The Politics Network longs to see a generation of Christians faithfully serving Christ in British politics. Our Elective is designed to address key theological questions over the interaction between faith and politics, develop our conviction that Jesus is good news for the public square, and enhance our ability to think critically as we apply scripture to the political challenges and opportunities of our day.
Whether your passion is evangelism, church ministry, public service, or a life at the political coal face, understanding the intersection of faith and politics is a crucial cornerstone as we strive to live and speak for Christ in this fallen world.
The study content will consist of a mix of books, articles, podcasts, and online lectures/videos. Whilst in politics there are many individual issues which require deep thought (i.e. a Christian’s approach to tax or family policy) this programme will avoid focus on individual issues with the purpose of developing the broader foundations on which a Christian worldview sits.
This will equip you to better approach these ‘hot topics’ in the future. There will be a strong focus on reading the set texts although discussions can be had if this would be difficult for you or there are specific questions you would like to address during your time on the programme. The elective should take you around 4 hours a week.
Throughout history Christians have wrestled with the nature of our mission and what our involvement with the culture of our times ought to be. In this first term, we will see that the Bible gives us a strong mandate to get involved in public life, think through some models of cultural engagement, and consider the specific call we have as Christians to pursue justice in our confused world.
We might be convicted that Christians can, and should, be involved in public life but there are just as many debates as to what a thoroughly Biblical theology looks like. What is the role of the church and state? Is democracy the only Christian option? How much are we to expect of our political activity in the here and now? Is it right to advocate for Christian policies in a multicultural country? In the second term, we will consider the works of several authors who address these questions and offer a Biblical model for working through the difficulties.
Christianity has a deep and rich history with a wonderful array of stories to tell about the ways faithful Christians have served their neighbours, communities, and nations for the good of the land and the glory of God. In this third term, we will dive into this history, consider what we have to learn from our spiritual ancestors, before turning our attention to our context and how we might make a positive contribution in this age.
“Going through the politics elective course these last two terms has been brilliant.” — Politics Network Relay Worker 2020/21
You’ll receive monthly supervision from the Politics Network Coordinator via Zoom either as an individual or as part of a group with other Relays taking the elective. This will be a good opportunity to discuss the study material further, ask any questions, and sharpen one another through debate. Some preparation based on that month’s study will be required before the session.
Alongside the Elective study material, there will be plenty of other opportunities to get stuck in with the Politics Network as we seek to reach and disciple students engaged in politics. These include creating content for the website, meeting one-to-one with a politics student, attending the seminar track at Word Alive, and helping with Civitas and other Politics Network events.
We want to create opportunities for you to grow, not just intellectually and spiritually, but also professionally, and to give you the chance to serve others with what you gain from the Elective.
We ask that should you decide to undertake the Politics Network Elective you commit to attending our monthly Civitas sessions and our Weekend Away in the summer term.
To join with the Politics Network elective, simply download a Relay application pack as normal and fill out the additional Relay Leadership Network application form.
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