From the Chairman on behalf of the PTS Council.
This letter is a request from the Council of the Protestant Truth Society to end the lockdown on Christian churches…Britain is, constitutionally and historically, a Christian country. Our churches have played a vital part in our national story…Our country has a long and vital tradition of civil and religious liberty. Those liberties are precious. They should not be curtailed unnecessarily…This nation’s welfare ultimately depends on God. Our country desperately needs the public prayers of believing Christians. We would therefore urge you to permit the reopening of our churches.
Full Text:
4th May, 2020
Dear Prime Minister
We are delighted that you have recovered from your Covid-19 infection. Clearly many prayers for you have been answered. Our lives are in God’s hands and you have been given a new lease of life. We are also glad to hear of the safe birth of your son.
This letter is a request from the Council of the Protestant Truth Society to end the lockdown on Christian churches.
We know that this new virus has been a major challenge for your government. Many, particularly among the elderly and vulnerable, have died. There is strong evidence that the virus is now past its peak. Many businesses, deemed essential, are continuing to function. Many more businesses will reopen this month.
Britain is, constitutionally and historically, a Christian country. Our churches have played a vital part in our national story. They were not closed for the vastly more lethal Spanish Flu. They were not shut for the Blitz. In May 1940 George VI ordered a national day of prayer. God heard the nation’s prayers. Churchill’s political position was secured. The British Army, through a miraculous combination of circumstances, was almost entirely delivered at Dunkirk.
Christians are law-abiding people. We fully understand the need for hand washing and social distancing. There is no reason why churches cannot be permitted to meet, observing sensible precautions. Our country has a long and vital tradition of civil and religious liberty. Those liberties are precious. They should not be curtailed unnecessarily. If B & Q can open then so should the church.
You have said that you will be guided by Cicero’s dictum Salus populi suprema lex esto. There is wisdom in this if the word salus is rightly understood. The motto of Oxford University is Dominus illuminatio mea, the opening words of the Latin translation of Psalm 27. The verse continues et salus mea. ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation.’ This nation’s welfare ultimately depends on God. Our country desperately needs the public prayers of believing Christians. We would therefore urge you to permit the reopening of our churches.
Yours sincerely
The Rt Rev. Dominic Stockford – on behalf of the PTS Council