Welcome to the new divide

So, we have a new Parliament and one that is also full of new faces and first-time MPs. In part, this is because many long-standing MPs decided to stand down and retire from front-line politics. But the changed nature of the Commons is also a reflection on a more fundamental shift in our politics.

It used to be the case that the great dividing line in British politics was left and right and people tended to vote on a class basis. Working-class voters tended to be more supportive of the Labour Party, while middle-class votes tended to shift towards the Conservatives. The electoral system supported a two-party system, with voters basically voting for one of two possible winners.

Yet the most recent election has demonstrated that the new dividing line in politics is no longer along class lines. Seats that have been traditionally Labour have ‘gone blue’, while seats historically associated with the Tories went to other parties. The new dividing line is now Leave or Remain. This is the true legacy of the EU referendum of 2016. We were asked a binary question back then and the result has been the polarisation of our politics.

This polarisation has revealed itself in the divisive tone of debates in Parliament. It is hardly surprising that there is widespread disillusionment among the electorate. The last Parliament was fractious, argumentative and paralysed by indecision. It demonstrated the worst of our political class. The recent election was supposed to ‘shift the dial’ and break the deadlock. I suspect it might not be that simple.

But it is not as if the choice was all that inspiring! Many Christians, I’m sure, found the recent election incredibly difficult when it came to decide who to vote for and what issues to vote on. For some, life issues remain dominant. Certainly, this was a big one for me. But if you looked for a positive manifesto on life issues, you would largely look in vain. Either the parties didn’t make any commitments on abortion or assisted suicide, or they made proposals that would only worsen the already terrible situation.

As a Christian, there is something in the fabric of each political ideology I can sympathise with. I might lean one way or the other, I might have a stronger allegiance to one party, but honestly it was a case of choosing the best of an often-bad bunch.

At the same time, I wouldn’t want to give the impression that all is lost, because it absolutely is not. Politics has changed and the new Parliament may be even more divided than the previous one, but all is not lost. For one, some Christians have been elected. I know some of them and they are faithful, loyal and courageous witnesses to the Lord Jesus in Westminster. They will need our prayers.

I’m also encouraged for another reason. God is still on the throne. All authority our Government has been given has ultimately been gifted to them from God. He is the One whose plans and promises will not fail. He can use bad rulers to accomplish His purposes.

What if the current decline in morality in our nation were part of our great God’s plan to set the scene for a mighty demonstration of His power? It should hardly surprise us. God often works mightily when a situation has reached a historic low point.

Therefore, there is no need for despair and disillusionment as we begin a new Parliament. There are Christians in Westminster who are working for God’s glory. Yes, the challenges are great and they are many. Our battle, though, is not with culture. It is with the principalities and powers of the unseen world. For all their rage, our God is stronger.

As we enter a new year, politics might have changed, but the pressure remains intense to further relax abortion law, to legalise assisted suicide, to undermine marriage and family life, and to pressurise Christians into keeping quiet.

What should not change, however, is our desire to be salt and light and to engage, constructively, with MPs and Peers, to bring about positive change to our nation, for God’s glory.