Experiments in Living Christianity and the Liberal Democrat Party Stephen Backhouse About the author Copyright © 2010 by The British and Foreign Dr Stephen Backhouse is the Tutor in Bible Society and Stephen Backhouse Social and Political Theology for St Mellitus The moral rights of the author have been College, London and has taught at the asserted. universities of McGill and Oxford. He All rights reserved. No part of this publication is the author of the Compact Guide to may be reproduced, stored or transmitted Christian History (Lion, forthcoming 2011) in any form or by any means, electronic or and Kierkegaard’s Critique of Christian mechanical, including photocopying, recording, Nationalism (OUP, forthcoming 2011). or any information storage and retrieval system, Acknowledgements without permission in writing from the copyright owner. This book is sold subject to the condition The author wishes to acknowledge the that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, many people who helped along the way be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated during this project. Special thanks are due without the copyright holder’s prior consent in to Clare Backhouse, Zoe Dixon, Christopher any form of binding or cover other than that in Graham, Richard Grayson, Kate Heywood, which this is published and without a similar Jo Latham, Graham Lippiatt, Mike Lloyd, condition including this condition being imposed Paul Marshall, Nick Spencer, Grahame on the subsequent publisher. Tomlin and Steve Webb MP. The author greatly appreciates their advice, insights, Unless otherwise indicated Scripture quotations comments and criticisms. Any errors that are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard remain are the author’s own. Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ISBN 978-0-564-04756-7 This edition published in 2010 by The British and Foreign Bible Society Typeset by Bible Society Resources Ltd Design by CatchyMonkey Design Printed in the UK Bible Society Stonehill Green, Westlea, Swindon SN5 7DG Charity Registration no. 232759 Visit biblesociety.org.uk Contents Series Foreword 1 Introduction 4 Overview 6 Notes 7 Part 1: History 8 The Liberal tradition 9 Emancipation 9 Reform 10 Corn Laws 10 Liberals at last 11 J.S. Mill 12 W.E. Gladstone 12 Continuing Gladstonian influence 23 A new liberalism 23 A party divided? 25 Notes 27 Part II: Liberty 29 Something from nothing 30 Christ-ians not God-ians 31 Freedom for 33 Freedom from 33 Fantastical self-authorship 36 Impersonal law 38 Positive and negative freedom 39 Notes 41 Part III: The Individual 42 Cogs and Kings 43 The Christian individual 44 The opposite of faith 45 Good and bad neighbours 47 Invention of the person 49 Humanistic liberalism and human rights 51 Inhuman humanism 52 Notes 54 Part IV: Equality 56 Socio-economic equality 57 Tolerance and equality 59 Christian equality 62 Christianity pro Liberalism 64 Christianity contra Liberalism 64 Public vs. private 67 Experimental Liberalism 70 Being the Church 72 Notes 73 Conclusion 76 Bibliography 80 Websites 82 Series foreword The Bible speaks to politics because God is Presently, the public role of religion in the interested in government – the right public UK is both expanding and deepening. At ordering of our relational priorities. But the same time, it is attracting fierce criticism what about party politics? Political parties from increasingly assertive secularists. This are often tribal. Commanding our loyalty, makes the need for fresh insight on how they can often be places that both express Christianity relates to British parties an and suppress religious identity. Whether urgent priority. we like it or not, political parties dominate politics in the UK and are set to do so The first phase of the project concentrates for the foreseeable future. As collegiate on the three largest parties – Conservative, enterprises, they have traditionally provided Labour, and Liberal Democrat – but our a political focus for joining broad sets of hope is that a later phase will engage other ideas around a unifying theme or common parties as well, and from all four nations vision for society. In recent years, as the of the UK. This phase has developed with inspiration of great political ideals has the invaluable help of the three Christian waned, they have become more complex party political groups within the parties and even contradictory vehicles for concerned – the Conservative Christian representation. This offers new challenges Fellowship (CCF), the Christian Socialist and opportunities for Christian engagement Movement (CSM) and the Liberal Democrat in politics. Christian Forum (LDCF). Special thanks are due to Elizabeth Berridge (CCF), Andy This is one of three publications – extended Flannagan (CSM), and Zoe Dixon (LCDF). essays – representing the first phase of the We are immensely grateful for their Partisan project – a developing resource enthusiasm for the project, for their advice on Christianity and British political parties as it took shape, and for their assistance in initiated and funded by the Bible Society, disseminating these first fruits. We should and produced and delivered in partnership make it clear, however, that while these with the Kirby Laing Institute for Christian three organisations generously offered Ethics (KLICE). The aim of the project is to their moral and practical support for the stimulate new and robust Christian political preparation of these essays, the opinions reflection within British political parties. It expressed in them are the authors’ alone has been launched at a paradoxical time. and do not represent the official stances 1 Experiments in Living Series foreword of the organisations concerned nor of the Our hope is that the Partisan project parties to which they are affiliated (nor of will bring fresh theological depth, self- the project’s two institutional sponsors). awareness, and critical potential to conversations already under way about the These essays are offered as a part of a contribution of Christian faith to British conversation that has been going on party politics. The essays leave no doubt for many years among party political that Christianity has made notable – at Christians. As ‘critical friends’ of the times perhaps even decisive – contributions parties, the authors were each asked to to the thinking and practice of the parties. address the role of Christianity within At the same time, they proceed from the them. We commissioned Joshua Hordern, recognition that today these contributions Paul Bickley and Stephen Backhouse to are not only ignored by many, but also often engage – appreciatively but frankly – with resisted or derided by some voices within the history, theology and broad policy the parties. Among the latter are those orientations of the party traditions to which who still subscribe to the discredited – yet they were assigned. We invited them to surprisingly tenacious – social-scientific identify the characteristic historical and myth that modernisation necessarily (and contemporary ‘gifts’ given by the Christian rightly) brings with it the privatisation of faith to the party tradition in question, religion and the secularisation of the public but also to employ insights from Christian square. The Partisan project sets itself political theology to confront the party’s squarely against that myth and seeks to vulnerabilities or Achilles’ heels where they underline the legitimacy of a wide variety found them. Within those broad parameters of faith-based contributions to political the authors were given freedom to develop debate, within an open democratic forum in their arguments as they saw fit, with their which robust political parties will continue own preferred emphases, and in their own to play an indispensable role. distinctive idioms. Importantly, the books seek to be discursive, not definitive. Each No one involved in the project – least of offers a particular (theological) reading of all the authors themselves – pretends that the history and contemporary condition of these essays are anything more than one the political party concerned, in recognition modest contribution to a debate that needs that there are, of course, other equally to take place at many levels and to involve legitimate and necessary readings. We a wide range of participants – and not are very grateful to the authors for the only Christians. Yet, given the widespread intelligence and dedication with which they popular disillusionment with and rose to the demanding challenges of our disengagement from party politics – indeed commission. from the whole political process – in recent 2 Experiments in Living Series foreword years, the ‘convictional health’ of parties is of vital concern for our entire parliamentary democracy. Everyone involved in this project would share the conviction that, as an ancient prophet warned another nation in crisis, ‘where there is no vision, the people perish’ ccfwebsite.com (Proverbs 29.18, AV). We hope that these essays stimulate new thinking about the urgent need for, and the desirable contents of, new political visions shaped by a primary Christian identity and biblical worldview. thecsm.org.uk We hope too that they will offer food for the journey for those already working within British political parties, and inspire others to consider entering the party political fray themselves as a constructive, honourable and missional arena of authentic Christian citizenship