endoes not support any one particular party. However, we are interested in evangelicals within each of our political parties. Following the recent Green Party by-election win,eninvited Andrew Mellen to set out why, as an evangelical, he chose the party as his political home.His article can be readhere. Now, Scottish Presbyterian minister and religious commentatorDavid Robertson responds.
I am not a fan of clergy telling Christians who to vote for – that is not our job. In my previous congregation of St Peters Dundee, we had Tories, Labour and SNP supporters, Liberal Democrats and doubtless people of other persuasions – and that is the way it should be. However, there are exceptions to every rule.
I have a confession to make. I actually like listening to political speeches — at least the good ones.
But in recent years the quality of political speeches has rapidly declined; I can remember speeches by Tony Benn, Alex Salmond, Michael Gove, Margaret Thatcher, Michael Foot, Ronald Regan, George Galloway, Dennis Skinner and Charles Kennedy. But it’s been a long time since I have heard a speech that I would regard as culture-changing — or perhaps emblematic of a culture change. Until just recently. For there is no doubt that JD Vance’s speech to the Munich conference was a game-changer.
Australia is experiencing a new government and a new Prime Minister.
As predicted before the recent election, the Labor party won and its leader, Anthony Albanese, was duly elected PM. It is noticeable and a reason for thanksgiving that there was no dispute about the result and the former PM, Scott Morrison, handed over the reins of power before all the votes were counted!
We live in a hopeless world. Or at least a world full of false hopes which are quickly dashed.
In the West we seem to be going through what Os Guinness calls ‘a civilisational moment’ – a time when the foundations are being destroyed. Reading of the four horsemen of the apocalypse from Revelation at times feels like reading a news bulletin – death, war, civil strife, famine and plague no longer seem the stuff of ages past. The fears that people have about climate change, racism, economic depression or gender confusion only add to the growing sense of hopelessness and gloom.
‘Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?’ (Who guards the guardians?) is the question the Roman poet Juvenal asked, at just about the same time as the New Testament church was rapidly expanding.
It’s not often that Latin phrases come to mind (mainly because I know so few), but this one seems entirely appropriate for the increasing tendency we are seeing in our major internet platform providers to decide that they, and they alone, are the arbiters of truth.
I was 16 years old. A new convert. Enthused and encouraged in my new-found faith. I loved reading the Bible, until one day I was given a book with a title along the lines of ‘101 problems in the Bible – resolved’. I actually didn’t have any problems with the Bible – but after I read the book I had 101!
The problems were real, but the answers were shallow and superficial. It was my first ‘crisis of faith’. The only way I got out of it was to realise that I was very young in the faith and that I could not be expected to know everything at once. I believed that over the years the Lord would guide and show. Over the years most were gradually and graciously answered as the Lord taught me to read and think biblically. I came to understand that I needed to be transformed by the renewing of my mind (Romans 12:2) and to have the mind of Christ. I only have about four or five problems to go – although new issues still arise.
Can you be evangelical and vote Green?
en does not support any one particular party. However, we are interested in evangelicals within each of our political parties. Following the recent Green Party by-election win, en invited Andrew Mellen to set out why, as an evangelical, he chose the party as his political home. His article can be read here. Now, Scottish Presbyterian minister and religious commentator David Robertson responds.
I am not a fan of clergy telling Christians who to vote for – that is not our job. In my previous congregation of St Peters Dundee, we had Tories, Labour and SNP supporters, Liberal Democrats and doubtless people of other persuasions – and that is the way it should be. However, there are exceptions to every rule.