Martin Steven - Christianity and Party Politics: Keeping the Faith

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Christianity and Party Politics

Christianity and Party Politics aims to discuss and evaluate the contemporary relationship between party politics and religion. This book focuses on the important role of the Church in both electoral politics and public policy formulation in the twenty-first century, and argues that, contrary to the established secularisation argument generally applied in Europe, religion continues to be a powerful influence, particularly within British politics.

Steven begins by examining the basics of electoral and party behaviour, how religious affiliation has traditionally influenced the way people choose to vote, and how recent surveys have suggested it continues to do so. Moving on to discuss how this affects the behaviour of party politicians, the role of the Christian Church as an interest group is analysed; to what extent is this major societal institution continuing to influence public policy decisions?

Broadening the debate out to the international context, the work evaluates how the relationship between party politics and religion has been affected by global factors. This discussion is developed through analysing the influences on the way in which Christian groups choose to lobby and influence public policy. Steven suggests that increasing European integration is forcing Christian groups to become more proactive in their approach, to combat the decline in the more automatic domestic influence they previously enjoyed. In relation to this, the influence of American politics is analysed, debating whether tactics from the more pluralist US system are being adopted by Church leaders elsewhere.

Providing a valuable and long overdue contribution to the field, this work will provide readers with a detailed knowledge of how the worlds of politics and religion interact.

Martin H. M. Steven lectures in Politics at the University of Glasgow. He researches within the field of comparative political behaviour, with particular emphasis on parties and elections in Britain, and has published in journals such as Representation, POLITICS and Religion, State and Society.

Routledge Studies in Religion and Politics

Edited by Jeffrey Haynes
London Metropolitan University, UK

This series aims to publish high quality works on the topic of the resurgence of political forms of religion in both national and international contexts. This trend has been especially noticeable in the post-cold war era (that is, since the late 1980s). It has affected all the world religions (including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism) in various parts of the world (such as the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa).

The series welcomes books that use a variety of approaches to the subject, drawing on scholarship from political science, international relations, security studies and contemporary history.

Books in the series explore these religions, regions and topics both within and beyond the conventional domain of ChurchState relations to include the impact of religion on politics, conflict and development, including the late Samuel Huntingtons controversial yet influential thesis about clashing civilisations.

In sum, the overall purpose of the book series is to provide a comprehensive survey of what is currently happening in relation to the interaction of religion and politics, both domestically and internationally, in relation to a variety of issues.

Politics and the Religious Imagination

Edited by John Dyck, Paul Rowe and Jens Zimmermann

Christianity and Party Politics

Keeping the faith

Martin H. M. Steven

Christianity and Party Politics

Keeping the faith

Martin H. M. Steven

LONDON AND NEW YORK

First published 2011
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2011.

To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledges collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.

2011 Martin H. M. Steven

The right of Martin H. M. Steven to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Steven, Martin H. M.
Christianity and party politics: keeping the faith/Martin H.M. Steven.
p. cm. (Routledge studies in religion and politics)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
Christianity and politics Great Britain. 2. Political parties Great Britain. 3. Great Britain Politics and government.
I. Title.
BR744.S74 2010
324.241 dc22 2010026800

ISBN 0-203-83416-X Master e-book ISBN

ISBN: 9780415556606 (hbk)

ISBN: 9780203834169 (ebk)

Contents

Illustrations

Figures

2.1	Believe in God and usual Sunday church attendance
2.2	Christian vote in British General Elections, 19592005 Conservative Party
2.3	Christian vote in British General Elections, 19592005 Labour Party
2.4	Christian vote in British General Elections, 19592005 Liberal Democrats
2.5	Percentage Conservative by church attendance
2.6	Percentage other parties by church attendance
2.7	Percentage turn-out by church attendance
2.8	Percentage non-voting by church attendance
3.1	British party membership, 19642005

Tables

1.1	ChurchState relations versus Christian parties
3.1	Christian party groupings
4.1	Political interests of the Lords Spiritual
4.2	Contributions to debates in the House of Lords by bishops, 20089

Preface

Scholars have ignored the role of religion in British politics this is primarily an institutionalist failing, with an over-emphasis on the decline of traditional church attendance, the absence of a confessional party and, linked to this, any significant social conflict related exclusively to religion. However, a more rational perspective reveals the true political influence of the British churches voting behaviour and turn-out continue to be affected by Christian values, parties continue to sustain Christian subgroups, a state Church continues to sit and vote in Parliament in London, and conscience-based issues pose irrational challenges for policymakers working within a unique constitutional framework.

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