Eric the Evangelical has rough introduction at the office
-27/04/05
One of the Evangelical Alliance’s new members of staff has experienced a rough introduction to the world of politics.
Commissioned and appointed to comment on election issues, the new appointment has found himself propelled almost immediately in the media spotlight.
‘Eric the Evangelical’ is a satirical non-partisan cartoon figure currently to be found on the EA website who takes a humorous, yet thoughtful look at campaigning in the run up to the general election.
Eric however, has found himself in a bit of hot water with the Guardian newspaper, who were prompted following his introduction to run a story which asks “What about Eric the non-evangelical?”
Secular voters – it was argued, were being marginalised in an election where Christian initiatives were prominent and all the main political parties appeared to be competing for the religious vote.
Through Eric, the Evangelical Alliance is encouraging Christians to enquire more deeply into the difficult issues confronting voters in the run-up to the election.
Helen Simms, the Evangelical Alliance’s Head of Media, said, “For many people politics is a bit of a turn-off. We hope visitors to our website will enjoy Eric’s diary but we would also like them to take a look at the more serious issues addressed by our public affairs team.”
Joel Edwards, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance said: “I encourage all Christians to grapple with the election issues. Eric has been observing the campaign but he also links people to a series of briefing notes on issues such as asylum, poverty and social exclusion, education and the environment. These are a good starting point for those still unsure how to vote on May 5th.”