Why should Christians choose the Liberal Democrats rather than Labour, the Tories, or a specifically Christian party such as the Christian People's Alliance?

Well… no political party can claim to be uniquely mandated by God, so no party (even a Christian one) should ever say "you must vote for us not for them". However, at LDCF we have found the following reasons compelling — they are why we joined this party rather than another.

First, the Liberal Democrats are the only mainstream parliamentary party in the UK which allows an MP to vote with his or her conscience on all issues. Labour and the Tories allow free votes on 'conscience' issues, but what is a 'conscience issue' is defined by the party, not by the individual member. This means that a Christian MP can be certain as a Liberal-Democrat that he will not be forced to vote against his faith (or risk expulsion). We think this is a key reason for joining.

The Lib-Dems are now the only major UK party which makes policy democratically through the votes of members. This means that if Christians want to change party policy, they can — providing that they can get enough support from others. Of course, this cuts both ways. Lib-Dem Christians have found themselves on the losing side of some arguments. But we think that as a way for Christians to have a real influence on policy, this is the best on offer.

In any secular party, Christians will find themselves at odds with some aspects of policy at some times. However, we believe that the extremes of right-wing politics and left-wing politics do not fit with the Christian worldview at all. Centre politics in the UK — despite particular issues where Christians are at odds with their secular colleagues — provide a much better fit than right or left-wing politics. Not of course that the Conservatives or Labour are necessarily extreme — but both move between the centre and the extremes depending on the mood of the day.

Finally — and this is only a temporary thing — the Liberal Democrats have proportionately the strongest Christian presence in the UK parliament. More than a quarter of our MPs are committed Christians, and many preach regularly in their own local churches. (No, we're not going to publish a list — look them up in 'Who's who in the Liberal Democrats').