Christians across the UK took a stand for their faith yesterday with the launch of the nationwide Not Ashamed campaign.

The campaign is being spearheaded by Christian Concern and has the support of the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey.

Christian Concern said it wanted the campaign to spark a “robust” national debate about the place of the Christian faith in modern Britain.

Lord Carey has written a leaflet to support the campaign in which he warns that Britain’s rich Christian legacy in many aspects of society, from the legal system, to healthcare, education and culture, is “under attack”.

He says that cases of teachers and council employees being suspended for offering prayer and bans on wearing the cross in the workplace are evidence that Christianity is being “stealthily and subtly brushed aside” in Britain.

“This attempt to ‘air-brush’ the Christian faith out of the picture is especially obvious as Christmas approaches,” he writes.

“The cards that used to carry Christmas wishes now bear ‘Season’s greetings’. The local school nativity play is watered down or disappears altogether.

“The local council switches on ‘Winter lights’ in place of Christmas decorations. Even Christmas has become something of which some are ashamed.

“So, it appears that flowing from a combination of well-meaning political correctness, multiculturalism and overt opposition to Christianity, a new climate, hostile to our country’s tradition and history, is developing.”

More than 15,000 Christians have signed the Not Ashamed Declaration of Christian Hope, which calls on the government, employers and other leaders to protect the freedom of Christians “to participate in public life without compromising biblical values” and to promote Christian values.

Other supporters of the campaign include the former Bishop of Rochester the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the head of Barnabas Fund Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, and the Bishop of Peterborough the Rt Rev Donald Allister.

As part of the Not Ashamed, Christians will be contacting their MPs and writing to their local newspapers to highlight the campaign and its aims.