Join the UK election debate, churches urged
-03/01/05
As the UK general election campaign gathers momentum, local churches throughout Britain are being encouraged to host ëQuestion Timeí style meetings for parliamentary candidates. The aim is to give people of all faiths and none the opportunity to cross-question those standing for office about issues of social justice, ethics, manifesto promises and social purpose.
In previous election campaigns hundreds of hustings meetings organised by the churches have played a major part in giving people access to the debate in a way that is relatively free of the party ‘spin machines’. Resources and guidance to plan the meetings are downloadable from a new web site: www.churcheselection.org.uk
The style of British churches’ engagement with the electoral process will be very different to what happened in the US presidential campaign last year, say commentators. In America the voice of mainstream and progressive Christians was often drowned out by the vociferous, well-funded concerns of ‘the religious right’, says New York Times best-selling author Jim Wallis.
The Churchesí constituency meetings resources are being put together jointly by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) along with ACTS (Action of Churches Together in Scotland), CYTUN (Churches Together in Wales) and CTE (Churches Together in England).
‘Meetings organized by churches are more important than ever,’ said the Revd John Kennedy, Church and Society Co-ordinating Secretary for CTBI. ‘Over the past five elections, local Churches Together groups have hosted scores of successful meetings giving voters a fair chance to question candidates.’
‘We want them to build on that success so both politicians and voters can have genuine debate on neutral territory’, continued Mr Kennedy. ‘Christians need to question candidates and to use their vote wisely.’
On the web site, there will be downloadable materials to help with planning and organizing such meetings, links to other useful sites, and briefings on issues to raise with candidates.
Copies can be mailed to those who do not have access to the internet and are available from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, 2 Paris Garden, London SE1 8ND, phone 020 7654 7228. The materials are free, but CTBI requests a donation.
Ekklesia, the radical Christian news service and think-tank, will also be providing alternative views and analysis of election issues, as well as encouraging Christian contributions to the electoral process from independent and associational (alliance-based) perspectives.
‘Interest in politics may be waning, but churches have a good track record in holding hustings’, said a Churcheselection.org.uk spokesperson.