Questions for Candidates
An election to the Northern Ireland Assembly has been called for 2 March 2017. As Christian citizens we should think carefully about how to vote.
The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland has called for Christians to pray and vote ahead of this week’s snap election in Northern Ireland.
Revd Frank Sellar wrote to all Presbyterian ministers and congregations in the Province, urging them to engage with the democratic process, despite few people expecting another election “within such a short space of time”.
He emphasised that “as followers of Christ who are called to pray for our political leaders (1 Timothy 2:2) we take comfort in the knowledge that He is able to make things work for good in the brokenness of our lives and our world”.
’Engaging’
Revd Sellar’s letter states that it can be easy to “be cynical and pessimistic about politics”.
But he stresses that: “Engaging and participating in the democratic process” is “one of the ways that we may seek ‘the peace and prosperity of the city’ to which we have been called”.
“So can I encourage you and your congregation to approach the upcoming election prayerfully and to vote, in the hope that the people we elect will work with integrity, generosity of spirit and a commitment to the common good?
“As we do so, let us always have in mind the words of Scripture and the example of Jesus, which teach us to love our neighbours; to love our enemies; to care for the weak, poor and most vulnerable; and, above all, to love God with all our heart and soul and mind.”
Questions for Candidates
The Christian Institute has produced a ‘Questions for Candidates’ briefing ahead of the election this week. It is available to download for free.