Being salt and light
in politics and government
WHAT IS SUSA?
Susa is a wide-ranging resource hub that is designed to deliver more extensive and effective Christian engagement in politics and government. Named after the biblical city from which we get a Prime Minister, a Senior Civil Servant, a Lobbyist and an Activist (can you name them?), it aims to encourage and equip Christianity in the UK so that churchincreasingly sees its role in political engagement as being: biblical; missional; and possible.
WHY POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT?
Politics is the method for doing government, and God is very interested in government because it is all about how we value and prioritise our relationships (personal, social, and economic). Consequently, if Jesus is Lord, then government is the ‘family business' of God. Through our clear biblical mandate to be ‘salt and light', all God's people have a missional call to serve and to lead in the public square for His glory and our healing. Politics and government needs Christians who are led by the Holy Spirit and take the Bible seriously.WHY NOW?
The times that we live in present huge challenges and great opportunities for Christian engagement in politics and government. The failures of secularism have cultivated widespread cynicism towards public life. Lacking vision and dynamism, modern politics has become evermore pragmatic and managerial. A loss of trust and political apathy has resulted in a haemorrhaging of membership and deep financial crises in the main parties. Bereft of new ideas and energy, this political vacuum represents a ‘kairos' moment for Christian political engagement.As the Sacred-Secular Divide that reduced faith to a private activity continues to collapse, the opportunity to affect widespread cultural change through politics is again possible. Although much Christian political involvement tends to focus on issue-based campaigning and policy protest, there is now an urgent need to develop a more broadbased and positive engagement. Moving beyond the language of defensive decline, this new participation needs to ‘speak truth to power' and communicate hope across every sphere of public life, from local to national.
WHAT WILL SUSA DO?
With an emphasis upon prayer and practice, Susa will encourage engagement by communicating the message across a diverse range of channels; educating, informing and inspiring church to lead and serve in politics and government. It will equip by providing resources. Educative and multi-format, these will include written material, video content, internet facilities and importantly, network opportunities to connect to the numerous groups and individuals that are already actively engaged in a variety of ways. Their skills, experience, knowledge and inspirational examples are essential for facilitating engagement. In turn, as more extensive and effective participation takes place, these stakeholders will realise direct and indirect benefits.For more details, download the Introduction to SUSA and check out the website www.susa.info.
