On 3 April, I attended the Prime Minister’s reception at 10 Downing Street to celebrate Easter, something that David Cameron introduced last year. British Christian representatives were there from many denominations – including Anglican, Catholic, Coptic, Orthodox, Salvation Army, Methodist – as well as participants of other faiths. And Number 10 echoed to the sound of the boys of the choir of Westminster Abbey.
The Prime Minister delivered “three messages, an appeal, and two challenges”.
His first message was his feeling that we were at a moment of Christian revival in Britain. The Pope’s visit to the UK in 2010, and the successful return visit of a government delegation led by Baroness Warsi earlier this year, were symptoms of this. Christians were becoming more engaged in public issues, there was greater confidence, and more public expression. This was positive, and related to his further two messages. That Christian engagement in society should be based on key Christian values – he cited as an example ‘do to others as I would have done to me’ – which while not exclusive to Christianity could be shared across society. And, thirdly, he welcomed this engagement because of its importance to Britain’s institutions.
The challenges were to urge Christians to commit energetically to the Big Society, encouraging voluntary and other groups to apply for the funding available. And the second was to ensure that the message gets out that Britain will do all that it can to support and protect the minorities in the Middle East during this period of change and political turbulence, particularly through development programmes on the back of Britain’s expanding overseas development funding.
And the Appeal? The Prime Minister recognised that not everyone would be in agreement with the consultation underway on same-sex marriage. His hope was that debate could be kept at a courteous, passionate, but polite level. Faith engaging with reason, in other words.
Happy Easter to you all!