AS THE dust settles on the General Election, I have been reflecting on 1 John 1, and its author’s call to love, not with words or speech, but with action and in truth.
Love in action has been at the heart of my life as a Christian. It was my motivation for becoming the chair of Christian Aid (News, 28 March), which exists to amplify the voices of the world’s most marginalised people, and to eradicate poverty by tackling its root causes. Christian Aid is not a party-political organisation, but we recognise that poverty and its causes reflect political choices.
Talking to your newly elected MP and urging them to act on poverty is a vital way of putting love into action, especially love for our global neighbours; and this is an opportunity that we must seize. A new Parliament offers us all the chance to ensure that our MPs stand up for the poorest and most marginalised just as Jesus did.
FOR all that charities such as Christian Aid can achieve, politicians need to know that the people whom they represent care about these issues. That is why the individuals and churches that support Christian Aid regularly unite in calling for injustice to be tackled.
In recent years, however, politicians have reported to us that they no longer hear from constituents about the issues that we campaign on. If we are to eradicate poverty and help to build the Kingdom of God, silence is not an option.
Building relationships is crucial in speaking truth to power: they are building blocks. Building trust and understanding, although not always consensus, creates the foundation for bringing about change.
On this foundation, we can talk about the issues that we care about, to give voice to those who struggle to feed their family or have no hope of seeing a doctor quickly, or in time, when they fall ill. We can have those more challenging conversations with our representatives, whether about the uncomfortable realities of the UK’s historic contributions to the climate crisis, or about our nation’s history — and that of previous Bishops of London — in relation to the transatlantic slave trade. Once these truths are spoken, it is important to listen and to advocate solutions. This is love in truth for our global neighbours.
THE start of what could turn out to be poverty-busting relationships could be as simple as inviting a newly elected MP to church to “break bread”. Food is a wonderful way to break down barriers and can be a symbol of welcome, hospitality, and openness; even a humble cup of tea is a start. Maybe you regularly host a coffee morning or a harvest supper to which you could invite your MP.
Throughout Christian Aid’s history, it has been Christians and churches across the UK which have helped to bring the issues to life for their MPs and helped to drive change. Whether it was in the introduction legally binding cuts to carbon emissions, or moving the scandal of tax-dodging up the political agenda, parliamentarians were moved to act by their constituents.
One topic that Christian Aid has already been acting on in the early days of this new Parliament is Gaza, which featured heavily in the minds of voters during the election period and should not be forgotten. Christian Aid is clear: only an immediate ceasefire, the respect of international humanitarian law, humanitarian access, and the release of hostages can stop the suffering across Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel.
That is the message that more than 8000 Christian Aid supporters gave the previous government, and that my Christian Aid colleagues have already taken to the new Prime Minister within days of taking office.
So, I urge you to love with action and truth this autumn — to follow in Jesus’s footsteps, break bread with your newly elected MP, and call for action on poverty in God’s world.
The Rt Revd Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London, is the chair of Christian Aid.