16. While acknowledging the minority status of practising Christians within the UK, maintain that the public truth of the Gospel applies to all people everywhere for the common good.
17. Insist that the path of Christian discipleship embraces the whole of life in both public and private, ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’ spheres, and that churches have a responsibility to help people make positive connections between these spheres.
18. Resist strict segregation between the public and private realms, and maintain that God is sovereign over all Creation, even as his sovereignty may be expressed in distinct ways in different arenas, e.g., domestic, ecclesiastical and political.
19. Recognise that distinct roles and strategies may be required of churches and their members from time to time in these various arenas, and that considerable discernment may be needed in formulating these roles and strategies.
20. Recognise the right of different faith groups to constitute themselves according to their own beliefs and ethos, emphasising that government commitment to political equality should not be used as a pretext for interfering with the organisation or activities of such groups.
21. Acknowledge that the self-determination of religious groups must proceed in accordance with those basic universal principles of human dignity, worth, respect and social good which are implicit in the biblical doctrine of humanity’s creation in the image of God.
22. Protect human rights, on the basis that all people derive their value, dignity and purpose from their creation in the image of God.
23. Hold governments to account at home and abroad for their protection of fundamental human rights.
24. Emphasise that individual rights are not unlimited and should be balanced by responsibilities to others and to society as a whole.
25. Support and encourage equality in the areas of race, gender, sexual orientation, disability and age, as well as in religion, whilst recognising that an evangelical Christian perspective in this area may be very different from current secular views.
26. Urge the proposed Single Equalities Commission to be sensitive to the diversity of faith communities, and to employ clear guidelines which respect the distinctive religious character and teachings of such communities, in accordance with the UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief (1981) and related documents.
27. Assert religious liberty in respect of sexual ethics, in particular the right of religious communities to order their life, membership and leadership according to their own established standards of sexual morality. Insist that this right is not subordinate to more general rights regarding sexual orientation.
28. Recognise that most African-Caribbean and Asian Christians in the UK are evangelical, and that British evangelical churches are therefore well placed to offer first-hand reflection on the complex interplay of race and religion and to play a lead role in the dialogue on integration and multiculturalism as expressed by the Christian community.
29. Urge government and civic institutions to engage positively with such Christians, not purely in terms of their racial character but also in terms of their evangelical Christian convictions.
