28 June 2023
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“But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.” [Ezekiel 33:6]
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” [Ephesians 6:12]
Presbyterians Week Headlines
[3] Transition as an Act of Co-Creation in Partnership with the Divine
Additional Articles of Interest
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The trial of an ex-gay Maltese Christian charity worker who faces criminal charges for allegedly discussing and advertising ‘conversion practices’ has begun in Valetta, Malta.
In a case, believed to be the first of its kind anywhere, Matthew Grech, 33, and the presenters of a local free speech media outlet, PMnews, potentially face five months in prison, and/or fined 5,000 euros for a media interview that took place in April 2022.
The outcome of this case will have ramifications for the ex-gay community, not just in Malta, but worldwide. It will also impact freedom of the press and anyone who wishes to publicly question and debate individuals leaving LGBT lifestyles, which activists describe as ‘conversion practices.’
Today (June 9), in a hot and chaotic Maltese courtroom, Silvan Agius, who serves as a cabinet expert for EU Commissioner for Equality gave evidence on how and why he reported Mr Grech and the presenters to the police.
Agius, who previously served as head of the Human Rights and Integration Directorate in Malta, was involved with the criminalisation of conversion therapy in the country, which was the first in Europe to ban the practice in 2016.
When Mr Grech made headlines in his country in 2018 for telling his story as a contestant on X Factor Malta, Agius — whose current responsibilities as cabinet expert under Dalli include “inclusion, equality and non-discrimination” — called Grech’s comments “problematic.”
A clip of Grech on X Factor Malta was reportedly pulled from Facebook and YouTube in the country, and the television program later issued an apology for airing his views.
Agius — whose current responsibilities as cabinet expert under another Maltese EU official come LGBT activist, Helen Dalli, include “inclusion, equality and non-discrimination” — called Grech’s comments on X-Factor Malta “problematic.”
Giving evidence before Monica Vella, the magistrate presiding over the case, Mr Agius was asked why he had reported Mr Grech to the police:
“My personal story and my friends,” Mr Agius replied, “I suffered a lot in my youth; in primary school; catholic youth. They did not love me.” He added that “In the EU I am an expert, I work for the equality of others.”
Asked how he had found out about Matthew Grech’s interview, he said: “My friends warned me. When someone sees something on the internet, people tell me.”
Continuing, Mr Agius commented on the interview saying: “The programme offends me deeply and it puts me down and many others whether they know it or not.”
Agius gave evidence that he believed PM News had given ‘too much space’ to Mr Grech to tell his story and promote his views and that he had said ‘nothing positive’ about the LGBT community.
Mr Agius added that it is ‘not permissible’ for anyone to say the term ‘ex-gay’ in Malta as it is like ‘a priest describing themselves as ‘ex-heterosexual’ and that discussing the ability to leave a homosexual lifestyle is ‘demoralising talk’ which should not be legal.
Cynthia Chircop, a MGRM activist, also gave evidence and was asked how she knew about Mr Grech’s interview with PM News:
‘Silvan sent the news’, she replied.
Chricop was asked if she aware of an invitation to the show sent by PMNews, which she confirmed she was not.
“So if I invite you to a two-hour programme and give you a free hand to speak, even if I don’t agree with what you say, does that mean that I’m giving you advertising space,” Bezzina, lawyers for the reporters asked.
“If you invite someone to air his views, you’re giving that person an advert,” replied Chircop.
“We’re not living in a dictatorship,” rebutted the defence lawyer.
“Why are those persons [the journalists] guilty? For respecting his [Grech’s] freedom of speech, a right safeguarded by the Constitution,” the lawyer said.
“Did Grech say that every LGBTIQ person should resort to such therapies,” the lawyer asked.
“I honestly cannot recall,” replied Chircop.
The trial continues.
What happened
On 6 April 2022, Mr Grech was invited by PMnews Malta, a small free-speech media platform, to share the story of how he had become a born-again Christian, which led to him leaving behind a homosexual lifestyle and unwanted same sex attraction.
The interview was advertised on PMnews Malta’s Facebook page and the topic for the interview was chosen by the presenters of the programme.
At no point during the programme did Mr Grech invite any listener to attend therapy or encourage anyone to get help for unwanted same-sex attraction.
It has now been revealed that Silvan Agius, who serves as a cabinet expert for EU Commissioner for Equality, was the man behind reporting Mr Grech and the presenters to the police.
During the interview, Mr Grech shared his story about his childhood and the confusion he had experienced when it came to his own sexuality and relationships. He spoke about how as an adult he had been involved in homosexual relationships before becoming a Christian, which changed his life dramatically.
Mr Grech spoke about how he does not agree with the term ‘conversion therapy’ and said that the deeper he went into his Christian faith and exploring the Bible, the more: “I understood that in the Bible, homosexuality is not an identity as we make it nowadays. And neither is it a feeling, but a practice. This means that no matter what sexual feelings a man or a woman is experiencing, if they have sexual relations with a person of the same sex, they commit the homosexual act in God’s eyes, and that is a sin. Just like every other sin, one can repent from it and ask God for forgiveness and ask Him for strength to overcome… I’m talking here from a Christian perspective…”
Accused of advertising conversion practices
Following the interview, Mr Grech was shocked to receive a prosecution order from Inspector Roderick Attard from the Maltese police.
The order accused him of advertising ‘conversion practices and this breaking article 3 ( a ) ( iii ) of Chapter 567 of Maltese laws.’ He was told that he would need to attend a hearing on 3 February 2023 and that if he failed to attend, he would be arrested.
Article 3 of Malta’s draconian Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender and Gender Expression Act, states that: ‘It shall be unlawful (a) for any person to: (i) perform conversion practices on a vulnerable person; or (ii) perform involuntary and, or forced conversion practices on a person; or (iii) advertise conversion practices; and, or (b) for a professional to: (i) offer and, or perform conversion practices on any person irrespective of whether compensation is received in exchange; or (ii) make a referral to any other person to perform conversion practices on any person.’
Mr Grech believes he is being aggressively targeted by members of the Malta Gay Rights Movement, who believe that Christian beliefs on marriage and human identity, and any debate surrounding LGBT lifestyles, should be treated as a criminal offence.
What happens in Malta on these issues is of international significance as Malta became the first country in the European Union to ban what LGBT lobbies describe as ‘conversion therapy’ in 2016.
The LGBT lobby, however, has struggled to define what the imposed term ‘conversion therapy’ is. No evidence has been provided to justify the bans, but instead the aggressive campaigning is aimed at criminalising Christian beliefs on human sexuality and silencing any opposition.
Campaigners argue that the case will be a precursor to the impact the UK government’s ‘conversion therapy’ ban, will have on freedom of religion, speech, expression and thought.
‘My Christian journey’
Ahead of the hearing, Mr Grech, who has never been involved with the police in his life, said:
“This week I am in a criminal court for the first time for essentially sharing the hope of my Christian faith and what Christians believe.
“My Christian journey of transformation, from being a practising homosexual interested in the occult and wanting to be a reiki master, to becoming a committed evangelical Christian, is one that should be told without fear of being criminalised.
“The law here in Malta on ‘conversion therapy’ is ideological. It tells you what you are supposed to think. They equate Christian preaching and teaching on biblical sexual ethics, with ‘forcing’ someone to change their sexual identity, which is simply not true and does not happen.
“The aim of the approach is to intimidate any other viewpoints, especially Christian beliefs, into silence. They want to discourage people from speaking out or even thinking in a different way on these issues. These laws should have no place in any nation.
“If you think what is happening to me is bad, I have to tell you that the LGBT lobby in Malta are already planning on making them stricter. They want to use my case to strengthen what they are doing.
“The fact that an influential EU official was behind reporting me to the police tells you everything you need to know about how far reaching this is and the powers that are behind it.
“This week we want to expose in the court room the true face of what has been put into legislation in Malta. We must be bold and uncompromising and pray for God to deliver us and to deliver Malta from these draconian laws.”
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “Why are people so afraid of Matthew’s real-life story that they want to suppress it all costs?
“We should all be concerned at this flagrant attempt by the Maltese authorities to criminalise Matthew simply for telling his story of freedom from unwanted and unfulfilling homosexual activity.
“To deny that Matthew and others can change is discriminatory and violates their Christian freedoms and fundamental human right to free speech.
“Silvan Agius is an LGBT activist at the heart of the EU determined to silence and even criminalise the discussion of leaving a homosexual lifestyle.
“In a truly free society we should be free to say things that people do not like without the fear and threat of going to prison.
“The domino effect of ‘conversion therapy’ bans began in Malta. If a precedent is set by this case in Malta, we will see similar cases in the UK unless, unless robust action is taken.
“It is vital to win this case, not just for people in Malta, but for Christian freedoms and the freedom to leave homosexuality and unwanted same-sex attraction across the world.”
Dr Mike Davidson, chairman of the International Federation for Therapeutic Counselling Choice (IFTCC) and CEO of Core Issues Trust, who is in Malta and expected to give evidence during the trial, said: “From the legislative travesty of Malta’s ‘Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression Act’, we have seen the rise of homo-capitalism and the spawning of LGBT tourism in Europe. We’ve also felt, under fluttering embassy Pride Flags, the cold winds of neo-colonialism, that threaten the African nations, making aid contingent on accepting western mores and sexual dogma.
“Shame on Helena Dalli and the European Union who continue to advocate the imposition of government-mandated sexual identity. They resolutely refuse to listen to alternative viewpoints, such as those expressed by Matthew Grech in his fated interview, and deny basic autonomy, even to adults. They have refused to take account of scientific data that shows the benefits of therapeutic and counselling interventions, even for those who don’t change.
“This legal spectacle is the irresponsibility of 21st century politicians who use the courts to campaign. They are identity-activists, who refuse to allow individuals to change their minds, or their practices and who insist on the must-stay-gay culture, that is patently confusing Western youth and beyond. These are the architects, or at the very least, the agents of the decline of the Christian foundations of Western civilisation and attacks against Gospel-led churches. They will bear the responsibility of the sexual anarchy and personal misery that is likely to unfold.
“Core Issues Trust and the IFTCC will continue to speak out against this folly, and we commend Matthew Grech for his rejection of such legislative thievery that continues to exemplify the denial of fundamental freedoms and rights, that such laws trigger.”
+ Christian Concern, 70 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8AX, England, 020 7935 1488, Contact Page
Barclays Bank has been forced to pay-out over £20,000 in compensation plus legal costs after it capitulated to LGBT activists and closed a Christian ministry’s bank account in a case of viewpoint discrimination.
Core Issues Trust (CIT) and the International Federation for Therapeutic and Counselling Choice (IFTCC), were notified in July 2020 that their banking facilities with top-ranking Stonewall employer, Barclays, would be stopped, following a coordinated harassment campaign.
CIT is a non-profit Christian ministry, based in Northern Ireland, that supports men and women who voluntarily seek change in their sexual preference, expression and/or gender identity. It is the only Christian ministry of its kind in the UK, and a registered charity.
The incident is believed to be a precursor to how activists and institutions will exploit and weaponise the government’s ‘conversion therapy’ ban against anyone that supports the freedom to leave LGBT lifestyles and identity.
Headline Pride sponsor
Barclays appeared to have capitulated to demands to cancel the accounts after sustained pressure was placed on them for providing banking services to the Christian groups while also being the headline sponsor for London’s Gay Pride parade. During this time, CIT also lost its Mail Chimp, PayPal and Facebook and other social accounts, none of which have been recovered.
On 3 July 2020, LGBT activist Mike Buonaiuto posted on Twitter: “EXCLUSIVE: @Pridelnlondon headline sponsor; @Barclays, are currently enabling UK Gay #ConversionTherapy organisation; @CoreTrust, with a bank account for donations here: core-issues.org/giving to-core … This vile org is still a tax deductible charity in the UK. The government must act.”
He followed up this tweet with: “All #LGBTQ organisations can hopefully weigh in on @Barclays for an answer – who, in turn, can weigh in on the government & @trussliz , to change the laws & criminalise gay conversion therapy in the UK. @stonewalluk @northernprideuk @UKPrideNetwork.”
Furthermore, he posted: “Our research has shown @Barclays hands may be very much tied until it’s made illegal. Hence the urgency to criminalise.”
At this time, CIT received over 300 nuisance phone calls and other intimidating messages, including a text to its chief executive, Dr Mike Davidson, which expressed a hope that staff and family members would be raped and killed.
Threatening calls and emails went on for days, until on 13 July 2020, Dr Davidson received a letter from Barclays Bank which simply read: “After careful consideration we’ve taken the decision to close your account and all facilities on 14 September 2020.”
Until this moment Dr Davidson, like his father before him, had banked with Barclays his whole life. In 2011 when he opened the accounts for CIT and in 2017 for IFTCC, their business had received a ‘warm welcome’.
Buonaiuto followed up his previous tweet by posting on 25 July with a Pride flag symbol: “With your help, @Barclays have, this week, closed the bank account facilitating £100k in donations for the UK’s leading Gay #ConversionTherapy org. Thank you. But, this practice remains legal in the UK. It’s time to #BanConversionTherapy.”
‘Unlawful discrimination’
Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Dr Davidson launched a legal claim against the bank with lawyers stating that the closure of the accounts was ‘an act of unlawful discrimination.’
Lawyers argued that the bank had discriminated against Dr Davidson personally, in that his professional and public work was undermined by the withdrawal of banking services from CIT and IFTCC on the grounds of his religious beliefs and/or political opinion.
Dr Davidson sought compensation for loss and damages arising out Barclays’ breach of the Northern Irish Fair Treatment Order, primarily for the Charity’s financial losses.
Over 72,000 people signed a petition calling on Barclays to reinstate the account and to stop discriminating against the Christian ministry.
Throughout the lengthy legal battle, however, Barclays Bank refused to apologise, reinstate either bank account or give a reason for closing it.
The multi-billion-pound corporation also made a number of spurious attempts to have the case thrown out.
Pressed on why the account had been closed, lawyers representing Barclays cited Clause 9.4 of its Terms and Conditions which state: “We can close an account (and stop providing any services and end this agreement) by giving you at least two months ‘ notice. In accordance with the Terms and Conditions, the Bank has exercised its contractual right to close the Business Accounts, upon giving two months’ notice.
“It is wholly denied, and you have failed to evidence, that the Bank has discriminated against your clients either directly or indirectly on the grounds of any religious, philosophical or political belief protected by the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998.”
This week, however, before the case was due to the be heard at the High Court? Barclays made a settlement offer of £21,500 in compensation with legal costs to follow, which Dr Davidson has accepted.
Since this incident in 2020, similar cases of viewpoint discrimination involving the withdrawal of services by financial outlets have followed.
Writing in the Times, former Supreme Court judge, Lord Sumption, has called for greater protections over access to finance systems and described, for example the actions of PayPal cancelling the Free Speech Union’s account, as an: “Ugly incident [which] should not be forgotten. It reveals the vulnerability of even the most respectable pressure groups to arbitrary action by those who, for whatever reason, object to their message. PayPal may have backed down, but this problem is not going to go away.”
‘People will reach their own conclusions’
Responding to the outcome, Dr Davidson, CEO of CIT, said: “People will reach their own conclusions, as they have on other occasions, when a party offers a financial settlement that costs them, without admitting any responsibility. I want to thank the 75,000 supporters who signed a petition, or complained to Barclays or closed their Barclays accounts. We are thankful too that donations to the work of the trust have doubled since that time.
“What we see in Barclays’ actions is yet another example of Stonewall’s misguided influence in forcing LGBT ascendancy within our society and its institutions. Their agenda will fail, despite Barclays’ lavish support and spending, because the freedom of individuals to decide their own pathways or to leave unhelpful identities cannot be controlled by bankers, politicians, activists or therapists. It is their God-given right.
“Core Issues Trust and the IFTCC will continue to oppose government-mandated sexual identity and its refusal to allow therapeutic choice. We reject Barclays bank’s implied accusations of ‘conversion therapy’, directed at our work and charity.”
“This case must serve as a warning to the government of what is coming if it proceeds with publishing and enforcing its ‘conversion therapy’ ban.
“From the outset, it was more important to Barclays to appease their Stonewall sponsors than to protect the basic freedom in this country of having a bank account without being discriminated against because of your beliefs.
“Barclays set itself up to enforce a political or religious viewpoint as an arbiter of public morality, and unilaterally ended the accounts before any ‘conversion therapy’ legislation was in sight.
“Through this case we have exposed Barclays’ pre-emptive political activity in trying to damage and silence our charity and the work we do as part of the Christian church.
“The whole experience was frightening and deeply concerning to myself, my family and colleagues. This must never happen again to another individual, church or Christian ministry. The government must act now to protect Christian ministries from such brazen discrimination.”
Warning
Andrea Williams chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “This was an orchestrated campaign by LGBT activists targeting a Christian ministry and Barclays fell for it.
“Rather than standing up for free speech, Christian freedom, and minority rights, Barclays Bank Plc surrendered to the intimidatory tactics of LGBT activists.
“If banks and other service providers placate hardened activists by removing bank accounts from good and law-abiding customers who are being targeted because of their Christian faith then we’re in a very dark place in this country.
“From experience going back over a decade, we have seen that when Mike Davidson experiences persecution on an issue for the first time, church leaders and even secular free speech advocates are next to experience similar discrimination.
“We will continue to stand with Mike Davidson and CIT and any Christian ministry who falls foul of the weaponising of the ‘conversion therapy’ ban.”
+ Christian Concern, 70 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8AX, England, 020 7935 1488, Contact Page
[3] Transition as an Act of Co-Creation in Partnership with the Divine
[Editor’s Note: An example of what the confessional and Reformed churches are up against from conformation to the world pretending to be the Christian Church – this press release should be placed in the left margin of the Oxford English Dictionary adjacent to the word “eisegesis.”]
A reflection by Pacific School of Religion Master of Divinity student, Micah Melody Taberner
“So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air and brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.” – Genesis 2:19, NRSVUE
About a year after I started my journey toward LGBTQ+ affirming theology, I began deeply wrestling with how my own transgender identity intersected with my faith. One afternoon as I set up in my favorite coffee shop for a time of prayer and devotionals, I found myself drawn to the story of Jacob wrestling with God in Genesis 32. After Jacob wrestles with God, refusing to let go until he is blessed, God responds, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” I found myself in awe that God renamed Israel as a mark of his new identity and ongoing wrestling, and I silently prayed a simple prayer: “God, if you had a new name for me, what would it be?” It was not that I particularly expected a response; it was a childlike prayer from a deep, unexpressed place in my soul. To my surprise, I heard a reply. “You are my Song; you are my Melody.” For the next two years, countless people in my non-affirming, Charismatic church—people to whom I had never told this story—prayed this name over me or prophesied something like, “God is giving you a new Melody to sing.” When it came time to pick a new name, I chose to include Melody in recognition of my wrestling partnership with God in becoming the woman I am today.
Naming is a creative act. In Genesis 32, God renames Israel, redefining his identity from “supplanter” to “wrestles with God.” In this moment of transformation, a new identity and name are created. However, this name change does not happen without Israel’s participation. Through persistent wrestling, Israel becomes a co-creator of his new identity. Likewise, in Genesis 2, God partners with Adam, inviting him directly into the process of Creation by giving him the agency to name the animals. Naming and meaning-making through language are significant for humans. They are how we shape, understand, define, redefine, and relate to ourselves and the world around us. That humans are involved in Creation through the power of naming speaks of God’s desire to involve us in shaping our world.
The act of naming ourselves is a common experience for many trans and gender-expansive people. Regardless of the name chosen, picking a name empowers trans people to self-define and claim agency. For myself and many trans and gender-expansive people I have spoken to, settling into our names has been a moment of immense joy and affirmation. There is nothing like hearing someone call you by your name for the first time—your true name that honors and recognizes the innermost parts of yourself and your journey into selfhood. It is a profoundly joyful and liberating experience.
One of the greatest gifts for many transgender and gender-expansive people is gender euphoria. Gender euphoria is a term common in online trans communities referring to the feelings of joy, congruence, and wholeness individuals experience when they are seen for who they truly are. It arrives when individuals take steps to align their bodies and gender expression with their gender identity—a creative process often called transition. Whether it be changing their name and pronouns as mentioned above, changing which clothes they wear, starting hormone replacement therapy (HRT), or having gender-affirming surgeries, through transition, trans people move toward increased joy and life.
Like Adam, transgender and gender-expansive people are created in the image of a Creator and are invited to participate in the ongoing act of Creation. We are given agency to name, shape, and bring about the flourishing of ourselves and our world. Of the creative call on transgender people, Justin Sabia-Tanis writes:
“We are called to be artisans of our own lives and bodies. We should take responsibility for our own continued creation, both the development of our inner selves and our outer bodies. As trans people, we should take seriously the task of creating for ourselves the lives to which we feel called and compelled. … When we see this process as sacred, we can claim our places as artists cooperating with God in creating the developing, changing person that we are and that we are becoming.”
Regardless of which steps we take to care for our gender, transition is an act of co-creation in partnership with the Divine.
In the lead-up to the 2024 US election, we are seeing unprecedented attempts to restrict the God-given, creative agency of the trans community.
At the time of writing, the ACLU is tracking 491 anti-LGBTQ+ bills across the United States. The vast majority of these bills target transgender people—especially trans youth. Rather than seek the flourishing of trans people, these bills criminalize our existence by restricting access to safe bathrooms, greatly limiting access to gender-affirming medical care, and weakening nondiscrimination laws. Some of the worst even threaten to remove trans children from their parents if they are provided with life-saving, gender-affirming care. These bills are a violation of basic human rights and an affront to God. To limit access to self-expression and gender-affirming care, whether through legislation, harassment, or spiritual dissuasion, is to restrict the creative agency of trans individuals and to mar the creative spark of the Imago Dei inherent in all humanity.
A Transgender Christian Ethic of Liberation recognizes the agency of all individuals to co-create their bodies and the world toward greater flourishing and abundant life. To truly see joyful, abundant life, we must give space for individuals or communities to self-determine what they need to flourish. It is not merely enough to do to others what you would want to be done to yourself. We must ask and listen to others how they need to be treated. We must restore individuals’ agency over their own bodies. Simply because one cannot imagine needing puberty blockers, hormones, or gender-affirming surgery for oneself does not mean it is not healing and life-saving for others who need it.
To give trans and gender-expansive individuals full agency over their own lives, a radical shift in the dynamics of power must take place. We must completely restructure who has the authority to determine what constitutes ethical decision-making by returning that power to the communities directly affected by those decisions. In a community where trans and gender-expansive people have agency over their own lives, all must have agency over their own lives for the full flourishing of the human family.
Micah Melody Taberner (she/her) is the Community Care Coordinator for Transmission Ministry Collective—an online community dedicated to the spiritual care and leadership potential of transgender and gender-expansive Christians. She is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at Pacific School of Religion. As a transgender, bi-racial Latina follower of Jesus, her greatest passion is helping individuals and communities explore the intersection of their own identities and faith. In all her work, she loves using art, music, and storytelling to build relationships and stir cross-cultural dialogue.
+ Religion News Service, 1930 18th Street Northwest, Suite B2, Washington DC 20009, 202-463-8777, Fax: 202-463-0033, info@religionnews.com
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