Affirmed through baptism and readied in the wilderness, Jesus sets out to proclaim God’s good news (Mark 1.9-15). Now, in the preparation period of Lent and the campaign lead-up to the UK general election, the bishops of the Church of England have affirmed and called on us to bring God’s good news to bear on UK political life.
This week's news
On Shrove Tuesday the House of Bishops of the Church of England published an open letter to its ‘people and parishes’ – at 56 pages, perhaps more of a booklet – that was called an ‘unprecedented’ intervention of the Church into the political arena on the BBC News and Newsnight that evening. The document has drawn criticism from many press commentators and politicians, some feeling that it is partisan and left-leaning, others that the Church simply shouldn’t get involved in politics at all.
The letter, titled Who is my neighbour?, calls for Christians to take seriously the ‘privileges’ of democracy and to vote in the upcoming UK General Election on 7 May.
However, it also goes further, explaining why and how it believes the Church and its members ‘share responsibility with all citizens’ for participating in the political life of the nation. It offers up a vision of how 2015 could be the time we ‘sow the seeds of a new politics’, reversing the trend of alienation from the democratic process perhaps epitomised by the stance of comedian Russell Brand.
And to demonstrate why voting matters, it dares to begin to explore questions of policy of the kind that the election outcome will affect, in areas ranging from the economy and unemployment, to family life, welfare reform and global issues like aid for international development. All the while – at least in terms of intention – not going as far as telling people how to cast their vote.
The letter is available in full online and there are summaries of the key points available from both The Guardian and the Church of England (downloadable Word format with plenty of verbatim quotes).
And if you want to explore the reactions to the letter, there’s a list of the coverage in Wednesday’s papers here and the BBC’s online newspaper round-up summarises some of the stories and includes images of the front page coverage from The Guardian and The Times.
Reflection
British political life, the bishops’ letter seems to suggest, has been in the wilderness for some time: ‘parties struggle to communicate a convincing vision. People feel detached from politics.’ It is time, they say, for ‘a fresh moral vision of the kind of country we want to be.’ For us to move from being a ‘society of strangers’ to a ‘community of communities’ in which we remember that ‘every human being is created in the image of God’. That affirmation is made strongly in the letter’s theological chapter, ‘A Christian world-view’.
Affirmation to transformation
As today’s readings and the Roots resources display, affirmation can be a useful step on the path towards transformation, whether giving us the strength to face hard times ahead – like God’s words at Jesus’ baptism, which strengthen him for his time in the wilderness – or helping us to recover hope after past difficulties so that we can press on afresh, just as God’s covenant with Noah after the flood clears a path for restoration and future growth. So in the early chapters of their letter the bishops affirm our ability, right and responsibility to share in the work of governance, and the value of the people – and that’s everyone, just like our neighbour is, if you remember? – politics affects, at home and abroad.
Times of preparation and testing, some of them hard (the wilderness, the floods) also feature in both the Gospel and Old Testament passages, but God’s provision is there throughout (the angels, the ark).
Our mission to bring about change
This week we entered Lent, a time of preparation and focus in readiness for Easter and its reminder of our transformation and salvation in Christ. It’s surely no coincidence that the bishops chose to release their letter on Shrove Tuesday, a day when traditionally we reflect on the past, confess wrongs, receive absolution and affirmation, and set out to make a fresh start at the beginning of Lent. The letter, too, reflects on where we are now, and then focuses positively on what we can think about and do next in order to bring about change.
Affirmed and prepared, Christ went on to take up his mission, saying ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’ (Mark 1.15).
Let us use Lent and the time before May’s election to pray for and engage with our democratic process, in the hope that this year’s election will bring – locally, nationally and globally – ‘good news’.
Prayer
It is not always easy to decide how God wishes us to act in complex matters such as how to use our vote, but we can try to spend each day walking with God, so that gradually and increasingly a new perspective will inform not just our reactions in the face of obvious right-or-wrong situations, but also those in the grey areas. Start each day this week by praying briefly with the psalmist:
‘Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.’
Psalm 25.4-5
It’s not one of today’s readings, but in 1 Timothy 2, we are urged to pray for ‘kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.’ Pray for your local MP and the other candidates in your area, for national political leaders, and for others who have influence over decisions that affect the lives of us all here, and across the world. Ask for them to willingly receive wisdom, compassion and a vision of the importance of community, made up of individuals who are all precious and created in the image of God.
Questions
- What kind of policies and promises might Jesus include in his manifesto for the UK General Election?
- If you had to stand for election into your own job, sports team, church group or family, how would you campaign? What would you say qualified you for the role and what would you promise to build on or to change? What feelings of affirmation, prayers of thanks, and prayers of confession does this reflection lead you towards?
Action
Here are some actions you can take or suggest over the next few weeks to help your church community engage with the political process, in the hope that through them and their votes the echo of God’s voice might be heard in the election this year:
Read the bishops’ letter in full (I confess I still need to complete this myself!) – it’s written in a concise, ordered style, and quite large print, so the 56 pages are actually less daunting than might first appear. And despite what some commentators have written, it does very firmly position itself within the context of ‘incarnational’ faith and Scripture, and our call as Christians to help bring about a ‘new creation’.
Is everyone in your congregation who is eligible to vote actually registered to do so? It’s simple and quick to do online but of course not everyone has Internet access or is able to use a computer. Forms are sent out to people’s houses so they can register by post, but it could be worth printing off some forms to distribute to anyone who missed them – they are available to print off online in both English and Welsh, although do make sure to select the right form for your local circumstances.
Busy workers and commuters, people with mobility issues, full-time carers and others sometimes struggle to make it to the polling station even if they intend to vote. These days anyone can apply for a postal vote without specifying a reason, so it’s worth registering for one if you think you might not be able to vote in person – although it does mean you then can’t join in the fun at the polling station on the day as you can’t have both a postal vote and a normal vote. The form for applying for postal votes is available online here and it has to be completed and returned at least 11 days before the election in which you want to vote. So at the moment you’ve still got plenty of time to apply – just don’t leave it too late!
For those interested in learning more about how the UK is run, you might want to watch the BBC series Inside the Commons, a fascinating look at the way decisions are made in our government. At times it’s inspiring, at others it might make you feel a touch disenchanted – but rather than disengage, let’s see it as a challenge to explore how we can prompt change – perhaps write to your MP about the quality of debate in the House, or pray that over time the poorer aspects of politics – the showing off, churlish insults and currying of favours – will be overcome by the desire that drew many to the job in the first place, of working for the common good.
Check out the history of your current local MP which shows you how they voted on a range of issues, what they’ve said in parliament, what their expenses are, what committees they’re on, and so on. It might help you decide if you want them in or out come May!
Young People
In the UK General Election, only those aged 18 on polling day are eligible to vote, but in Scotland last year 16- and 17-year-olds were allowed to vote in the referendum on independence (a one-off allowed by special dispensation).
This affirmation of their ability to take on responsibility for major decisions seems to have been warmly welcomed by the young people themselves, with around 100,000 of them having registered to vote, contributing to a record poll turnout. What do the young people in your group think: would they feel more likely to take a long-term interest in politics and how the country is run if they were given a vote at a younger age?
In the 2010 general election, according to Newsbeat, ‘fewer than half of all 18 to 24-year-olds voted, which was much lower than the national average’. Could one of the reasons be that those young people had not felt affirmed in their right to have a say? Or because they had not been prepared and supported to know how? Are affirmation and preparation essential before you can take on a challenge? Jesus was affirmed by God in his baptism and prepared in the wilderness through the training of temptation and the support of the angels. How can we affirm and help prepare those around us for the challenges they face?
Are any of the young people in your group involved in mock elections at school? If so, how are they finding it? Do they think the quality of the mock debates and candidates is higher than the real ones? Why (or why not)? If they’re not doing mock elections at school, you could consider running one in your group; it can take quite a bit of effort and time to do well (much like real politics), so it’s not a quick project, but there are resources available to help if you’re up for it, for example, the UK Parliament’s Mock Election Toolkit (aimed at secondary school aged pupils).
You can register to vote from the age of 16 using the forms mentioned in Action above, to make sure that your voice will be counted as soon as you’re able to vote. This is especially important if you’re currently 17 but have a birthday coming up on or before 7 May 2015, as this year is the first year that you can vote in a parliamentary general election!
Rebecca Froley was the web editor of www.rootsontheweb.com when it first launched and is now working as a contract web manager for a business-to-business information and insight company.
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