Christian People’s Alliance – Principles (CPA) www.cpaparty.net

What are the guiding objectives and vision of the Christian Peoples Alliance, its principles, policies – and where did we come from? The Christian Peoples Alliance is a party rooted in the historic Christian faith that seeks to demonstrate the love of God through political service. Our faith and principles are drawn from the Bible, especially the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, as well as from Christian political insights through the centuries. Our aim is to follow and fulfil these principles in British political life:

• Recognition of Christ’s sovereignty over the nations and in politics.
• Respect of God’s law as the basis for constitutional government and a stable society.
• Reconciliation among nations, races, religions, classes, gender and communities.
• Respect for human life given by God
• Social Justice to address wrongs and provide restitution to the wronged. Careful economic stewardship of God’s creation.
• Commitment to the fairness of markets and patterns of exchange. Peacemaking, by addressing the causes of wars.
• Open, transparent government, which subjects itself to debate and critique.
• Principles of the Christian Peoples Alliance

The Christian Peoples Alliance (CPA) is an electoral initiative working within the traditions of Christian Democracy and embracing the social teachings of the Churches. Having emerged from within the non-party Movement for Christian Democracy, it has adopted the same principles and social vision.

Sections below:
A Christian Political Vision
• Christian Democracy and Society
• Six Principles of Christian Democracy

A Christian Political Vision
We believe that Christianity gives a vision for the whole of politics – through principles, policies, peacemaking, economic policy and ethics. The Bible as God’s revelation and Jesus’ words and life are our central guide. We see the death and resurrection of Jesus as the central human event, bringing peace with God, and renewed life. We want to live within God’s love and forgiveness, rather than remain within the old patterns of human failure in life and politics. From the first we put faith at the centre of politics

Christian Democracy and Society
We work from a Christian understanding of society which is: neither individualist, nor collectivist affirms the second great commandment of loving our neighbours as ourselves trusts God’s ways for living presented in the teaching of Jesus and the Judeo-Christian tradition upholds the fundamental worth of each person as made in the image of God affirms family relationships, education, worship, work, the arts, communities, nations and states as part of God’s purposes for human life sees the state as constitutional and defined by the rule of law sees government as accountable to the electorate and in a deeper sense to God stands against totalitarianism and the political control of people’s lives stands against individualism, greed and forms of economic domination which undermine the Christian meaning of neighbour love affirms the nation, but opposes nationalism seeks international justice and compassion stands against materialism and narrow economic terms of reference. The task of politics is to work for justice – for persons, institutions, communities and nations, and this we seek to do with Christian vision and understanding.

SIX PRINCIPLES of Christian Democracy
The CPA endorses the six key principles of Christian Democracy contained in the Westminster Declaration, a statement adopted at the launch of the Movement for Christian Democracy in 1991. These will shape our Christian political development.

Respect for Life
We accept the life of each person as sacred before God, to be respected unconditionally. Such respect is important at the beginning and end of natural life, making abortion and euthanasia wrong practices. We also see the militarism of this last century as deeply destructive and want to work for substantial world-wide peace. The need to provide food, water, medicine, and economic support for the world’s poor is a high priority, a higher priority than our own affluence. In health, aid, trade, transport and welfare this principle should shape policy.

Social Justice
Justice is often seen in minimal and legalistic terms, but in biblical thinking it is much richer. God’s justice is loving justice, for people. It is laced with mercy and has the purpose of encouraging good relationships between people and groups. We want to work for policies that value the integrity and freedom of men, women and children, that nurture marriages, families and communities and that support work, rest and freedom from exploitation. We affirm a special concern for the needs of the poor, suffering and powerless.

Reconciliation
Jesus Christ is the great reconciler – of nations, races, men and women, and classes – and we want to work for reconciliation and healing among people.
We recognise this is not cheap. It involves fighting pride and practising forgiveness, repentance, recompence and justice. But we want to work at peacemaking on Jesus’ terms.

Active Compassion
Our biggest weakness is often indifference to the needs of others, and this needs to be fought. We are committed to meeting the fundamental needs of the poor before the preferences of the rich, both nationallyand internationally.

Wise Stewardship
Economic activity should involve respect for God’s creation and a proper distribution of work and resources. We should have fair markets and pricing without unjust concentrations of power and wealth, and our economic output should serve people, not enslave or dominate them. We affirm the need for the State to apply justice to those who exploit and work against the common good.

Empowerment
Different areas of life like marriage, family, education, community, business, the arts and media have their own integrity and often these need protecting and empowering. Within these areas groups of people need particular support to enable them to live good lives.

POLICIES
The Christian Peoples Alliance will be developing policies that express the compassion and justice of God. We will seek to make a distinctive, Christian Democratic contribution to politics at every level of government.

International Poverty: We will be working for basic living standards for all through aid, trade policy, agriculture, economic reform and addressing western patterns of lending and dominance.

Birth and Childhood: We will uphold respect for God-given life in conception, pregnancy, birth and childhood, working to end mass abortion, human genetic interference, child abuse, commercial exploitation of children and poor parenting.

Media: We will work for high standards and veracity in the media, against manipulation and intrusion into social and family life.

The Arms Trade: We will work towards a substantial end to commercial arms production and trading, especially in Europe and the United States. Arms cause wars, military dictatorships, death, injury and acute hardship and we want to reverse these effects.

Marriage and Family: We want to strengthen personal, marriage and family relationships through legal, economic and social change. This also involves protecting the family against exploitation by employers, commercialism, media pressures and sex industries. We will protect Sunday as a day of rest.

Domestic poverty: In Britain there is poverty among a substantial group of the population. It involves a lack of resources, education, work, and stable relationships. We are committed to existing for this group and their needs.

The Economy: As opposed to the economics of self-interest, we are working for corporate and financial accountability, mutual responsibility and a fair distribution of wealth. We want to cut wasteful consumerism and address overwork and unemployment.

Democracy: We want to reaffirm Christian principles of public service, accountability, the rule of law, the submission of the powerful to justice, open government and fair debate. We support constitutional reform that embraces these principles. We also support the maintenance of the principle within the constitution of the recognition of Christ’s sovereignty.

Transport: We propose reform of our transport system to dramatically cut pollution and energy use.
Promoted by Doug Gibbons on behalf of the
Christian Peoples Alliance, CPA,
7, Storey’s Gate
London SW1P 3AT
Telephone: 0845 45 65 478
E mail: info@cpalliance.net

January 2006