FOREWORD

One of the biggest frustrations for Christians engaged in campaigning for justice and peace in our world today is the ease with which the interface between politics and the churches can become dominated by issues of immediate concern to the faith communities themselves: faith schools, equality legislation, assisted dying etc.

It’s as if we’ve conceded that Christianity is merely one aspect of how a minority of people live their lives and to make any more significant contribution to political life would be undemocratic.

But the Christian Socialist tradition has always proposed a “big picture” of how the Gospel might be lived out in the political and economic structures of society. And Christian Socialism offers that big picture, not in order to defend some Christian privilege in an increasingly secular or multi-faith society, but as its gift to the wider
conversation about how all people can come together to tackle the problems of poverty and inequality, violence and climate change that plague our society. This short course considers five aspects of that big picture through the exploration of scripture, our historic heroes, and other political and social thinkers.

Inevitably it will raise many unanswered questions. But in our somewhat stagnant political culture, in which politicians of all colours are struggling to address the financial, ecological and social problems that affect us all, perhaps raising difficult questions is another part of our gift to the conversation. And perhaps some of you who are meeting together to discuss these questions will be motivated to find some answers and in so doing, renew the Christian Socialist contribution to political debate in the twenty-first century.

— Rev’d Dr James Walters