More can be found on the Church hustings for London Mayor at Ekklesia. Of the six minority candidates standing for election as London mayor, only the one standing on an explicitly Christian ticket has been invited to attend the main hustings event for churches in central London.
I've written the following for Pilgrimage, the St John's magazine, on approaches to voting:
On 1st May Londoners will elect a new Mayor and London Assembly. There are 10 Mayoral candidates, 153 Assembly Member candidates and 20 different political parties taking part in the contest. So how should you vote as a Christian?
The first thing to say is that we should all vote. A lot of cynicism exists about politics in the UK but we have the fundamental human right of a democratic vote, something that people in other parts of the world risk their lives to gain or use, and we should not waste the opportunity we have to contribute to the democratic process.
After all, we have something to contribute and share because Christianity engages with and has something to say on all the major issues facing our society and world - environmental degradation; international poverty; health and the NHS; education and schools; defence, foreign affairs and terrorism; crime, law and order; race, asylum and immigration; Europe and the EU; the economy; pensions; and transport.
However, the Bible and Church tradition does not provide a set of political policies that we can simply adopt, instead Biblical and Church approaches to issues over the centuries can help us formulate a series of principles against which we might evaluate party manifestos and promises. We need to think and pray through the issues, ask questions that matter to us, and reflect on our own priorities and what we understand to be the priorities emerging from the Bible and Church tradition, both for ourselves and for the society in which we live.
We won’t all agree; which is why Christians can be found in all the main political parties. It is also an issue with parties that aim to present a Christian voice – in this election Christian Choice are taking this approach and encouraging Churches and their members to support them. This approach suggests that there is agreement on key issues and policies on those issues among Christians and agreement that we have to tackle those issues in our own way and not in partnership with others (as happens when Christians are members of other parties). But that agreement does not exist. However, leaflets about Christian Choice are available in the Church lounge so you can make up your own mind.
I cannot tell you how to vote but I do encourage to vote and try to think about the issues and the parties in terms of your understanding of the Bible and Church tradition before you do vote.
One thing that does seem clear to me however is that we should oppose prejudice and any party, such as the BNP, which seeks to exploit or stir up prejudice among voters and within our communities. That is why I have been happy to accept an invitation to speak at the Redbridge & Epping TOGETHER rally at the Town Hall which encourages people to vote in favour of democracy and against the BNP.
Ultimately, voting is not easy, as it demands a difficult prioritisation of issues, or appealing, when the options available may fail to inspire allegiance. But it remains an important privilege and responsibility for those who live in a democracy, and if Christians can engage with the issues seriously, vote wisely and provide an antidote to consumer politics, democracy will be healthier for it.
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The Charlatans - Blank Heart, Blank Mind.
2 comments:
You are right when you say that Christians can and do share different political views. However there are some issues with a broad Christian consensus. I think the Christian Choice's aim to push on these issues - you can do that as a small party. I guess it isn't too far away from Christian lobby groups like The Christian institute, Care or even the Jubilee Centre as they try and persuade government. I heard Alan on BBC News say he didn't want to talk about transport policy, as it is not an area where they are distinctive.
It's also notable that as the major parties are making it harder for free conscience votes - it's an interesting historical aside that Wilberforce left the Tory's to become an interdependent. Alan won't be mayor, but on the assembly he can act as a conscience. If Christian politics does well it may free up Christians in the major party to act on conscience and send a message to the ruling elite that Christianity is alive and well.
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Thanks for your comments, John. I've got no problem with political parties being formed that have a Christian basis but I do think there is an issue when they present themselves as the Christian choice.
While it would be possible to identify issues that are of concern to a broad range of Christians developing a broad consensus on particular policies in relation to those issues would be much more difficult. This is illustrated by the Christian lobby groups you cite, which all sit within a broadly Evangelical tradition and whose agendas wouldn't automatically have the support of Christians from other traditions.
For a political party to label itself, and by implication its policies, as 'the Christian Choice' immediately suggests that other parties, their policies and their supporters are not 'the Christian Choice.' This is inaccurate in that there are many Christians in other political parties and many other policies and policy proposals from other parties that would have the support of many other Christians. It is also misleading in that it suggests to the general public that one set of issues and policy proposals is all that Christians are interested in or about when it comes to politics.
Within the Church we all seem to want to make the claim that our views and opinions represent mainstream Christianity whether we are, for example, 'Christian Voice', 'Anglican Mainstream' or 'Inclusive Church'. However, the diversity of the Church means that it is actually very difficult to say what mainstream Christianity is. In this situation, it seems to me, that to use organisational names which accurately reflect the support base of particular organisations is actually more helpful and honest. So, for example, organisations such as the Evangelical Alliance or the Lesbian & Gay Christian Movement have names that, while boring, are clear about who it is that they represent in contrast to organisations whose names suggest that they represent all Christians when in reality they don't.
So, I have no problem with political parties being formed by Christians or with a Christian basis but I think they should make it clear that they represent 'a' Christian Choice, not 'the' Christian Choice.
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