Articles - Christianity and Politics...

This page contains a variety of articles addressing the questions:

• Should Christians be involved in politics?
• How does the moral law influence 'politics'?

The role of law

The first article addresses the role of law in our society. Governments are responsible for the laws. Laws are always based on someone's values. If they aren't Christian beliefs and values, then where do the values come from? 

Law and Moral Purpose
Robert P. George, First Things, January 2008.
"The obligations and purposes of law and government are to protect public health, safety, and morals, and to advance the general welfare-including, preeminently, protecting people's fundamental rights and basic liberties.
At first blush, this classic formulation (or combination of classic formulations) seems to grant vast and sweeping powers to public authority. Yet, in truth, the general welfare-the common good-requires that government be limited. Government's responsibility is primary when the questions involve defending the nation from attack and subversion, protecting people from physical assaults and various other forms of depredation, and maintaining public order. In other ways, however, its role is subsidiary: to support the work of the families, religious communities, and other institutions of civil society...."

Christianity, Liberty and the Future of Western Civilisation
By Augusto Zimmermann, LLB, LLM, PhD
In this article, the first part of which was published in our November 2010 journal, Augusto addresses the influence that Christianity has had in the development of western constitutionalism and the laws that have been established. He contends that Christianity has indeed brought liberty to the world. He then goes on to look at the influence of "Radical Secularism" and finally considers the recent example of the 'National Curriculum'.
This paper is fully footnoted and was presented to a Christian Education conference in 2010.

The first part of this Paper - as published in the November 2010 journal, was titled 'Christianity, Liberty and Constitutionalism'

Christianity in politics

Does Christianity have a role in politics?

Should Christians be Members of parliament?

Should churches have something to say about moral and ethical issues being debated by Parliament?
We would answer with an emphatic 'Yes'!

If Christians are not involved, who is running the country?
Atheists, Humanists, Buddhists, Muslims, the Natural Law Party. . .

There are many people who think Christians should stay away from politics!
Some people support the notion that we have a right, indeed a duty, to be involved.

Others - generally humanist - who say religion, and Christians in particular, should stay out of politics.

13 August 2007 - Democrat Senator says 'Too many Christians in Politics'!
Victorian Democrats Senator Lyn Allison says that Christians are over-represented in parliament.
Perhaps the Democrats are still smarting over the 40,000 responses they received to their online survey in 2006 of how people viewed religion and politics... By the way, we are still waiting to see the results of that survey!
Read the article . . .
'Too many Christians' in parliament - The Australian, August 10, 2007.