How should our Christian faith impact our politics? What would a Christian-led politics of the left look like?

To begin what we hope will be a imaginative and constructive debate exploring how Christian faith can impact the politics of the left, it is useful to sketch out the themes to be developed over the coming months. What follows only lightly touches on elements to be expanded on at a later date, and is by no means exhaustive.

There are clearly things that the left gets right, reasons why as Christians we are drawn to the political left, reasons why our faith has led us to view Labour as the political umbrella to shelter under. The most obvious is Labour’s rigid desire to eliminate inequality.

For those of us that believe that each and every person is made in the image of God, the hard truth that people grow up in societies where the wealth of their parents has more affect on their life-chances than their intelligence or their aptitude for hard work is a cause that requires our political commitment. Therefore we must strive for true equality of opportunity, which necessitates a strong commitment to also fight for justice of outcome, a cause that is arguably even harder to achieve.

In order for this equality to become reality, Young CSM must support the creation of an economic and social environment that benefits all and excludes none. The recession we now find ourselves in is a tragedy, as millions lose their jobs and millions more find the daily grind even harder. We now owe it to those in desperate situations to reconsider the Thatcherite consensus that for the last three decades has rewarded greed whilst making it politically acceptable for the gap between rich and poor to ever widen.

Whilst in the past this may have led to calls for socialism, the restriction socialism places on individual freedom means it must be rejected. A state-directed, collectivist model may produce the equality we seek but it does so whilst destroying the wonderful hope that the freedom to make our own choices in life gives us. The God we serve does not seek to restrict people’s freedoms in order to produce equality, and neither should the state we support.

This does not mean, however, that a critique of individualism and liberalism should not be established by those seeking to express their faith in their politics. We are social creatures, and more must be done to reinvigorate communities decimated by political centralisation over the last thirty years, and in doing so revitalise the sense of identity and worth that such community brings.

As we work towards community reinvigoration we must also look to civic and democratic empowerment. We rightly recognise the power of the state to transform lives and we must continue to be skeptical of those who claim radical social transformation is possible without strong intervention, but we must be wary also of the state’s power to take power and responsibility away from communities. Only when communities and those people within them are empowered by the state, and so given the right conditions and tools to change their lives, is societal change possible.

Another building block of society that must have greater support is the family. For too long this vital institution has been ignored by the left for fear of alienating those people most in need of protection, but for those of us who want to see people living fulfilled lives, free from the trappings of poverty and crime, the values and support supplied by strong families is critical. More must be done to support family life, in whatever form it may take.

The ethos of liberalism is perhaps even more ingrained than individualism within our post-modern culture but its assumptions must also be critiqued for those seeking to work for the common good. Our understanding of natural law gives us an appreciation of right and wrong, and whilst in a plural society the rights of minorities must be fiercely protected, the importance of individual and social morality should be highlighted for those seeking to protect the vulnerable.

With fundamental rights come fundamental responsibilities, and in our eagerness to uphold rights long trampled, we should not forget the responsibilities that all those in society have. Into our discourse of conflicting rights must be added equivalent responsibilities, and out of this must come a framework of legislation that encourages all individuals to work for the good of society.

Likewise, a sense of our responsibilities as a nation must underpin our actions in the world. In our foreign and development policy, it must not be divisions of race, religion or polity that directs our actions but rather a sense of our shared humanity. Our environmental policy too must be driven not only by our duty as stewards of the earth but also out of responsibility to those most affected by environmental damage our consumerism creates.

Finally, we should look to bring renewal to the political environment itself. We must encourage government to work for the common good, not bound by political posturing but by an ethical, values-led framework. Similarly, those in politics of all parties must be held to high account, recognising that they are elected to serve the people, not their egos or their bank balances.

After twelve years in government, the Labour party appears devoid of energy and ideas, destined for opposition. In order to remain relevant to the electorate it must continue to be at the forefront of debate, continuously searching for new ways to achieve its goals of equality and opportunity for all. Christianity and Labour are by no means mutually exclusive, and whilst some of the thoughts articulated above are not common amongst the Labour movement, we believe they are Labour. Only when new ideas are brought to the party, ideas that remain true to Labour’s values whilst challenging our preconceptions, can renewal take place.

Let the debate begin.