One question, four answers

Chine McDonald
‘Think of the needs of others’

There will be many Christians who take to the polls thinking that they are voting as Jesus would vote, but the reality is they may never have seriously considered how they came to their decisions. Those of us who are Christians are not just shaped by our Christianity, but our cultural backgrounds, our age, where we live, the make-up of our family, how much we get paid, and the political ideas that were in the air in our homes when we were children….

Chine McDonald is a writer, broadcaster and the Director of the religion and society thinktank Theos

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Nathan Mcguire
‘Prayerful listening is essential’

As Christians, Jesus has sent us to be actively engaged in the world around us. In Matthew 5, he calls us to be the salt and light of the world. An outworking of this is to engage and work towards God’s kingdom through the political process. But how do we decide who to vote for in elections? How can we ensure that our choices reflect our values as followers of Christ?..

Nathan McGuire is Campaigns and Church Engagement Officer of the Joint Public Issues Team. Find out more and download resources at jpit.uk

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Ewan Aitken
‘Personal connection matters’

The first time I voted, which was in the 1980 Scottish local authority elections, my chosen candidate was someone I knew. Their party was irrelevant. I knew that they shared my views on what mattered. The idea which began then, of personal connection mattering when choosing whom we vote for, has stayed with me ever since….

Ewan Aitken is the CEO of the homelessness charity Cyrenians

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Jennifer Larbie
‘We call on the government to tackle the biggest challenges’

Through the prophet Amos, the Bible insists that the gap between the wealthy and poor is not an accident and goes against what God intends for creation. Amos teaches us to speak truth to power and advocate for change. We can respond to God’s call to speak up for justice….

Jennifer Larbie is Head of Campaigns and UK Advocacy at Christian Aid

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This is an extract from an article published in the July/August 2024 edition of Reform

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