England.-Ministry:Priddis was ordained in 1972 and began his ordained ministry as a deacon at New Addington, Surrey. In 1975 he moved to High Wycombe in the Diocese of Oxford and held a number of positions including St...
and Nicholas ReadeNicholas ReadeNicholas Stewart Reade is the current Bishop of Blackburn in the Province of York.Reade was educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey and the University of Leeds. He was ordained in 1973 after studying at the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield. He began his ordained ministry with a curacy at St...
— cited the case in an open letter to the Sunday TelegraphSunday TelegraphThe Sunday Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961. It is the sister paper of The Daily Telegraph, but is run separately with a different editorial staff, although there is some cross-usage of stories...
newspaper in which they claimed to be "deeply concerned at the apparent discrimination shown against Christians". Ms Chaplin intends to appeal against the decision.
- Duke Amachree, a homelessness officer who was sacked by Wandsworth Council for subjecting a client to a "30-minute barrage" of evangelism when he was simply supposed to be offering her housing advice. The CLC supported Mr Amachree in an unsuccessful legal claim for unfair dismissal, religious discrimination and breach of contract. An appeal is being considered.
See also
- Christian Concern
- Christian Voice (UK)Christian Voice (UK)Christian Voice is a Christian pressure group based in the United Kingdom. Its stated objective is "to uphold Christianity as the Faith of the United Kingdom, to be a voice for Biblical values in law and public policy, and to defend and support traditional family life." It is independent of...
- The Lawyers Christian Fellowship