What can the Church do about Brexit?
by David Robertson, Christian Today:
Returning to the UK to speak at the Shetland Bible conference has been an encouraging and depressing experience. The encouragement comes from the many faithful Christians in this beautiful most northerly part of the United Kingdom.
The discouragement comes from the collective hysteria that seems to be gripping the political classes in this disunited kingdom. To witness the hatred, lies, abuse, confusion, propaganda and the dumbed down panic is a profoundly depressing experience.
This morning I listened to a leading politician on one side complain (rightly) about the name calling of another on the other side, before then going on to call them some choice names. The lack of self awareness and the view that such name calling is fine if you or people on your side are doing it is indicative of the lack of moral and intelligent leadership in the country – on all sides.
What is going on? The basic situation is that we have an impasse between a parliament which largely does not support leaving the EU and as a result is struggling to implement the decision the electorate made to leave. As a result there is confusion and division with the parties.
The Conservative Party seems to be tearing itself apart – with 21 MPs having the whip withdrawn and the government thus being in a minority of 28 and unable to govern.
The Labour Party says that it will negotiate a deal with the EU and then hold a referendum on that deal, which they will then campaign against!
The Lib Dems want another general election – but not just yet. They, like the other opposition parties, see an opportunity to further humiliate and destroy the Prime Minister.
The Scottish and Welsh nationalists want a second EU referendum for a UK which they want to leave. They are prepared to ally themselves with parties who want to prevent their main aim, the break up of the UK, in order to prevent the EU being broken up.
The political and media bubbles are getting enormously excited about the whole thing, but I get the impression that the vast majority of ordinary people are just fed up with it all. It’s a confusing, depressing and dark mess. Can the Church shed any light on the situation?
I think we can. But we have to be careful. It is not the role of the Church to take sides on political issues. Individual Christians can, and will, do so. I have personal views on Brexit, and have no qualms in expressing them. But this article is not about those views. I believe it is imperative for the Church as an organization to stay out of party politics.
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