Former Prime Minister Emphasises Importance of Faith in Politics

FORMER Prime Minister and son of the manse Gordon Brown has emphasised the importance of the role of faith in politics.

Writing in his new book ‘My Life, Our Times’, Mr Brown – the son of a Church of Scotland minister – says that being religious should not give any politician ‘a privileged position or a get-out clause that allows them to ignore the accepted bases of authority: logic, scientific fact, experimental test, critical evaluation and an appeal to values we share in common.’

But he adds, in a chapter entitled ‘Faith in the Public Square’: “You have to argue your case in the public square, submit to scrutiny, acknowledge alternative points of view – and live with the outcome even if your point of view loses out. And that is in line with modern theological thinking: our faith obliges us to use reason, and it is an act of worship to use the brain you have.

 “Indeed, any public figure who introduces faith into debate must be sure they are not exploiting it for partisan reasons: deploying dogma to short- circuit democratic debate. To invoke God as if He favoured one side over the other, or to suggest your interpretation of faith must be the last word, or to play religion as some sort of trump card, to use religion cynically for political gain, is to make a mockery of the very idea of God and religion. So I would repudiate both those who say ‘Do this because my religion demands it’ and those who say ‘Vote for me because I’m a Christian’. 

“We must never make God a partisan figure, never claim that theology is the beginning and end of any debate, never act as if any kind of theocracy overrules democracy, and have the humility that Abraham Lincoln had: not to claim that God is on our side but to hope, as he did, that we are on God’s side.

“But while religious engagement within the public square must accommodate itself to public reason, public reason must also be willing to accommodate itself to religious engagement. A liberal state is not truly liberal unless it makes room for a conversation amongst believers and between them and non- believers. The question is: what are the shared terms and common ground that will allow for this?”

Mr Brown also describes his upbringing as a son of the manse and of the values instilled.

The book was published earlier this month and proceeds from publication will go to the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory, Their World and Gordon and his wife Sarah’s charitable and public service work.

Read an extract of the book here

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