The recent Evangelical Alliance (EA) report surveying attitudes to political engagement among evangelicals provides much food for thought, writes Tim Lewis of Brephos.
If you haven’t already, it is well worth perusing here. The EA are keen to flag up the positive headlines: high voter turnout (93% said they would vote in the next election); compassionate motivation (58% responded that they voted based on helping ‘others who are most in need’) and a desire for the church to speak into political issues (70%). These results are encouraging, and hint at a mindset where gospel transformation permeates society beyond the local church. Yet dig a little deeper into the data and the picture becomes more complex, with a number of inconsistencies apparent. For example, the report suggests limited trust in politicians and the political status quo (64% felt the current political parties discouraged engagement in politics), yet more evangelicals vote for Labour or Conservative than the general population.
A massive 77% state that it is right for Christians to sometimes resist or disobey the law, and 42% agreed that Jesus would be put in jail today for His beliefs and actions!
