WHAT KIND OF SOCIETY?
PREFACE We live in uncertain times. People need vision – because vision brings hope for a better future. What kind of society? aims to provide a vision for the kind of world that we want our children and grandchildren to grow old in. At a time of disconcerting turbulence and increasing trepidation about what the future holds, we want to encourage God’s people to give voice to this vision that things can change for the better. In 2014 Evangelical Alliance Scotland produced What kind of nation? as a prompt to help Christians engage with the independence referendum that took place that year and think about the kind of Scotland they wanted in the future. In the wake of the 2016 EU referendum result and 2017 General Election we felt a similar document asking searching questions of our society and positing a vision for the future was needed, and this is it. The Evangelical Alliance has engaged in public policy work for a long time, and is keen to see Christian ideas and principles influencing parliamentary debate. Over the last few years we have also worked to encourage Christians in public leadership, urging them to take on responsibility and act with authority in the places that
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God has put them. But on its own this is not enough. Vision is needed. We hope What kind of society? provides a springboard of vision for public policy and public leadership. It is our firm conviction, and the basis upon which we produce this resource, that the Christian faith has good news and is good news for all people. We believe that the truth of the gospel is the greatest news that any person can hear, and we also believe that Christian teaching and biblical principles provide the best anchor for our society. Such vision has a great track record. It has benefited many in the past and can help many more thrive in the future. The language of love, freedom, justice and truth resonates strongly in our contemporary society. These things are of enduring importance for everyone, and we want to see them lived out and made real in our communities and neighbourhoods. The challenge is that these ideas are contested. What does it mean to love? Who gets freedom? What counts as justice? And what is truth? Our hope is that this resource offers a starting point for a positive conversation, and unpacks how these ideas
