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Court bars Christian foster couple

 
Carl Laferton | 1 Mar 2011

The High Court has backed a council's decision to bar a Christian couple from fostering children because, in the words of Eunice Johns, she and her husband Owen: "were not willing … to tell a small child that the practice of homosexuality was a good thing."

Christian Legal Centre: "fostering by Christians is now in doubt."

Stonewall: "If you wish to be involved in the delivery of a public service, you should be prepared to provide it fairly to anyone."

Eunice Johns: "All we wanted was to offer a loving home to a child in need. We are prepared to love and accept any child."

Mr and Mrs Johns have fostered 15 children over the last 20 years. There are well over 15,000 children in care at the moment.

6 Comments

Tom

11:01 PM AEDT on January 8th
John Richardson over at the Ugley Vicar: "If this is what was said, and if it is a valid judgement, is it therefore right that Christians should nevertheless be allowed to keep their own natural children, if they similarly will not commend homosexual acts to them?"

Ginny

11:01 PM AEDT on January 8th
This is very sad - our nation is becoming obsessed with sexual freedom/tolerance/"political correctness", and placing more importance on this than giving a child the opportunity to grow up in a loving home instead of an institution. Last time I checked, we were supposed to be a Christian country, hence "Church of England" - I wonder when that term will be deemed "illegal" ...

Matt

11:01 PM AEDT on January 8th
I think reading this might give some better perspective on what has actually gone on.
http://blog.drake-comms.co.uk/

Robert Stanton

11:01 PM AEDT on January 8th
I heard this couple interviewed on the BBC Radio Today programme this morning. They were wonderfully dignified and a model of Christian decency and care. I applaud them for the way they have handled themselves through this experience. They weren't hysterical or accusatory at all, and answered the probing questions clearly and openly.

Carl Laferton

11:01 PM AEDT on January 8th
Matt, that's a really helpful link, thank you. If anyone's followed this thread down to hear, do follow Matt's link and think through what it says.
I wonder if, while we might wonder if the Christian Legal Centre has got every decision right in how it's pursued this case, at the same time it's a shame that the court didn't feel able to clarify that Christian views on homosexuality should never be considered a bar to fostering children. And (while it's important not to leap to conclusions or be one-eyed about these things), there does appear to be something of a general theme developing: B+B owners, Relate councillors, prospective foster parents...

Ginny, I wonder if the UK really is a "Christian country". We have an established church, but I'm not sure we can expect a nation in which the majority of people are not Bible-believing Christians to act along Christian lines. In a sense, 21-century Britain is quite like the world of the New Testament - multicultural, multifaith, and not really understanding or tolerant of a public living-out of Christian faith. Which makes books like 1 Peter much more immediately relevant to us!

Ben

11:01 PM AEDT on January 8th
I think it's awful that the state can step in and prevent people from raising children in traditional Christian beliefs.

I for one intend to raise my children to believe that whipping your slaves is absolutely fine.

In case you've missed the point, there are plenty of traditional Christian beliefs that we now consider to be unmitigated evil.

Ask yourself, what would Jesus do? I'll tell you what he did do - he told everyone to ignore the hateful bile of religious dogma and authority and just love people.

Mind you, as a 32 year old man with no history of conventional relationships and a stated interest in loving children, he probably wouldn't have much luck with modern bigots.

Carl Laferton

Carl is Editorial Director at The Good Book Company and is a member of Grace Church Worcester Park, London. He is the best-selling author of The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross and God's Big Promises Bible Storybook, and also serves as series editor of the God's Word for You series. Before joining TGBC, he worked as a journalist and then as a teacher, and pastored a congregation in Hull. Carl is married to Lizzie, and they have two children. He studied history at Oxford University.