Sir Timothy Hoare Bt OBE, 1934-2008
Sir Timothy Hoare, who died on January 18, was one of a small group of far-sighted individuals who, in the early 1960s, set about bringing the gospel to the City of London.
He was also a founder member of the evangelical group on the Church of England’s Church Assembly (and subsequently General Synod) to which he was elected for a total of 40 years.
When truth is silenced
On March 5, the Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship (LCF) held a seminar entitled ‘When the truth is silenced — freedom of religion and the Christian response to 21st-century rights discourses’. Billed as a seminar which would look at the impact of the law on religious freedom, the evening was chaired by the public policy officer of LCF, Andrea Williams.
Addressing the packed room of 150 or so, Williams introduced barrister Paul Diamond, who set the legal scene by reference to one of the numerous cases in which he has been instructed. Extrapolating from this one case several issues of general relevance, Diamond gave an insight into the convoluted world of employment rights as they applied to a Christian man who had been dismissed following his refusal to work on Sundays.