Christian coalition opposes U.K. government's proposal for registration and inpection of church youth work

Several Christian charities are opposing plans of the U.K. government to have churches that conduct youth work be registered and inspected before they could be legally allowed to teach Christian values to the young ones. They said that this is "an unjustified restriction of religious liberty."

In a joint statement published on Monday, Christian Concern, CARE, Evangelical Alliance, Lawyers' Christian Fellowship, and The Christian Institute said: "Christians are peace-loving, law-abiding citizens who respect authority and love their neighbours. They are a major source of volunteering, and represent the best of 'British values'. To require such people to submit to registration and inspection to ensure they are not encouraging terrorism is profoundly misconceived."

The plan, announced by the department of education in 2015, says that institutions that provide teaching of more than six hours per week to youth below 19 years old will be required to register. This is part of the government's strategy to counter extremism. However, the coalition said in their statement that regardless of whether it's six hours or higher, "the principle of outlawing 'unregistered churches' from teaching children the gospel is an unacceptable overreach of the state."

In an interview with Christian Today, a CARE spokesman said that the banding together of the groups indicates how worrisome the government's plan is, as well as how determined the Christian community is "to stand up for the freedom to teach the Christian faith to the next generation without unnecessary State interference."

Prime Minister David Cameron, according to The Telegraph in a January report, promised MPs that school inspectors will not be allowed to raid Christian summer camps, meetings of boy scouts and girl scounts, and Sunday schools. The government also said Ofsted inspections of a church would be done only if there is complaint, in order to check if the institution is complying with "British values." However, the group says that in the current climate of religious illiteracy and aggressive secularism, there is a considerable scope for complaints. They also said that Christian schools have already experienced "that inspectors themselves can be ignorant of or hostile to Christian beliefs and practices."

"We do not believe Ofsted should become the state regulator of religion," the statement says.