Getting Political Beyond the Ballot Box
October 18, 2024 2:37 pm
How might Christians and Church communities engage with politics in the months and years after the General Election. Steve Tinning It’s been over 3 months since the UK General Election – a momentous election that saw a dramatic change in the make-up of the Westminster Parliament. For some of us, election campaigns are exciting whirlwinds – but as soon as the votes have been counted, our focus quickly moves on to following the next fascinating political soap opera, whether that’s the Conservative leadership contest or the US election. For others of us, the general election might be the only time we pay any serious attention to politics as we consider how we’re going to use our vote. There is no doubt, a General Election is a focal moment for political engagement, and serves, amongst other things, as an acute reminder of our civic responsibilities, but whether the election result left you disappointed or elated, or somewhere in between, the experiences of the government’s first 100 days have been a reminder that politics is too important to be left for elections alone. The issues that concerned us on the 3rd of July were still there on the 4th – and new challenges have emerged too. The JPIT team were thrilled to hear of so many churches using our ‘Love, Pray, Vote’ resources, hosting hustings, encouraging those in their communities to register and vote, and engaging with candidates on issues like poverty, the economy, climate change, immigration and peace, but we desperately hope these experiences might be a spring board to ongoing political engagement. For some reason, political engagement outside the election season has a reputation for being for the fanatics, the hardcore campaigners, or the pedants. Even amongst many Christians, there is a nervousness about getting too “political”, and yet a key part of any ongoing parliamentary process is the canvasing of a wide range of perspectives and opinions on any number of important issues – do we really think the Church’s voice should be absent from this engagement? I’d love for Christians around the country and the churches in which they gather to “get political” – not just at the ballot box, but as an ongoing posture of their lives as disciples of Christ. Getting political shouldn’t imply undying commitment to any particular party – rather, a commitment to keep aware of the issues that are impacting those in our communities and across the UK and wider world, especially those who are poor and/or marginalised. It would require us to make ourselves aware of policy work and legislation that might relate to these issues. We would need to give careful prayerful consideration to how faith in Jesus, and a commitment to the values of the Kingdom of God, might offer insights relevant to various political conversations, and we would need to discern what is our part to play in making our views known – influencing decision makers, both as individuals and as churches. Sounds like quite a commitment doesn’t it? But it needn’t be as overwhelming as it sounds, and JPIT is absolutely here to help. We have a commitment to keep providing Christians that care about peace and justice (all Christians I hope) with resources like our “Stay & Pray” social media messages, our “10 minutes on” podcast and other more detailed briefings, to enable you to stay in touch with certain political themes and agendas. But we are also building a brand-new network called the Constituency Action Network (CAN) for churches that want to be more intentional about their political engagement. For some individuals, signing petitions is their primary outlet to express their concerns about injustices, for others it might be attending a vigil or a protest, then there are those who write letters to their MPs or senior faith leaders. All these things are good and valuable ways of “getting political”, but if the Christian faith has anything to add to the conversation about how voices are heard and how change is realised, then surely it has something to do with the power of relationships. Sadly, many are put off political engagement because so much of the political discourse we see through social and mainstream media is hostile, embittered, cynical, despairing, arrogant and even violent. My experience of engaging with politicians, locally and nationally, however, has shown me that it is generally much more even-tempered than that, and that most of our elected representatives, whatever their party allegiance, are motivated by public service and a deep commitment to the communities they represent. What a witness we could be to the world if we could only find a way for our political engagement to resist the hostile narrative, and reflect both the fruit of the spirit and the relational heart of God on the journey. On occasion Jesus engaged with large crowds, but more often than not his most profound encounters were with individuals – moments when Jesus could really see people, could listen to their stories and concerns, and could speak in ways that often left a life changing impression. I wonder if for many churches the best pathway to getting political in an impactful way, might simply be to build more intentional relationships – relationships between the church and those in greatest need in your communities, and relationships between the church and those with greatest power. What a wonderful time it is to embark on such a commitment. More than half of the MPs elected in July have never been MPs before, and are looking to build relationships with those in their constituencies with their ears to the ground. So how about exploring going on a journey with your church and with your MP. Whatever their party or policy affiliations, these are people that have a responsibility to represent communities in some of the most important political discussions and decisions, and the power to bring about real change for the common good – but they are also just people, like you and me, people […]
