Forbes: 'Christians should have confidence to get involved' to make a difference for the future of Scotland

At an event to mark the launch of a new resource, the deputy first minister urged Christians to act with love despite any fears or worries.

Speaking at an event to mark the Evangelical Alliance’s What Kind of Nation? resource, Scottish Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes, challenged Christians to act with confidence to make a difference to the future of Scotland.

She said: “We know the big changes that have been delivered over generations in this country because of the work of Christians in the country. And we have a choice right now as to whether that will continue to be the case. And I want to be part of it, and I hope you do too.”

The deputy first minister also said: “I often talk to people and there’s an element of fear, there’s an element of worry, there are questions of whether we should get involved or not, and my response is to have that confidence to get involved.

“Because we know that the need is great, and as a church, as faith communities, there is an opportunity for us to do something that demonstrates that love. So I commend the Evangelical Alliance for publishing the report.”

The resource is produced 10 years after the independence referendum and considers how Christians can contribute to the future of Scotland, and the work they are already doing.

Introducing the launch event in the Scottish Parliament, Conservative MSP Jeremy Balfour said: “Many of us have experience of what the churches, what the faith communities are doing, the impact that they have on vulnerable people across our society, but also other sectors as well. I often say to people, it would be interesting if we all went on strike for 48 hours. What would Scotland look like? And I think that's a real challenge for us as politicians, to take the work that is done seriously and to recognise the importance of it and the need to be able to fund it and to support it in different ways.”

The resource examines what Christians are doing and in particular the work of member organisations of the Evangelical Alliance, across a wide range of policy areas including poverty, justice, health, the environment and the future of Scotland and the United Kingdom.

Chris Ringland, lead author of the resource commented: “10 years on from the referendum on independence and from the original publication of What kind of nation? The Evangelical Alliance offers this refreshed resource as a reflection of where we are as the nation of Scotland. It is a framework for how and why we as evangelical Christians engage with political life. And it is an encouragement for all of us to keep reflecting and sharing Jesus and seeking the best for Scotland in doing that and in everything that we do.”

At the event on Wednesday, 9 October, representatives from member organisations of the Evangelical Alliance shared how their work is motivated by their Christian faith and the difference it can make.

Andy Murray from Safe Families said: “We believe as a church we need to rise up and say that 12,000 children in care in Scotland isn't good enough. Our prison population is heading for 9,000. We want to reach these young people sooner. We want to love them well.”

Lynne Paterson, who recently took up her post as head of the Evangelical Alliance in Scotland, closed the event by encouraging policymakers to pay attention to the church: “We want to encourage policymakers that the church has got something really important to contribute and to encourage churches to be that good news within their communities.

“The member organisations that are featured in the report, represent just a fraction of the value that Christians are contributing to Scotland, and they're all involved in this liberating good news mission. They're motivated by God's love and God's mercy, they've experienced it themselves and they want to give it out. And they're compelled by the kind of vision that Jesus came to proclaim, that we read about in the Bible, the vision that he had for a different kind of society.”