Articles - From the Vicar

On Tuesday 5^th May the Prime Minister announced the date of the General Election, much to the delight and relief of those political journalists whose pencils had already been sharpened in April. The United Kingdom's many political micro-climates will be subject to exhaustive commentary and analysis in all the news media as hopeful candidates - the battle-hardened no less than the tyros - seek to win the approval of an electorate that seems to be increasingly sceptical of the whole political process.

One of the more interesting features of recent political discourse has been the extent to which politicians have actively sought the opinions and the approval of faith communities. I believe that Christians should view this development not with scepticism but with enthusiasm. The values of our faith as mediated both through scripture and tradition enable us to articulate a worldview that is powerfully counter-cultural. This worldview can thus function as an important counterweight to the bleak utilitarianism that lies at the heart of so many governments' policies throughout the developed world.

Christians need not be coy about engaging with the world of politics. God's radical call to discipleship necessarily involves us in co-operating with all women and men of goodwill to build a society that is founded on such Gospel values as peace, social justice, healing and inclusiveness. There can be legitimate argument among Christians about how such values might best be enabled to flourish. About the values themselves, however, there can be no negotiation.