Is there still room for Christians in politics?

Lyndon Bowring, Executive Chairman of CARE, comments on the causes close to the heart of the Christian community

By the time you read this the contest to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister in Scotland will be over. I wonder which of the candidates – Humza Yousaf, Kate Forbes and Ash Regan – will have succeeded.

Despite a close result, committed Christian
Kate Forbes was beaten in the race to
lead the SNP by Humza Yousaf, inset

Kate Forbes is a committed Christian. I knew and prayed with her as a CARE Leadership Programme intern 11 years ago and she impressed us as a gracious follower of Jesus who was clearly exceptionally gifted. First elected as an MSP in 2016, Kate has never been ashamed of her faith and quickly rose through the ranks to become Scotland’s youngest Finance Minister in 2020.

In February, a poll to identify the most popular contender found she was well ahead of her two rivals, perhaps her straightforward and transparent approach was refreshing compared to the strident political correctness of some others. Her track record certainly shows her commitment to represent and serve everyone, whatever their views.

Not so long ago, anyone holding public office in Britain was expected to practise or at least uphold Christian values. I haven’t seen any concerns about how the beliefs of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, a practising Hindu who regularly attends the temple, affect his leadership. The Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer is an atheist. Nobody is questioning his views. Humza Yousaf, a rival of Kate Forbes describes himself as a practising Muslim. He’s come under no pressure whatsoever to justify Islam as a basis for fair, liberal government in Scotland!

Kate Forbes was different. Prominent figures in Scottish politics and media questioned her fitness to lead given her biblical views on sexual ethics, marriage and abortion, although as she remarked, such beliefs amount to ‘fairly mainstream Christian teaching’ – hardly a surprise!

Attacks also intensified around the ‘trans’ issue. For making the statement, “I believe that a trans woman is a biological male who identifies as a woman,” Kate could face an internal SNP disciplinary process. She’s been hysterically accused of being bigoted by people who are themselves so convinced of being right that they’re intolerant of anyone who disagrees with them.

Christian tolerance means first being sure of what we believe and then showing willingness to listen courteously to those who oppose us, and graciously debating the merits of one another’s views. Kate Forbes is a great advocate of that: “I’ll defend to the hilt everybody’s rights in a pluralistic and tolerant society, to live and to love free of harassment and fear… Have we become so illiberal that we cannot have these discussions or are some people beyond the pale? Because, if that’s so, then these are dark and dangerous days for Scotland.”

This article first appeared in the May 2023 edition of Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.

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