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Christians wanting to follow Biblical principles when they clash with UK law are like Muslims wanting to live under Sharia law. That's what Trevor Phillips, the chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, has said.
Is he right? Yes ... and no!
His assumption is that the legal system of a country defines what "right" and "wrong" is—and every single religious principle has to give way to it. And in a democracy like Britain's, that sounds very persuasive. After all, the law reflects the will of the people who elect their representatives to Parliament to make the laws. But the trouble is, that's what happened in Genesis 3. God had said "Don't eat from the one tree". But the will of the people (by a unanimous decision) was: "We think it's right to eat from the tree". Right and wrong, when decided on by humans who then tell God when and where he will be obeyed, is called sin.
Mr Phillips has hit upon one important point, however — sometimes Biblical commands, Koranic/sharia laws, and our increasingly-secular legal system, clash. They can't just rub along together.
So the question becomes: who knows best? If it's Allah, let's go for sharia, quickly and uncompromisingly. If it's the British people (who, bear in mind, once thought Sven Goran Eriksson was a good manager, and more seriously once thought slavery was a good idea), then let's do as Mr Phillips asks and leave our Christian principles "at the door of the temple" (presumably by temple he means "building where a church meets").
If, though, Jesus has risen and so is the creating, reigning, all-knowing God… then we must live under His loving, perfect rule. That means obeying the law of the land, even when we disagree personally with it or it annoys us (speed limits included), because His word tells us to (Romans 13 v 1-7). But it also means that when there is a clash between Jesus' command and the state's, we obey Jesus—whatever the cost.
Throughout history, God's people have had to "choose between their religion and obeying the law". Around the world, our brothers and sisters are being physically persecuted for choosing their religion when God's word opposes their country's law. Let's thank God for them; for men like Peter and John (Acts 4) and Daniel (Daniel 5).
And let's ask God to make us like them. It looks like there are going to be more and more opportunities to be people who "suffer according to God's will … commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good" (1 Peter 4 v 19).
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.
