A TWO-PART Church Times webinar series will help voters to explore a few of the issues before they go to the ballot box on 4 July.
The Power and The Glory? Talking Politics in a General Election Year, a joint project with Modern Church, brings together panels of experts in the sector of political theology to debate a few of the issues at stake.
The first webinar, A Political Faith?, on Monday 3 June, will offer the possibility to reflect on what could be learnt from the history of political theology, and to take into consideration how churches can bring their influence to bear on those that hold power.
The panel will probably be chaired by the Professor Emeritus of Practical Theology on the University of Chester, Dr Elaine Graham, who’s the Hon. Canon Theologian of Chester Cathedral and chairs the trustees of Modern Church.
Her guests are Min Shermara Fletcher-Hoyte, National Principal Officer for Pentecostal, Charismatic and Multi-Cultural relations at Churches Together in England; Dr Jenny Leith, writer of Political Formation: Being formed by the Spirit in Church and world (Books, 23 June 2023); and Professor Graeme Smith, the programme leader for the Postgraduate Programmes in Theology, Imagination and Culture at Sarum College, Salisbury, and a former Professor of Public Theology on the University of Chichester. He is the founder editor of the international journal Political Theology.
The second webinar, per week later, on Monday 10 June, will explore the ability of voting — and the ability beyond. The panellists are Jonathan Cox OBE, Deputy Director of Citizens UK; the Revd Tim Norwood, the Church of England’s National Ecumenical Officer; and Bishop Mike Royal, General Secretary of Churches Together in England.
Once more under the chairmanship of Professor Graham, this panel will explore how and why Christians might encourage voter registration and turnout. The panellists will offer ways wherein churches might provide a forum for questioning and difficult parliamentary candidates. Finally, the session will explore how Christian communities can express energetic citizenship, working with others to make a positive difference to local communities.
Tickets to every webinar cost £10, or £5 for Church Times subscribers. See www.churchtimes.co.uk/events or phone 01603 785905.
