Involvement by churches in public policy

Abstract

Christianity has a long history of social and political engagement. The past decade has seen churches and individual Christians engage in public debates over issues as broad as global poverty and the climate, and as intimate as human reproduction and marriage. What were the views of attenders on the validity of advocacy and public comment by churches and Christians in the 2011 National Church Life Survey? In late 2011, a sample of Catholic, Anglican and Protestant attenders was asked: In your opinion, should Christians/churches be involved in public policy issues in the following ways? 1) Advocacy or lobbying of governments 2) Public comment.