Each week on my radio show and podcast, A Mucky Business, I attempt to unpack the world of politics to encourage Christians to interact knowledgably and prayerfully with current issues. We speak about why Christians should care and the way we could be agents for change on this mucky business.
I’m all the time careful to stress that you just needn’t placed on a rosette and stand for Parliament to make a difference. But at the identical time there are lots of MPs who’ve done just that, and now sit within the House of Commons for all of the essential parties. So today I would like to ask, just what use is a Christian MP?
Well, I think that God cares deeply in regards to the way we do politics. We should always do not forget that politics cannot save us, but we also know that God’s kingdom is physical in addition to spiritual.
Jesus healed people, fed them and cared for his or her every day needs in addition to calling them to follow him. God hungers for justice, and has given authority to human rulers to enact it on earth on his behalf. He calls us to like our neighbour, take care of the weak and vulnerable, and construct for his kingdom as he prepares ultimately to renew all things.
So my essential aim as a Christian MP is to be the perfect advocate I can possibly be for my constituents in the attractive lakes and dales of Westmorland and Lonsdale. I speak out every week in Parliament on issues that affect my constituents, and I actually have a committed and tenacious casework team who work relentlessly to assist people and make a difference to their lives.
This encompasses every part from finding accommodation for a family about to develop into homeless, to campaigning for a radiotherapy centre in Kendal that can enable cancer patients to receive treatment near home. To love the people and the place where you reside, is to enact the familiar instruction from Jeremiah to ‘seek the welfare of the town you might be in.’ So I seek to glorify God through being a superb constituency MP.
Having been my party’s leader for a few years, I even have the privilege of being relatively well-known. This after all carries with it a responsibility, and I attempt to act graciously and be a very good witness to Christ, aware that my social media comments are easily picked up by news outlets in search of a juicy story … But it also means I can use my profile to encourage a greater understanding of religion in the general public square, and to share the Gospel with those that will listen.
Through my organisation, Faith in Public, I aim to exhibit the importance of freedom of conscience and spiritual liberty in the general public square, and the positive role that faith can play in tackling issues resembling poverty, homelessness and refugees. I also wish to encourage Christians to interact effectively in politics – hence my podcast and my book, also called A Mucky Business.
There is usually suspicion from those with no faith that Christians will attempt to impose our views or morality on others, but I do not think we try to do that greater than anyone else. Everyone in politics brings their very own worldview and values to each debate, and it is vital that we challenge the idea that a non-religious outlook is in some way neutral and objective.
Throughout the 12 months I attempt to visit local churches to speak about life as an MP and my calling as a Christian in politics. These talks are often to mixed audiences of Christians and non-Christians, and I value the chance to softly crowbar within the Gospel message. I cannot promise to give you the chance to go to each one, but in case you have an interest and would really like me to return and speak at your church, please give me a shout!
There is an actual temptation for Christians in politics that we just mix in comfortably, align ourselves with the culture and lose our saltiness in the method. There can be a risk that we fall into self-pity once we receive opposition due to our faith, in addition to a temptation to imagine that our role as MPs gives our lives ultimate meaning.
My status doesn’t give me my identity, but my position as a toddler of God does. And with this comes the knowledge that the God of the Universe created all of us in his image, filled with value and dignity, and that he loves each certainly one of us enough to die for us. Why would I would like to maintain this amazing news to myself?
Tim Farron has been the Member of Parliament for Westmorland and Lonsdale since 2005 and served because the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party from 2015 to 2017. Tim can be the host of Premier’s ‘A Mucky Business’ podcast, which unpacks the murky world of politics and encourages believers across the UK to interact prayerfully. He is the creator of A Mucky Business: Why Christians should get entangled in politics.”
