Banning Prayer?

In James 1 we are instructed to be slow to speak, but I believe that we are empowered to speak God's truth to and in our culture. 1st Peter chapter 3 contains these words:
8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;
9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
10 For "He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.
11 Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it...

We are responsible for the words we speak - so therefore, ideally, we should speak under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  We should also weigh our words, and perhaps take a few extra seconds to get it right, or perhaps refrain from speaking.  We can also make sure that we are adding to our credibility by presenting accurate information - we should always strive to be a truth-teller.  The good news societally is that we live under the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and free speech is a cornerstone of our nation. But freedom should never open the door to rancor and destruction.

+++++

Fortunately, as Americans, we have the right to speak freely, but we have the responsibility to speak truthfully and in the right way. Proverbs chapter 12 states:
17 He who speaks truth declares righteousness, But a false witness, deceit.
18 There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, But the tongue of the wise promotes health.
19 The truthful lip shall be established forever, But a lying tongue is but for a moment.

In my recent conversation with Lathan Watts of Alliance Defending Freedom at the 2023 National Religious Broadcasters Convention, we talked a bit about the efforts of some in power to limit certain types of expression to what are called "speech zones."  He reminded us that there is a free speech zone in the U.S. - it's called "the United States of America."

Yet, there are people who want to control the speech of others.  And, as we have seen in this country, the United Kingdom is attempting to quash free speech in the vicinity of those temples to the modern-day sacrament of abortion.  

A CBN.com article relates:

Andrea Williams, chief executive officer of Christian Concern, a group that works to encourage Christians throughout the U.K., said it’s hard for many in the West to imagine such restrictions on free speech.

“Those that are watching this will think, ‘Really, has Great Britain created a space where you are unable to speak quietly, unable even to pray, unable even to walk alongside a woman to explain another way when she’s in and around an abortion clinic?'” Williams said. “Well, that’s come to pass in the United Kingdom.”

About these new laws, Williams states: “This is something that has slipped in,” adding, “It slipped in under another major act, the Public Order Act, of this year, and it’s slipped in by way of an amendment.” She also said, “It’s actually one of the things that … tears up one of our fundamental constitutional principles around freedom to speak, freedom to protest, freedom to assemble.”  The article notes:

According to the nationalized abortion buffer zone rules, no one is allowed to protest for 150 meters (over 490 feet) “from any direction” of the clinic. Williams believes efforts to curb the presence of pro-life campaigners are rooted in an attempt by the abortion lobby to simply snuff out their presence.

She also noted: 

“One of the things that’s been extraordinary in and around the clinics is … the abortion lobby has created this idea that peaceful campaigners, peaceful Christians, peaceful lovers of life are somehow a threat and intimidatory to the women that might enter these clinics,” Williams said. “If there had been intimidation and harassment, then our criminal rules are already there to ensure that that wouldn’t happen.”

A director of March for Life U.K. Isabel Vaughn-Spruce was arrested twice for engaging in silent prayer at an abortion clinic - that's right, not even speaking. FoxNews.com reported on a positive development last month, but her legal future remains in doubt.  The article states:

Pro-life activist Isabel Vaughn-Spruce will no longer be prevented by the West Midlands Police from silently standing near abortion clinics, though she continues to face potential charges, according to a statement from the U.K. chapter of Alliance Defending Freedom.

The prohibition against standing within the vicinity of an abortion clinic was part of Vaughn-Spruce's bail conditions in the wake of her arrest earlier this year.

"While I am grateful my bail conditions have been lifted, and the police have acknowledged that peaceful presence is not in and of itself a crime, I am concerned that the police were able to restrict my right to peacefully and silently pray for three months and so soon after I was acquitted for the same conduct," Vaughan-Spruce said in a statement.

Speak freely - enjoy your free speech.  But, remember that just because you have free speech as an American; as a Christian, you are not entitled to unrestrained free speech - you have to be responsible.  To God and to those with whom you communicate.

We must demonstrate restraint and responsibility for what we say and do.  Without the tempering of correct information, we run the risk of having a credibility problem.  That hurts our witness and damages our trust.   We should be well-grounded in the Scriptures and well-informed in how we interact.  We should rightly speak out for the unborn and speak truth on a variety of issues that the Scriptures address.  But, we should always do so recognizing that we are to be good stewards of the information we share.