Peter

Peter Lynas

Peter oversees the advocacy team and the work of the Alliance across the four UK nations. He is passionate about faith in the public square and leads the Being Human project with Jo Frost. He previously worked as a barrister in Belfast before studying theology at Regent College in Vancouver, where he serves on the board. Peter is a regular media commentator, is married to Rose, has two daughters, and loves running.

Serving the UK church in this difficult moment

20 March 2020Prayer n this season of different routines and patterns, we are learning to pray more and listen to God – perhaps saying the Lord’s Prayer as we wash our hands. This is a great opportunity to make sure God is the primary voice we are all listening to, rather than social media. Practical advice The church has left the building, whether it wants to or not. The gathered church is extremely important, but the church is also a scattered community. This is an amazing opportunity for us to re-imagine…

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The curious case of Franklin, free speech and the venue police

31 January 2020When footballer Mesut Özil tweeted his support for the Uighur people, who are oppressed for their faith in China, the Chinese authorities refused to broadcast Arsenal's matches. Here, private landlords and local councils are being pressured to cancel events with 'unsavoury' speakers, ironically in the name of inclusion, diversity and tolerance. Franklin Graham is set to tour the UK in the coming months as part of the evangelistic Graham tour. But over the last few days we have seen venues fall…

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Yearning for more

1 November 2019Today we live in a world of much greater uncertainty, chaos and fear. Few are saying that life is good, economically or politically. A job for life is a thing of the past. Politics changes by the hour, let alone the day or the week. I have no idea who will be Prime Minister, or even which party will be in government, by the time you read this. At the same time, faith is much more likely to be contested or actively resisted in the public square. And yet, the declaration that “God is good news”…

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Northern Ireland: Darkness and light

23 October 2019We have prayed, petitioned, protested and polled; we have engaged with the press, politicians and the public. We have tried to carry ourselves with integrity, grace, compassion and love. We have made every effort, as we should have done. The laws on marriage and abortion have now changed, though their final form is yet to be determined. We will be encouraging you to engage in the consultation process on both marriage and abortion, because there are important issues still to be resolved. There…

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Our hope is in Jesus

11 July 2019Last night MPs at Westminster voted to extend abortion and same-sex marriage rights to Northern Ireland. The Evangelical Alliance’s director for Northern Ireland, Peter Lynas, reflects on how Christians should respond. I read Psalm 2 last night and again this morning: the nations will always conspire; people will always plot in vain; the world is growing ever more chaotic. But this is not a new thing, nor a surprise to God. In Ephesians, Paul reminds us that Christ remains on the throne in deep…

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Why I wrote Transformed

29 November 2018I felt ill-equipped to answer these questions. The Bible has much to say on identity and the importance of the body, but I needed to understand more if I were to offer any guidance. I decided to read all I could and meet with people for whom this is a very real experience. So, I met with the trans groups in my local area. One group works with those who are post-operative, another supports families, and a third is mainly made up of young people who have a much more fluid view of being…

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Transformed

1 July 2018Barely a day seems to go by without a transgender news story. From the bathroom wars in the US, to arguments about sporting rules based on gender, from disagreements about school uniform policies, to advice from the British Medical Association to use the phrase 'pregnant people' in place of expectant mothers. In the midst of all this, the Scottish Government has consulted on proposals to change the Gender Recognition Act, to allow people to self-identify when it comes to gender. The current law…

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Austen Ivereigh

1 September 2017He founded Catholic Voices in 2010 aiming to give the Church a voice on contentious issues. Peter Lynas asked him about the Reformation, ecumenical relations and the challenges facing the Church today. Tell us a little about your work with Catholic Voices Catholic Voices (CV) was founded in 2010 around the visit of Pope Benedict to the UK and has now grown to 26 countries. The great learning from 2010 is that the media doesn’t exclude the voice of the Church, it’s just that contemporary…

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