We are thrilled and deeply thankful to God that the Senate committee of inquiry is recommending Federal Parliament not pass the “Sex Discrimination Amendment (Removing Discrimination Against Students) Bill 2018” and is urging its referral for thorough inquiry.

 

Our thanks go out to the thousands of concerned Australians who stepped up to defend freedom of faith. By a massively overwhelming majority, the submissions to the inquiry urged rejection of the bill. Very few voices endorsed the proposed legislation.

 

Let’s now pray the Senate will affirm the good wisdom provided by the inquiry and not pass the bill.

 

The sex discrimination proposal was in fact designed to solve a problem which hardly exists. There is absolutely no pattern of harm done to students in faith-based schools who are struggling with personal issues of sexuality, relationships and identity. Schools do not persecute, ridicule or seek to offend anyone.

 

But under the proposed legislation, faith-based schools, colleges and tertiary institutions could have lost the freedom to sensitively commend biblical truth about sexuality, relationships and identity.

 

It effectively threatened to remove the ability of schools to be precise about what is good, in contrast to what is harmful; wisdom in distinction to folly; sinful behaviours juxtaposed with right living.

 

Hence the bill could more accurately be titled the “Removal of freedom of choice in faith-based education bill”. We really are dealing with ideologically-driven ambitions to eliminate politically-incorrect freedoms.

 

It is nice to have a victory for a change!

 

As we offer thanks for today’s welcome news about the rejection of the bill by the committee of inquiry, we invite you to join with us in lifting these prayer points to Almighty God. Feel free to use them in any context.

 

Father, we pray that the Senate will uphold freedom of choice as faith-based educational institutions seek sensitively to commend your plan for human sexuality, relationships and identity.

 

Lord, be with Australian federal authorities who receive (on average) one case of allegedly forced marriage per week. We pray against such instances of relational harm.

 

Lord of creation, be with the Tasmanian Upper house as it will soon debate proposed legislation to allow people to change gender by mere completion of a statutory declaration.

 

Good Teacher, following reports that more than half the year-one students nationally have failed to meet expected standards of literacy, we pray their parents will take time to assist children, and we pray for a restoration of phonics-based approaches to reading and writing.

 

God of the nations, we give thanks as Wollongong University hopes to commence a degree course in Western civilisation sponsored by the Ramsay Centre. We pray that the good things we've received will be commended.

 

Our Father, we pray for a restoration of trust in the now discredited banking and financial institutions, whose officers in a former era served with credence and good will. We pray against the culture of selfishness and greed.

 

Father, we pray for the Victorian Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants, as it considers whether some convictions involving informants have occurred fairly and lawfully.

 

We pray the people of Queensland will respond faithfully and ambitiously to uphold the sanctity of life in response to a government inquiry into euthanasia.

 

Father, be with the inquiry into surrogacy in South Australia, and with parliamentary debate on surrogacy in Western Australia, so concerns would be raised about the harms done through the deliberate disconnect of mother and child.

 

Lord God, as the Anzac Day and Easter commemorations approach, we pray that churches would be enthused by your Holy Spirit to utilise those public holidays as opportunities for outreach and witness to our Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.

 

Blessings,