Archbishop was right to reflect on current crises

IT WAS THE great Anglican bishop and anti-apartheid activist Desmond Tutu who said: "When people say that religion and politics don't mix, I wonder which Bible it is they are reading."

- Paul Woolley

Christianity is inherently political. The confession of the earliest Christians that Jesus is "Lord” and “Saviour” was a claim not only that Jesus was in charge, but that Caesar was not.

Politics is, literally, about the welfare of the city. To be political is to care about how society is run and how people are treated, and that is a central concern to all Christians. I worked in politics for a number of years, driven by a conviction that if I was serious about loving God and my neighbour as myself, it made sense to work in the institutions that affected the lives of my neighbours, especially the most vulnerable.

It's totally understandable, therefore, that the Archbishop of Canterbury used his Easter sermon to reflect on the cost-of-living crisis, war in Ukraine, and sending asylum seekers overseas, alongside the events of the first Easter morning.

His intervention caused a storm.

One such critic was Ben Bradley, MP for Mansfield. “I think we separated the Church from the State a long time ago so commenting on government policy is not Justin Welby's job,” he said. "He's usually well out of tune with public opinion and he undermines the role of the Church when he comes out with daft statements like this." Mr Bradley's comments were factually wrong on every point.