About Us
The Christian Socialist Movement has five major roles.
PROPHETIC
CSM aims to be both a 'prophetic conscience of the Labour Party and a prophetic voice to the churches'. In the Bible, the prophetic lives out a God given mandate to question, to challenge and ultimately bring the people back to the values and way of God. Often the Old Testament prophets like Micah and Amos needed to address their words to issues of injustice. CSM looks to these prophets for inspiration in asking questions of the Labour movement and issuing challenges to the church - that we are called to follow God by loving the poor, by defending the widow, the refugee and the orphan and by standing against injustice - large or small.
PRAYER
Central to CSM is prayer. We meet regularly as a movement to pray, and encourage local branches to pray. We recognise that activity alone will not do - that we need the daily miracles of God - in our own lives and in our nation and the world. We hope to provide regular resources on this site to fuel your prayers.
MOBILISING
Regular campaigns, such as a our recent focus on Inequality, aim to mobilise those on the Left to engage in key issues in our nation. We hope CSM can champion causes of social justice which enable people young and old, from whatever background - to act and make a difference, both as national movement and in local branches. We encourage you to join CSM and to get involved in a local branch to get the most out of these campaigns. Our annual Tawney lecture looks to inspire fresh thought and mobilise a generation to engage in issues of faith and politics. There is a wave of Christians speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves in the UK, fleshed out by their leading role in many recent campaigns. We create a relational funnel of mentoring and advice to help these folks not just shout from the outside, but to also get involved on the inside. CSM members get beyond just campaigning on single issues to the point where they are prepared to be making the decisions themselves.
RESOURCING
Our democracy works and grows through informed debate and involved people. CSM aims to engage in political debate through resourcing and responding to issues of our time. CSM contributes perspectives to the ongoing process of developing Labour Party policy. We also look to provide resources which individuals and groups can use to develop their own thinking on issues. Our magazine Common Good will focus on key themes and issues. Our website will publish articles, ideas and resources and offer an active place to be involved. Our local branches offer a place to discuss issues locally and to impact local debates.
CONNECTING
CSM aims to provide a space for those who God has called to, or those who find themselves in the Left of British politics. Through meetings, branches and this website we want to provide a space for you to connect with others - both locally and nationally. CSM also acts as a conduit for relationship building between the church and the Labour party, and other faiths, through initiatives such as the Faiths Taskforce and consultation.
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