EU Referendum – A Christian Response

In just over four week’s time, the country will decide whether it wants to stay in the European Union or leave.  Coming to an informed decision on how to vote is not easy, especially when you hear conflicting and contradictory messages coming from the rival ‘Vote Leave’ and ‘Britain Stronger in Europe’ campaigns. As Christians what should our response be to the EU referendum vote?

There isn’t a simple answer to this question.  We can’t ask ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ as if we could determine how he would vote, and there isn’t a single ‘right’ way to vote as Christians.  In St Martin’s there will be those who think Britain will be better out of the EU, and those who think we are better staying in (a helpful website exploring different Christians positions on this issue can be found at http://www.christiansinpolitics.org.uk/eufocus/). But I do believe there is a Christian approach that we should all take as we think about how we are going to vote on June 23^rd.

·    Reject politics of fear

First of all we need to reject the politics of fear, which both ‘Vote Leave’ and ‘Britain Stronger in Europe’ are guilty of.  Basing decisions from a position of fear is never wise. The Lord says to Joshua ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’ (Joshua 1:9) Instead we need to….

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     Look for facts

No one really knows what the impact will be if Britain chooses to leave the EU, but it is worth taking time to consider the benefits and draw backs of belonging to the EU. Full Fact (fullfact.org/europe/) is a very helpful independent, non-partisan, fact checking charity that seeks to provide the public with the best information possible without the political spin! If you are confused by the claims and counter claims made by the various groups in the EU referendum debate, then this website can be extremely helpful.

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     Ask questions

Very often when it comes to making decisions, the question we ask ourselves is ‘How will this affect me?’ However, as Christians we need to think outside of ourselves and consider others. Paul writes in Philippians 2:3 ‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.’ And Jesus calls us to ‘love our neighbours as ourselves’ (Mark 12:31)

So with the EU referendum we need to think about what impact leaving the EU may have on others.

Some important questions to consider include:

o   What financial impact would Brexit have, especially on the poorest within society?

o   Would the nations of the EU be more prosperous, more just and more secure with Britain inside it?

o   What impact would it have on the current migrant crisis?

o   What impact would Brexit have on the future of the United Kingdom re. Scottish independence?

o   Will it lead to isolationism?

·   Conduct debates with respect

    There is a lot of mudslinging and personal attacks that go on in politics, and it’s ugly and 

     unnecessary. As Christians we need to always show respect and understanding to those we are debating with, even if we don’t agree with them. As the Apostle Peter instructs: ‘Show proper respect to everyone’ (1 Peter 2:17).

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     Pray!

Prayer should underpin everything we do as Christians, and we need to be praying about the EU referendum, and if you are still undecided on how you are going to vote then pray about it!  The Church of England has released the following prayer for the EU referendum campaign:

God of truth,
give us grace to debate the issues in this referendum
with honesty and openness.
Give generosity to those who seek to form opinion
and discernment to those who vote,
that our nation may prosper
and that with all the peoples of Europe
we may work for peace and the common good;
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

An Important Question

There is one item that is dominating our news at the moment - the Scottish Referendum, which will take place a week today.

It is a hugely significant event, and whatever way the vote will go, it will have a profound effect on the United Kingdom, with Westminster already promising much greater powers to Scotland if they vote No next week. 

There isn’t a united Christian view on the question of independence.  Like the Scottish nation as a whole, there are Christians who support independence, and those who do not. It is for this reason that the Church in Scotland committed itself back in 2012 to remaining impartial on the question of Scottish independence, seeking instead to encourage public participation in the referendum, by creating space for people to think about what values they want to underpin Scottish society and what shared vision they can aspire to. 

It is the question about what sort of society people want to create that has been one of the central questions of the referendum debate. 

My own personal view is that I hope the people of Scotland vote to remain part of the UK, as I believe the interests of Scotland and the rest of the UK, are best served by being one united nation. As one friend wrote ‘when the problems of the world seem greater, and the need for unity and co-operation seems stronger than ever before, it seems ludicrous that our small island would fracture and split. There are so many divisions and fractures in this world that we can ill-afford the unavoidable bickering that would follow from this political divorce. We all need to work closer and more interdependently than ever before and reject the lie at the heart of ALL nationalism that says "We are better on our own, we don't need you."’

Whatever the outcome of next week’s referendum may be, I hope it starts a broader debate across the country about what sort of society and country we want to build.  And as Christians, we need to be at the heart of this debate. 

In our Bible reading today, it makes clear that when Jesus died on the cross it was not just to reconcile people to God, but all things both on earth and in heaven (Colossians 1:20). 
  

At the heart of Jesus’ earthly mission was the kingdom of God. Jesus came not only to draw alongside men and women, but to usher in the kingdom of God – God's rule that will eventually transform the world.

Through Jesus’ miracles he transformed individuals' lives and challenged society to change radically too. He challenged us to be more welcoming to social outcasts, to abandon violence, and fight for justice, to care for the weak and the poor, to have a concern for the world in which we live.  The teaching about the kingdom of God is as revolutionary today as it was in Jesus’ time. The goal of mission is not only about bringing people to faith in Jesus Christ, but the transformation of the whole world. 

Whatever the outcome of next Thursday’s referendum, the debate about what sort of society we want to build will continue, and as Christians we should be shaping this debate.  The next twelve months will be a very important time in the life of our nation, as the country comes to terms with the results of the referendum vote, and as it prepares to vote in a General Election next May, and as the country continues to debate its place in Europe.     

As Christians what can we do to ensure that the society we build is one that is just, caring and compassionate?