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06 September 2017

Press release

We need a new vision for society

Christians are called to stand at the forefront of providing hope and vision for society.

The new What kind of society? resource from the Evangelical Alliance encourages Christians to speak about love, freedom, justice and truth and work to bring these values to bear on the problems we face. 

Following a year of unexpected elections and results, national tragedies and international insecurity, and debate about our future in the light of Brexit, there is great need for hope and for vision. 

There has been a failure of leadership across society and in many different institutions; now more than ever we need hope and vision, and people giving voice hope for the future.

Built on four principles of love, freedom, justice and truth, What kind of society? imagines the kind of world that we want our children and grandchildren to grow up in. 

The report also describes how Christian churches and organisations are already promoting these values in our society. Examples range from church responses to the Grenfell Tower disaster, to ministries which help people break free of addiction and debt, and Christians who organise hustings during vital elections. 

Writing in the preface to the resource Dr David Landrum, director of advocacy at the Evangelical Alliance said: "Love provides the glue that holds society together. Freedom provides opportunities. Justice rights wrongs. And truth is a rock we can all build our lives upon. 

"We want to see Christians speak confidently of the goodness that our faith leads to, and give voice to a vision of a society where all flourish and grow, and in which love, freedom, justice and truth are not just noble ideas but the revolutionary principles our society is built on."

The Alliance launches What kind of society? to start conversations up and down the United Kingdom about what the future might look like if we prioritised these values in our public life. 

Dr Landrum said: "This is a prompt to help you think through what should be at the root of our society for the coming generations. It's about considering what we need to protect and promote in order that future generations are in a better place."

The resource shows how Christian teaching and action in relation to each of the four themes has benefited our society through the centuries, and considers the current situation our nations are in, and what a rediscovery of love, freedom, justice and truth could contribute to renewal. 

The purpose of this resource is to give Christians confidence in the value of what they believe for all of society. What kind of society? seeks to put into action the words of theologian and former Bishop of Durham, Tom Wright: "The whole point of Christianity is that it offers a story which is the story of the whole world. It is public truth."

Dr Landrum added: "We want to see a truly plural society in which people can live together despite their deepest differences. 

"We believe this is best secured when built on a Christian vision of love, freedom, justice and truth. These foundational ideas allow people to flourish and societies to thrive." 

At the centre of the Alliance's hope is that all of society should benefit from the contribution of Christian teaching and the actions of Christians. 

Dr Landrum concluded: "Christians must step up and take responsibility for the world around us. So many parts of society are calling for vision and good leadership, and we believe it is part of the outworking of the Christian faith to be public leaders working for the glory of God and the good of all." 

Media Enquiries

Danny Webster
Tel: 07766 444 650
Email: info@eauk.org

Notes to Editors

  1. Interviews available on request
  2. The resource and summary booklet are available online at  www.eauk.org/wkos 

The Evangelical Alliance

We are the largest and oldest body representing the UK’s two million evangelical Christians. For more than 165 years, we have been bringing Christians together and helping them listen to, and be heard by, the government, media and society. We’re here to connect people for a shared mission, whether it’s celebrating the Bible, making a difference in our communities or lobbying the government for a better society. From Skye to Southampton, from Coleraine to Cardiff, we work across 79 denominations, 3,500 churches, 750 organisations and thousands of individual members. And we're not just uniting Christians within the UK – we are a founding member of the World Evangelical Alliance, a global network of more than 600 million evangelical Christians. For more information, go to www.eauk.org.