Monday 27 April 2015

How should I vote?

The General Election is fast approaching and there are so many issues and opinions that it's hard to distinguish fact from fiction, claim from counterclaim.  So how do we decide who to vote for?  How do we even decide what the issues are on which we should be making that decision?  How do we think biblically about those issues and others?

Guy Brandon's helpful book, 'Votewise 2015' looks at various issues (the NHS, policing, immigration, the environment, the economy, education and so on) and seeks to help us form a biblical understanding  on which to then base our decision about who to vote for.  The book is short enough, 112 pages, to read easily and yet contains a lot of information in an easy to read format.  The questions that follow each subsection of the book are particularly helpful in challenging our thinking and getting us to think about applying what we have read.

The book is balanced in it's survey of the current state of the nation and political climate.  I've found it informative and helpful in thinking about the issues beyond those which are making the headlines in the media.  The only drawback, I found, was the final chapter before the conclusion which is a series of 5 short essays by a christian candidate for each of the 5 main political parties, they varied in quality and approach and I didn't feel they added anything to the book.

Overall though a helpful read.

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