Christian voluntary work in society is a ‘glue that holds together the fabric of our communities’, the House of Commons has heard on 5 May.
Fiona Bruce MP cited prison visiting, work with the homeless and helping victims of human trafficking, as she led the debate.
Grave concern
Mrs Bruce reported concerns that ‘youth work in this country would collapse without the churches’ involvement’. She noted the swathes of support that faith-based organisations provide, and said while the Christian church ‘may not be perfect’, society would ‘certainly notice a difference’ without it.
But Mrs Bruce highlighted that many organisations and volunteers are concerned about the government’s plans to give Ofsted the power to investigate youth work. ‘There is grave concern on the part of many Christians across the country about these proposals and rightly so.’
‘Ofsted’s job is to inspect educational standards in schools, not to make ideological judgments about church youth groups’.
Stephen Timms, the Labour MP for East Ham, joined Fiona Bruce in her concern, describing the government’s plans as a ‘dreadful proposal to, in effect, turn Ofsted into a state regulator of religion’.
Important contribution
Conservative MP Steve Double said: ‘Throughout our history, people of faith have brought change and reform to our society, and it is very much because of their faith that they have carried out such work.’
