THE BRITISH INQUISITION
Barnabas Houses, a Christian run shelter for the homeless, has been told that it can expect to lose its £150,000 government grant and is facing closure as a result. This is because grace is said at mealtimes and bibles have been made available. Consequently it has been accused of being insufficiently ‘inclusive’ of other faiths.
The shelter has also been told that it must stop the advertisement of Christian events and to also lift its ban on alcohol and drugs.
Barnabas Houses consists of 3 refuges in King’s Lynn ,Norfolk, and the government grant forms a ‘major part’ of the running costs.
The staff have not received a single complaint about the Christian ethos of the shelter since it was formed in 1993, and many of those admitted are either non-Christians or are believers in other religions.
The threat to withdraw the grant comes from the Conservative Norfolk County Council, which has recently condemned the use of the term ‘Holy Ghost’. A council spokesman said that prayers and grace could be ‘inappropriate given the backgrounds of service users’ and that the shelter’s ‘trustees and management have been advised that they need consistent and realistic policies on alcohol and drugs. Experience has shown that outright bans simply move the problems on to the streets’.
The shelter’s trustees are considering whether or not to obey the council or risk losing the funding.
The shelter has also been told that it must stop the advertisement of Christian events and to also lift its ban on alcohol and drugs.
Barnabas Houses consists of 3 refuges in King’s Lynn ,Norfolk, and the government grant forms a ‘major part’ of the running costs.
The staff have not received a single complaint about the Christian ethos of the shelter since it was formed in 1993, and many of those admitted are either non-Christians or are believers in other religions.
The threat to withdraw the grant comes from the Conservative Norfolk County Council, which has recently condemned the use of the term ‘Holy Ghost’. A council spokesman said that prayers and grace could be ‘inappropriate given the backgrounds of service users’ and that the shelter’s ‘trustees and management have been advised that they need consistent and realistic policies on alcohol and drugs. Experience has shown that outright bans simply move the problems on to the streets’.
The shelter’s trustees are considering whether or not to obey the council or risk losing the funding.
posted by erc @ 9:05 pm
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