A Christian peer has urged churches to do more to help Christians engage with politics, saying voting every five years is probably not enough to influence the issues affecting people’s daily lives.
Speaking to Premier Christian News at the G20 Interfaith Forum in Salt Lake City, Utah, Lord Russ Rook said politics was not just about what happens in Parliament, but also about issues that impact our everyday lives.
"I always find it really interesting because people say to me, 'I'm not necessarily interested in politics, or I don't know how to get into politics.' And yet, actually, when we look around us, politics affects everything we do," Lord Rook said.
"We care about the school our kids go to, and we care about whether our streets are safe, and we care about the care that our elderly relatives will get if they're in challenge, and so all of those are issues of politics.
"I think one of our jobs for people of faith and for the Christian community is to help people to say politics isn't just what happens in places like Parliament, where I work, but it happens all around you. Whether it's healthcare, whether it's safe streets, whether it's kids thriving, they're really important to God, not just important to you and me. Probably more important to God than anybody else."
He also challenged churches to make it easier for people to take practical steps beyond voting.
"If we're going to be people of faith, we're going to take those things seriously, and we're going to say, 'God, what can we do to help you improve those things?'
"I think that's why people should be called to get involved in politics. Then the question is for our churches... Because just voting every five years is probably not enough. And so, how do I get involved?"
Lord Rook, who is also an Anglican priest, admitted that "churches have got to get better at giving people an easy way in, so that they can see that they can genuinely make a difference".
The G20 Interfaith Forum was established alongside the G20 process in Australia in 2014. It takes place in the same country as the G20 Leaders' Summit, which US President Donald Trump is hosting in Florida in December.
The forum brings together religious leaders, scholars, policymakers and other representatives to explore how faith communities can contribute to addressing global challenges.
Almost 1,700 people have gathered for this year's event, championing the influence of faith in policymaking and discussing the further impact that could be made across various sectors, including poverty, freedom of religion, public health, the environment and more.
Katherine Marshall, vice-president of the G20 Interfaith Forum, told Premier that religious communities had long wanted to be included in international policy discussions, but there were few mechanisms for them to contribute.
"There's been a sense among religious communities that they really should be part of the conversation, but they're not," she said.
Marshall explained that faith communities bring both practical experience and moral perspectives to global challenges, as they are often involved in responding to disasters and delivering support in areas such as healthcare and education.
"Religious communities tend to see the moral issues in even the most technical place, and for me, our main driving force is the concern for people who are most vulnerable," Marshall said.
She added that this concern should help shape political priorities, with policymakers remembering people who are suffering and ensuring their needs are not overlooked.
The three-day event had increasingly focused on contributing to the G20's agenda following discussions with the German government in 2017, rather than operating solely as an academic gathering.
This year's theme is "Resilient Hope, Shared Future."
