In 2006, the Labour Government of Tony Blair tried to pass a religious hate speech law which, according to some legal experts at that time, could have earned British Christians who criticised Islam a seven-year prison sentence. Mercifully, it was narrowly defeated in the House of Commons.

One wonders whether Mr Clegg's intended comment last night would have fallen foul of Mr Blair's law. But thank the good Lord Mr Clegg remains free to call someone like me a bigot without fearing jail.

It is surely quite conceivable that a future Labour government would want to outlaw criticism of same-sex marriage as 'homophobic hate speech' with the offence carrying a custodial sentence. Given the depth of hostility against opponents of same-sex marriage within the British political establishment, why should Christians who criticised the innovation not expect to risk prison?

If Mr Clegg were to remain leader of the Liberal-Democrats after the next General Election and his party were to form a coalition government with Labour, his support for such a law would surely be almost certain in the light of what he intended to say last night.

Under such a scenario, what should be the Christian response to Mr Clegg and to those who share his deeply-held conviction that opposing same-sex marriage is motivated by hate-filled bigotry?

Jesus told his disciples in his Sermon on the Mount: "But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;" (Matthew 5v44 - Authorised Version).

So, however resentful one may feel at the unjust suppression of freedom of debate in our country (which I for one have no wish to see meted out on supporters of same-sex marriage), the right response as a British Christian, now and in the likely much more difficult future, is to pray for the redemption of Mr Clegg.

And to continue graciously and faithfully to uphold the biblical teaching that marriage, as God created it and as Jesus hallowed it, is exclusively between one man and one woman for life.

The above constitutes the two-fold Christian duty to God and to our country, even though the second part is perceived as bigotry by the political establishment.

And may well become illegal to fulfill under the politically correct new moral order engulfing Britain.

The Christian calling to pray, however, as the Apostle Paul wonderfully demonstrated in his prison epistles, is impossible to outlaw even in jail.

Julian Mann is vicar of the Parish Church of the Ascension, Oughtibridge, South Yorkshire, UK