Dear Friends

A SERIOUS CHALLENGE TO CHRISTIAN FREEDOM OF SPEECH

The Hearing of a case against 2 Christian leaders for a seminar on the teachings and practices of Muslims will be heard by the Victorian Civil & Administrative Tribunal starting next Tuesday and concluding on Thursday (14th to 16th Oct)

This is a trial case for the new Victorian legislation against Religious Vilification, and the question is whether Christians have the right to speak (even in clearly Christian meetings) about the Koran and teachings and practices of Islam in Australia that are freely available in their books, on their websites or statements they have made in the media, etc.

Please pray for Ps Danny Nalliah and Ps Daniel Scott, who are the defendents, and for Rev. Mark Durie, Assoc Professor of Literature at Melbourne Uni and Assoc. Pastor of St Hilary’s Kew, who is and authority on Islam and is the expert witness in the defence of the Christian position in this case. Pray for them to know God’s wisdom and leading and to show His love in their speaking.

Pray for the tribunal, for a peaceful outcome and for a statement to be issued affirming the right to freedom of speech and verifiable information about other faiths and movements in our nation.

Pray also for the Muslim people involved in the case, for the judges and for the wider Islamic community, that the result will be better relations between our two communities and faiths–not relationships of fear, but relationships of love and engagement with one another that will leave the door open for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.