21 Jun 2024
Rev Peter Crumpler, associate minister at St Paul’s Church in Fleetville, looks ahead to the imminent General Election.
Politicians love to tell bishops and vicars to keep out of politics – unless they’re speaking up to agree with what they are saying.
And it’s a brave priest who speaks out in the middle of a long General Election campaign to give their support to any one political party.
Some do. But most, like me, like to pray that we’ll be led by women and men of honesty, integrity and a commitment to serve the common good. Cynics will say – given the state of 21st century politics – that my prayer rules out a good many of today’s politicians.
Personally, I’m an optimist, and like to think that the vast majority of people standing for election in a couple of weeks’ time are doing so because they want to make the country a better place.
I also know that Christians, and people of faith from across a range of traditions, will be voting for all the political parties. The saying that the Church of England is ‘the Tory party at prayer’ is long gone… if it was ever true.
Election advice issued from the CofE says, “Across the political spectrum, we believe that those who offer themselves for public office need and deserve our support and our prayer. In fact, the Bible urges us to pray for those who make difficult decisions on our behalf; who shoulder great burdens; who, we pray, will carry out their duty with integrity and compassion.”
Unlike many people, I’m fascinated by elections, and I’ve been following the ups and downs of the campaign since that rainy Downing Street announcement. I grew up in a home where politics was discussed across the Sunday dinner table, and my dad’s proudest moment was patting Harold Wilson’s back after a local election meeting.
So I don’t think religion can be kept out politics. Because faith, at its best, is supporting and speaking out for people on the margins of society. It’s about challenging the way society is run and calling for everyone to be given a fair deal.
Jesus Christ challenged the leaders of his day, as he set out a new way to live. He paid the price with his life.
Today, many politicians praise churches for running food banks, providing debt counselling services, organising homeless shelters and all kinds of other social provision.
But when we ask why these services are needed in an advanced western economy…we’re told to keep out of the political debate.
Faith matters. It motivates many people to stand for political office. It motivates people to volunteer to support political parties and help get out their voters. It motivates people to vote for the party and politicians that support their values.
And that means – for many people of faith and of none – we respect those politicians who speak the truth and level with us about the challenges in our society, as well as the opportunities ahead.
It’s people of truth and integrity whose values line up with their promises that deserve our faith…and our vote.
