Do not be silent: speaking truth in a culture of fear

So said Winston Churchill in the Commons chamber in October 1943, at the height of World War II. Even in a time of national crisis, Britain held fast to the principle of free speech. Enormous sacrifices were made to preserve it. But do we still cherish this freedom today? 

In 2019, Rev. Dr. Bernard Randall, a Church of England school chaplain, was reported to the UK government’s anti-terrorism Prevent programme, and later lost his job. His offence? Delivering a measured sermon in his school’s chapel on LGBTQ+ issues. 

His story highlights the importance of free speech on our ability to share the gospel, teach the Bible, and live according to Jesus’ call, free from prosecution. While many debates about free speech may feel distant, academic, or political, they often shape the culture in which our Christian witness is received. When truth becomes stigmatised, and when disagreement is mistaken for hate, the Christian voice is often pushed to the margins. 

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This threat is not limited to the pulpit. In 2021, at the University of Sussex, Professor Kathleen Stock published a book questioning whether gender identity should take precedence over biological sex. Despite writing respectfully and within the bounds of the law, she was swiftly branded transphobic. She faced protests, threats to her safety, and posters around campus calling for her to be sacked. Ultimately, she resigned. Today, she rarely speaks in public without security present. 

However, Stock’s story didn’t end in silence. She was awarded an OBE for services to education, and the University of Sussex reportedly paid her £585,000 after legal pressure over its failure to uphold her academic freedom. Significantly, her story became the catalyst for the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023. 

This Act was introduced to address the rising culture of no-platforming, self-censorship, and the institutional pressure to conform. There has been a significant shift in opinion in recent years on the topic of self-censorship. A survey of UK university students in 2022 found that the proportion of students who believed that ​“universities are becoming less tolerant of a wide range of viewpoints”, had increased to 38%, from 24% when the same survey was conducted in 2016. A different study found that this attitude was particularly prevalent among Christian students. 

To combat this, the Act placed new legal duties on universities, colleges, and student unions to actively protect freedom of speech within the law, not merely to avoid restricting it. The Act also empowered the Office for Students (OfS) to investigate breaches, enforce compliance, and introduced a new director for freedom of speech and academic freedom. A statutory tort was also created, allowing individuals to seek compensation if their rights were violated. 

However, the Act’s implementation has been anything but smooth. After the 2024 General Election, the newly elected Labour government unexpectedly paused the Act just days before it was due to come into force. Over 500 senior academics signed an open letter to the Secretary of State for Education, calling the move a serious mistake. One government source even described the Act as a ​“hate-speech charter.” 

Despite this setback, a review in January led to the decision to proceed with implementing the legislation, albeit with some revisions. The OfS has now released formal guidance for universities, outlining a three-step process: ensure speech is lawful, take reasonable steps to protect it, and ensure any restrictions are justified and proportionate under human rights law. 

Will this legislation change the culture? That remains uncertain. 

While law is a helpful reinforcement, it is no substitute for cultural change. Legislation can protect space, but it cannot fill it with moral courage, intellectual curiosity or confidence in truth telling. Universities may comply on paper while maintaining a culture of aversion, peer pressure and professional ostracism. These reforms, for all their value, will ring hollow and be short-lived unless institutions show courage in using them to their full advantage. 

Freedom of speech is not just a right; it is a virtue and a gift. It is never fully secure, and always in need of renewal. In Acts 18, when Paul faced fierce opposition, the Lord reassured him: ​“Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” We often fear consequences far less severe than Paul faced, awkwardness, lost reputation, or professional risk, but still choose silence. 

Yet as the Lord reassured Paul, the desire for truth is often greater than we think. The Bible Society’s Quiet Revival report found that 47% of 18 – 24-year-old non-churchgoers agree it’s a positive thing for Christians to talk about their faith. If there was ever a moment to speak truth in love, it is now. (Ephesians 4:15.)

Although not everyone will be able to make sacrifices or take a risk, nobody ever feels like they can afford to at the time. And some of the strongest voices championing truth in our public square have come from those who were initially ​‘cancelled.’

What if we prayed this week for courage to speak, and for the wisdom to do so gently, wisely, and boldly? What might change if we saw these moments not as risks, but as gifts entrusted to us? After all, as Jesus says, ​“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded.” (Luke 12:48.)