Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. (Letter to the Hebrews 13. 1-3)

On Sunday 10th April, hundreds of Christians from across Leeds met in Millennium Square in an act of witness on behalf of asylum seekers. We heard church leaders challenging politicians of all parties to stop exploiting the plight of asylum-seekers and misleading the electorate by confusing the issues of asylum and immigration; and among a range of challenging biblical readings, we heard the words from the Letter to the Hebrews quoted above.

Passages such as this give the lie to those who claim that politics and religion do not mix. Such claims are made, at different times, both by politicians and by people of religious faith, but such claims are misguided. Whilst the Bible does not give Christians explicit instructions about where they should place their cross on the ballot paper, it does offer guidance, sometimes very explicit guidance, about the kind of questions we should be asking of those who seek to represent us as elected politicians, either locally or nationally. Relating these questions to our scriptures and to our tradition inevitably involves us in politics, since it is only our elected representatives who are in a position to effect change through legislation.

A significant element in Christian self-understanding, arising directly from scripture, is that we have all been baptized into one body, the body of Jesus Christ. Like the parts of any body, we are all mutually dependent and have our own unique contribution to make. Is this not a model that we should seek to commend to our politicians and to our wider society as we prepare to elect a new government?