Will this new Parliament bring real change?

Although I encourage my congregation to exercise their right to vote in good Christian conscience, I do refrain from bringing politics into the pulpit. I would hate to alienate anyone from the gospel over something so trivial as my political views. I make no exception in this article; my favoured choice remains a secret between me and the ballot paper! So the piece below is written as a mere commentary from a position of neutrality.

It is fair to say that many in our country have suffered in recent years. We have endured five Prime Ministers under the last Conservative government, as the party struggled to navigate the nation through Brexit, the pandemic, the passing of our late Monarch and a return to trench warfare on our continent in Ukraine. The popular axiom 'Christ is King' has got me through the electoral fatigue.

On 4 July 2024, the people of Great Britain went to the polls and cast their vote for change. Labour won an impressive majority with 411 seats in Parliament promising 'stability and moderation.' But I fear that this election outcome is unlikely to change much in Wales. Labour has won every Assembly and Senedd election since 1999, and the constituency where I serve as Pastor, Torfaen, is a Labour stronghold.

In the post-industrial Welsh valleys, we have some of the worst statistics in Europe for social deprivation, despite extensive intervention from successive governments (Red or Blue). What I have seen from my own experience is that real change can not come from a political solution however well-intentioned. Real change can only come about through the gospel.

Keir Starmer’s Labour government could reduce taxes and increase benefits, invest twice as much in the NHS and hit net zero carbon emissions in his first term, yet the innate brokenness within us all would still need addressing - and without Jesus at our centre, our society would still be divided. This is where the Church comes in. In this new era of government, we can make a major contribution to the change that the electorate is crying out for, simply by being more ambitious with our gospel proclamation. 

I believe, and can testify, that the gospel is enough to bring real change to Wales. Many in our valley have socially mobilised into more independent, sustainable and productive people because of their new life following Jesus. This would be true regardless of who has the keys to Number 10, and whatever social reforms that they might claim to bring to areas like ours.

My prayer is that our new Prime Minister will recognise the importance of the local church in our society and not hinder our proclamation of love. Neither can we allow our mission to be marginalised; rather, the local church must grasp this opportunity to bind itself to our communities with our apolitical message of forgiveness. Our role as evangelicals in this new political era should be to embrace the nation’s desire to change and continue to call the people to repentance.

'If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.' 2 Chronicles 7:14.