Leeds Local Meeting: Engaging in Politics in a time of Coronavirus

Christians in Politics intern, Stephanie Higgins, writes about her experience of attending a Christians in Politics Leeds online meeting and seeing people reach across the political divide.

‘We may disagree on how we can get somewhere, but hopefully we agree on what we want to achieve- caring for people.’- Sam Firth- Conservative Councillor for Harewood Ward Leeds

This week, I had the privilege of attending November’s Christians in Politics Leeds event, ‘Engaging in Politics in a Time of Coronavirus.’ Christians from five different parties and others with political passion but no formal political affiliation showed up to pray for Leeds and hear from people engaging in the political sphere in the city during this challenging lockdown period. 

I have now been working for Christians in Politics for six weeks and whilst I have heard the theory of the importance of coming together and building relationships with those across the political spectrum, this was the first time I was able to say this play out before me in real life. It was incredible to see 32 Christians from different perspectives reaching across the political divide, seeking to listen to each other, get to know each other better and encourage each other  in their own spheres of influence. 

After weeks of watching divisions widen and tensions heighten in the US election campaign through my screen, this was a refreshing change in outlook. Looking at the media, whether the recent pre-election debates in the US, or Prime Minister’s Questions in the UK Parliament, you might be forgiven for thinking that people from different parties don’t talk to each other and can’t have a civil discussion, much less intentionally make time to get to know each other better. As Andy Flannagan our Executive Director explained at the start of the meeting, ‘this extreme polarisation that we see in the media is a crisis of identity.’ The vitriolic reactions we have witnessed recently in the US are often the end result of their primary identity (or ID as our campaign calls it) being in their political tribe, rather than in being made in the image of God. 

The Leeds meeting was an antidote to this polarisation and these visceral reactions. As one of the event’s speakers, Dean Fryer-Saxby explained, ‘Real relationship building is hard to do on social media’. It's much easier to be divisive when sat behind a computer talking to a faceless name; the real fruit comes from connecting with an actual human being that you can get into dialogue with. Often we get stuck in echo chambers on social media because algorithms prevent people from being exposed to information that contradicts their pre-existing beliefs, amplifying the differences between us. 

In opposition to this, a local councillor talked about his heart for supporting the political interests of other Christians and being open to hear different policies ideas, sharing, ‘I care more about why you believe what you do than the beliefs themselves.’ This sparked a conversation on both the joys and difficulties they had experienced reconciling their faith with their political beliefs and roles, with one person sharing, ‘It was hard for some of my friends at church to understand how a Christian could support my party, but now I know that if the church is going to model reconciliation in the world, we have to model this in our own hearts.’

There was also the opportunity to discuss how people were ‘showing up’ in Leeds, for example a Green party member who channeled her convictions on climate change by campaigning for climate action within the party and becoming the membership secretary for her local branch. A Labour Councillor also shared her experience of door knocking during local election campaigns and of the emotional realities of supporting constituents who had been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic this year. Most encouraging of all in a world where being a Christian in politics can be hard and lonely, we broke up into smaller groups to pray for each other and over the city of Leeds.

Gatherings like this meeting help us to see different perspectives; members of Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and the Brexit party were all in attendance, as well as Christians in Government. Each of them read different newspapers and blogs, follow different social media pages, engage in different forums. By breaking out of our echo chambers to hear opposing views we become more informed on other perspectives on current affairs,become more tolerant of other people’s points of view and crucially improve and sharpen our own thinking. 

I am so inspired by this passionate group of people who have chosen to do the hard work of showing up and building relationships with people from across the political divide. The kingdom benefit for Leeds is clear as Dave Paterson, the coordinator of the Leeds group has shared with us: 

‘At Christians in Politics (Leeds) we were first inspired by Andy and the team for their passion to bring the Body of Christ together to support each other in the often complex sphere of politics when the Influence tour came to Leeds and ran an event at Cornerstone Baptist Church in May 2018. Over the last 2 years we have run a series of events such as Brexit Dialogue, General Election Panel and set up right and left leaning Whatsapp groups, which allow like minded Christians to support each other. These groups are backed up by small termly online gatherings which take place over Zoom. We look forward to moving forward in 2021 and despite the huge challenges of the pandemic believe that God is on the move at this unique time. ‘

This is why we do what we do: to mobilise Christians to engage in positive, relational politics and get stuck in locally. The purpose of local groups is to provide mutual support for those who are actively involved in politics. We are not interested in building a fake, warm fuzzy,  political centre ground, but simply honouring each other and building strong relationships that can handle the inevitable disagreements. 

What would the world of politics look like and how would local communities be transformed if more Christians modelled this? Many of us have been spending more time in our communities under COVID-19 measures and have a fresh understanding of local challenges. Could you be part of addressing these through the political sphere? There are other local Christians in Politics groups in places like Northern Ireland, Luton, Kingston Upon Thames, Bristol and Wycombe, with many more unofficial clans and groups in development. Many were catalysed by the Influence Tour events in 2019 and 2020. From experience, the best way to get one going is under the auspices of the local Churches Together entity. 

If you feel like you don’t know anyone near to you, then as Christians in Politics we will be more than happy to connect you up with any number of people who would love to chat. Head over to the Local Groups page to find out more about how you can get involved with an existing group or set up a new one in your area.