The Evangelical Alliance has called on Christians to 'fully engage' in the general election and to 'take the opportunity to speak hopefully, and with vision for the future'.

It is to release resources to help churches discuss the opportunities and challenges facing society in the light of the election, structured around the themes of love, freedom, justice and truth.

EA general director Steve Clifford said: 'As unexpected as this election may be, it provides a chance for Christians to take part in debating the future of our society.

'This is a chance for us to speak hope into a society that is so often searching for meaning. Between now and June 8 we can consider what the political parties are proposing, and what vision they are offering for our society.'

He continued: 'I believe that we can have a society that is more loving than it is now, that we can live in greater freedom than we currently know, I believe we can see justice as a lifestyle and not a soundbite, and rediscover the power of truth as the basis of a society working for the common good.

'I will be praying for the political parties and candidates over the next seven weeks. I will be looking for these virtues in their policies, and for them to be modelled in their campaigning. Elections are always going to involve disagreement, but there must be a better way than the way we have done politics in recent years.'

This election, he said, was 'a chance for Christians to have a say in the kind of society we want to see for future generations'.

A statement from Tearfund calls for parties to stand by their climate change commitments ahead of election and for Christians urged to think about global poverty before voting.

Speaking after Prime Minister Theresa May's announcement of the election, Tearfund's head of advocacy Paul Cook said: 'This election will undoubtedly be framed around the UK's departure from the European Union.

'But, as crucial as the Brexit negotiations will be, we cannot allow them to overshadow other vital issues like tackling global poverty and climate change.

'Tearfund is calling on all parties to focus on helping the poorest people in the world by reaffirming their commitments to fulfil our Paris agreement promises on climate change and continuing to support spending 0.7 per cent of GDP on overseas development.'