Liberal Democrat Christian Forum - Liberal Democracy and Christianity

Liberal Democracy and Christianity

Written by Zöe Franklin and Jo Holland

Saturday, 29 December 2007

A question regularly encountered by Christians who state their political views and affiliation as Liberal Democrat is, 'how can you be a Liberal Democrat and a Christian?’

This is due to a lack of clarity over the term 'liberal' as used by contemporary society. From a political perspective 'liberal' is often used as shorthand for 'soft on crime' or 'wishy-washy' and ineffective. Theologically the term 'liberal' can be used to stand for a rejection of various Christian doctrines including that of the Resurrection or the Trinity.

The stereotypes linked to these uses of the term are unhelpful at the best of times, but when applied across the political/religious divide they lead to additional confusion.

As an organisation that bridges the political/religious) divide the Liberal Democrat Christian Forum recognises that it is ideally placed to overturn these misconceptions and has decided to embark on a year-long project looking at the compatibility of liberal political thought and Christian faith.

Project Aims

To understand what it means to be a Liberal Democrat and a Christian
To assist Lib Dem Christians in explaining the conjunction between their faith and politics
To explore the different definitions of "Liberal" in today's society and encourage Christians that it is possible to be a political Liberal without compromising personal faith

The Process

In order to undertake the project LDCF will be running the following:

A fringe event entitled ‘Liberal Democracy and Christianity' at the Federal Party conference in September 2007. This will be led by Nick Spencer (Theos), Jonathan Bartley (Ekklesia), Dr Steve Webb MP and Dr David Landrum (Bible Society), and will include a time of open discussion.
A "parliamentary symposium"
A discussion forum at Spring conference 2008
A further discussion forum in London during 2008 for those unable to attend Spring conference
A web-based forum on the organisation's website - www.ldcf.net

The project will encompass a variety of topics relating to the issue including (but not limited to):

The historical Christian basis of Liberal politics and the involvement of Christians as political activists (from Free Church involvement to the current trend of Anglican clergy voting Liberal Democrat - MORI).
Biblical links to and parallels with liberal political policy and thought.
Liberal 'versus' evangelical Christianity and the possibility of a 'third way'
The practical implications of all the above for Liberal Democrat Christians.

Proposed Outcomes

Consultation process using web, paper and face to face meetings.
Production of a critique of Liberalism and Christianity, including materials that will help both Christians and Lib Dems to understand each other and themselves!
Launch of a final report at a fringe meeting at September 2008 Lib Dem conference.

How can you get involved?
Project working group
The project working group will be made up of LDCF Executive members, other interested LDCF members and appropriate invited specialists approached by the working group.
If you would like to be involved in the group please contact the office. Please also contact LDCF if you are unable to make a commitment to be involved in the group but can offer ideas regarding literature that the working group should be investigating or people/organisations they should be speaking to.

You can also:

Come along to our fringe at conference
Add your voice to the discussion board at www.ldcf.net
Write to the LDCF office with your thoughts, suggestions for reading/debate, etc.

Funding
Any project of this scope not only requires many hours commitment from those involved in the working group but also needs finances to enable the organisation of forums, pay for postage costs and pay for the production of final resources.
Limited funding has been secured from the Bible Society, but LDCF are looking for additional funding from individuals and appropriate organisations. Please let us know if you can help!

LDCF Office contact details:
Email - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Telephone - 020 7227 1224

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