Faith, politics and salvation by Christ alone
Thu,
15/06/2017 - 15:39 | Andrew Perriman
Tim Farron resigned
yesterday as leader of the Liberal Democrats because the conflict between his
evangelical faith and the values of a progressive liberal party had become
unmanageable. His official statement can be read here.
During the election
campaign he had struggled in particular to explain his position on gay rights.
Under media interrogation he insisted that he supported “equality
under law, equal dignity and that includes people whatever their sexuality”.
But he clearly also felt bound to maintain some awkward private religious
opinions that were at odds with his political convictions.
It’s perhaps not
surprising that people concluded that he was “out of step with his own
party”—and indeed with the prevailing moral mood of British society.
Some have argued in
the aftermath that British liberalism is not nearly as fair-minded and tolerant
as it thinks it is. The director of the Liberal Democrat Christian Forum said that
“his resignation reflects the fact we live in a society that is still illiberal
in many ways and is intolerant of political leaders having a faith”.
Farron appears to
agree. If he has become the subject of suspicion because of his beliefs, then
“we are kidding ourselves if we think we yet live in a tolerant, liberal
society”.
But the strategic
quarantining of personal faith from public policy was surely unworkable,
especially for a party leader. We can regard it as a brave experiment in
Christian political engagement, but I think in the end it’s evidence that the
church in the post-Christian West has not yet worked out where and how it fits
in.
Are they all
condemned?
Read more at http://www.postost.net/2017/06/faith-politics-salvation-christ-alone
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