A new resource has been launched for UK Christians to spread a message of love, freedom, justice and truth in a country that has been racked with insecurity and division following everything from the Brexit referendum to the Grenfell Tower fire.
The Evangelical Alliance (EA) has produced What kind of society?, which imagines the kind of world that we want our children and grandchildren to grow up in.
The EA said: 'There has been a failure of leadership across society and in many different institutions; now more than ever we need hope and vision, and people giving voice hope for the future.'
The report describes how Christian churches and organisations are already promoting the four key values in our society. Examples range from church responses to the Grenfell disaster, to ministries which help people break free of addiction and debt, and Christians who organise hustings during elections.
Writing in the preface to the resource Dr David Landrum, director of advocacy at the EA, said: 'Love provides the glue that holds society together. Freedom provides opportunities. Justice rights wrongs. And truth is a rock we can all build our lives upon.
'We want to see Christians speak confidently of the goodness that our faith leads to, and give voice to a vision of a society where all flourish and grow, and in which love, freedom, justice and truth are not just noble ideas but the revolutionary principles our society is built on.'
The EA has launched What kind of society?, it says, to begin conversations up and down the UK about what the future might look like if we prioritised these values in our public life.
Landrum said: 'This is a prompt to help you think through what should be at the root of our society for the coming generations. It's about considering what we need to protect and promote in order that future generations are in a better place.'
The EA said: 'The purpose of this resource is to give Christians confidence in the value of what they believe for all of society. What kind of society? seeks to put into action the words of theologian and former Bishop of Durham, Tom Wright: "The whole point of Christianity is that it offers a story which is the story of the whole world. It is public truth."
Landrum added: 'We want to see a truly plural society in which people can live together despite their deepest differences.
'We believe this is best secured when built on a Christian vision of love, freedom, justice and truth. These foundational ideas allow people to flourish and societies to thrive.'
'Christians must step up and take responsibility for the world around us. So many parts of society are calling for vision and good leadership, and we believe it is part of the outworking of the Christian faith to be public leaders working for the glory of God and the good of all."
The What kind of society? resource is available at www.eauk.org/wkos
