A Political Faith?

Monday 3 June 2024 | 6pm BST - Broadcast tickets available 

At its best, Christianity is a worldly religion – seeking to build a kingdom/kindom of God on earth and challenging the ‘principalities and powers’ that seek to oppress and imprison us. Across history, Christians have clashed and colluded with those in political power – for good and for ill. This panel will explore where we have come to and ask, where should we go next? What can we learn from the history of political theology? Can churches be (re)formed in conversation with party politics, and how can we bring an effective and ethical influence to bear on those who hold political power?

Panel

Min Shermara Fletcher-Hoyte, National Principal Officer for Pentecostal, Charismatic and Multi-Cultural relations at Churches Together in England.

Dr Jenny Leith, author of ‘Political Formation: Being Formed by the Spirit in Church and World’, SCM Press, 2023.

Professor Graeme Smith, founder editor of the International Journal, ‘Political Theology’, Taylor and Francis.

Chaired by Professor Elaine Graham of Modern Church

This event is held as part of the political theology series, The Power and The Glory? Talking Politics in a General Election Year. Brought to you by Modern Church in collaboration with Church Times.

Contributors

Min Shermara Fletcher-Hoyte leads CTE's work in the areas of Pentecostal, Charismatic and Multi-cultural Relations. Shermara is a dynamic millennial Pentecostal leader with experience in community organising, ecumenical engagement, leadership development and public speaking. She is also committed to engaging young people and young Pentecostals and Charismatics by creating opportunities for them to exercise leadership and to enter into service in the public square.

Dr Jenny Leith is lecturer in Christian Ethics at Westcott House. She is a political theologian and ethicist, with a particular interest in Christian formation, and spent several years spent working as a parliamentary researcher and in social policy. Jenny’s research interests bring together negative theology, political theory, and ecclesiology.

Professor Graeme Smith is Programme Leader for the Postgraduate Programmes in Theology, Imagination and Culture at Sarum College, Salisbury. Graeme was formerly Professor of Public Theology at the University of Chichester. His research interests include public theology, and Christianity and culture, society and politics.

Professor Elaine Graham is Professor Emerita of Practical Theology at the University of Chester and honorary Canon Theologian of Chester Cathedral. Elaine is a Fellow of the British Academy, and is Chair of Trustees of Modern Church.

Event Bookstall

Visit the Event Bookstall run by the Church House Bookshop to find discounted books relevant to this webinar. Faith & Politics Bookstall >

Church Times and Modern Church are excited to collaborate for a new webinar series in anticipation of this year's General Election. Two expert panels will discuss themes in political theology and ask pertinent questions about faith and democracy.

To book the second webinar in this series, click here

Tickets

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