Revd. David Holloway

Christmas message from
Revd. David Holloway

The real meaning of Christmas is in the words of Luke 2 verse 14: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests."

That is the Christmas message in a nutshell. For Christ is the Prince of Peace...

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Equalities Minister, Barbara Roche, said: "It would send a powerful message about the acceptability of same-sex relationships and about the unacceptability of the homophobia still far too prevalent in our society"

Roche’s gay register
devalues marriage

Plans to give marriage-like rights to gay, lesbian and bisexual couples will devalue marriage, says a national Christian charity today. The Christian Institute also says that the plans unfairly discriminate against family relationships, such as two sisters, who have lived together for years looking after each other.

Read our press release

Peers who voted in favour of gay adoption

Peers who voted against gay adoption

Government forces through
gay adoption

The best interests of children have been ignored by the Government after peers voted by 215 to 184 in favour of plans to allow homosexual and cohabiting couples to adopt children.

Read our press release

Most parents are against adoption rights for gay men.

More poll results

background information

Most parents against
gay adoption, says poll

Over 70% of parents in the Prime Minister’s Sedgefield constituency oppose plans to allow gay men to jointly adopt children, a poll reveals.

The poll was carried out in Sedgefield by ICM. It was commissioned by The Christian Institute, which supports keeping the current grounds for adoption unchanged. At the moment only married couples can jointly adopt children.

Read our press release

The Baroness Young:
1926-2002

Tribute to Christian Institute
patron, Baroness Young

Patron of The Christian Institute, Baroness Young, has died at her home in Oxford after a long illness.

Read our tribute

Other Tributes to Baroness Young

New Adoption card.

background information on the adoption bill

Adoption poll results

Charity launches 'adoption card' to protect against gay adoption

As the House of Lords votes on giving adoption rights to homosexual couples, a Christian charity has launched a new 'adoption card' which aims to protect the wishes of parents who oppose gay adoption. The card has been produced by The Christian Institute and it carries the declaration, "in the event of my death I do not want my children to be adopted by homosexuals."

Read our press release

Prime Minister, Tony Blair, voted in favour of adoption by homosexuals and cohabitees.

Crucial 'gay adoption' vote
expected Wednesday

The House of Lords is expected to vote on the controversial Adoption and Children Bill on Wednesday 16 October.

The bill includes plans to allow adoption by gay couples and unmarried couples. The vote in the Lords will be key.

MPs, including Tony Blair, have already voted to give adoption rights to homosexual couples and unmarried heterosexuals.

[more]

Justice Minister, Jim Wallace, has been forced into a U-turn on his smacking plans.

Executive dumps plans to
ban smacking under-threes

Plans for an outright ban on the smacking of children under three in Scotland have been dropped by the Scottish Executive.

However, The Christian Institute remains concerned about other proposals to change the law on smacking.

Read our press release

More on the Scottish smacking plans

Home Secretary, David Blunkett

Blunkett softens the
law on cannabis

The Home Secretary, David Blunkett, has formally announced the reclassification of cannabis from a class B to a class C drug. Police will no longer be able to arrest people in possession of the harmful drug, except in exceptional circumstances.

Read the debate in Parliament.

Reclassifying cannabis is
wrong and dangerous

The Christian Institute has published a booklet which examines the 15 most common arguments for the decriminalisation of cannabis and demolishes each one.

Download: pdf Word html

Prime Minister, Tony Blair, voted in favour of adoption by homosexuals and cohabitees.

Lords examine plans
to allow gay adoption

The Adoption and Children Bill is currently before the Lords. The bill includes plans to allow adoption by gay couples and unmarried couples. Key votes are not expected in the Lords until after the summer.

MPs had earlier voted to give adoption rights to homosexual couples and unmarried heterosexuals.

[more]

Home Secretary, David Blunkett

Cannabis decision to be
announced very soon

The Home Secretary, David Blunkett, will formally announce whether he will reclassify cannabis on Wednesday 10 July, according to press reports.

Bill Beales, headteacher of Cwmcarn secondary school, South Wales.

Read our press release

Read news coverage

View Bill Beale's website

Read his assembly talk

Headteacher criticised for stating
Christian views in school assembly

Bill Beales, head teacher of Cwmcarn secondary school in South Wales has been criticised after giving an assembly which argued that on moral issues mainstream Christian beliefs are now considered to be intolerant.

The reaction to Bill Beales' assembly has proved his point. The comments on sex being exclusively for marriage have led to Teachers unions calling for a full investigation, with leading members of Caerphilly council calling for him to be suspended.

Prime Minister, Tony Blair, voted in favour of adoption by homosexuals and cohabitees.

Commons votes in favour
of homosexual adoption

MPs have voted to give adoption rights to homosexual couples and unmarried heterosexuals.

The Adoption and Children Bill is currently before the Lords. Key votes are not expected for some time yet. [more]

Chairman of the Home Affairs Committee, Chris Mullin MP.

Home Affairs Committee calls
for relaxation of some drugs laws

The Home Affairs Committee has published a report which calls for the reclassification of cannabis from class B to class C, and ecstasy from class A to class B. The report also calls for heroin addicts to be given heroin on the NHS.[more]

Prime Minister, Tony Blair, voted in favour of unmarried adoption.

Read the commons debate in full

Read our press release

Blair votes in favour of
unmarried adoption

MPs, including the Prime Minister, have voted to allow unmarried heterosexual and homosexual couples to adopt children. 288 MPs voted for the move and 133 voted against.

A further vote which attempts to ban homosexual couples from adopting is expected on Monday 20 May. The adoption bill is expected before the Lords in June.

How did my MP vote?

Read our briefing on unmarried adoption

William Rae, Honorary Secretary of the Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland

Smack ban will swamp us,
say Scottish police chiefs

Plans to ban the smacking of toddlers will lead to the investigation of minor incidents, putting unnecessary strain on police resources, say police chiefs in The Scotsman newspaper. [more]

More about the plans to ban smacking...

Cabinet Office Minister, Barbara Roche, led the consultation on the directive

Consultation on employment
directive now closed

The Governments consultation on the European employment directive has now closed. The directive will have a major impact on the freedom of Christian groups to employ Christians. Other faiths will be affected too.
[More]

Justice Minister, Jim Wallace, is responsible for the Bill which bans the smacking of children aged under three

Smack ban ‘may aid abusers’

The Scotsman newspaper reports on The Christian Institute's new briefing which criticises Jim Wallace's smacking plans. The briefing says precious resources would be targeted at ordinary families rather than tackling real abuse. [more]

More about the plans to ban smacking...

David Hinchliffe MP has tabled an amendment which will allow unmarried adoption

Government allows free vote
on unmarried adoption

The Government has decided not to oppose moves to allow unmarried adoption, according to the Independent newspaper. Downing Street has given MPs and Peers a free vote on the issue. 'Unmarried adoption' allows adoption by cohabiting and homosexual couples. A vote is expected in the next few weeks.

Read our briefing on unmarried adoption

Read our press release

Justice Minister, Jim Wallace, is responsible for the Bill which bans the smacking of children aged under three

Committee wants to hear
views on smacking plans

The Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee wants to receive the views of anyone with an interest in the Criminal Justice Bill. The Bill includes a ban on the smacking of children aged under three and other changes to the law on physical punishment.
[more]

Justice Minister, Jim Wallace, is responsible for the Bill

Unworkable smacking laws
will catch loving parents

Scottish Parents will be plunged into fear and confusion following new anti-smacking laws to be brought in by Jim Wallace.The proposals are introduced in the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill.

Read our press release

Read the Bill in full (pdf 396KB)

Colin Hart, Director of The Christian Institute

Easter Newsletter
Bringing our supporters up to date with the latest news from The Christian Institute
pdf Word html

The real meaning of Easter
Two messages from Revd David Holloway, a trustee of The Christian Institute
[more]

Christians welcome new
wording of teachers' code

The Christian Institute has expressed delight at "substantial changes" to the code of conduct for teachers in England.
[more]

Transsexual fails to bring
case against church

A transsexual man who wanted a local church in Wales to treat him as a woman had his legal action struck out by the county court.

New! Read our briefing on transsexualism:
pdf Word html

Northern Ireland Assembly
member wins smacking vote

On Tuesday 12th February UUP Assembly Member Dr Esmond Birnie won a vote in the NI Assembly highlighting the fact that the law on smacking is to be unchanged in England and Wales.
[more]

Christians welcome
re-drafting of teaching code

Christian teachers in Wales have succeeded in changing a new draft professional code which would have required them to respect gay rights against their conscience.

Read our press release

Yet another council bans
Executive's sex lessons

Renfrewshire Council has become the fourth Scottish authority to ban the controversial sex lessons backed by the Scottish Executive.

Read our press release

Civil Partnerships Bill dropped
as Government sets up review

The Civil Partnerships Bill is expected to be withdrawn by its sponsor, Lord Lester. The move comes as the Government sets up a major Whitehall review of 'Civil Partnerships'
[more]

Lords debate giving marriage privileges
to live-in lovers and homosexuals

Read our briefing:
Word pdf html

Read our press release>

Welsh Assembly drafts new
sex education guidance

Our response to the consultation:
Word pdf html

Northern Ireland Executive
consults on smacking ban

Read our response:
Word pdf html

Read our press release>

Executive to drop explicit sex lessons?

The Scottish Executive may stop recommending controversial sex education materials, according to the Daily Mail newspaper. [more]

End of year newsletter

At the end of 2001 we thought it was appropriate to 'take stock' of the various campaigns which we have been running. [more]

Victory on Anti-terrorism Bill

We are delighted that following two resounding defeats in the House of Lords the Government has abandoned its efforts to introduce the new law of incitement to religious hatred. [more]