Sent: 05 June 2015 16:57
To: Joe Ware
Subject: Christian Aid Responds To Evangelical Alliance Survey With A Call For 'Prophetic Church'
June 5, 2015
Following the recent study into evangelical attitudes towards poverty, Christian Aid has encouraged churches to become advocates for the poor with the help of a booklet The Prophetic Church.
The research, carried out by the Evangelical Alliance, showed that 97 per cent of evangelicals believed Christians should work for justice for the poor and 73 per cent had given to a charity tackling poverty overseas in the last 12 months.
Despite having strong views on tackling poverty and injustice (97 per cent agreed that the Government should act to ensure large companies can't avoid paying their taxes) only 30 per cent had written to their MP or campaigned on international poverty issues.
Christian Aid has produced The Prophetic Church as a resource to help churches to campaign, drawing on the rich history of the evangelical tradition in bringing about radical change for the poor.
Project coordinator David Muir said: "It is great to see the evangelical heart for the poor borne out in the new research. Evangelical Christians have such potential to bring about real change by using their democratic voice.
"The Prophetic Church will help churches understand their role, as the bible puts it; "to speak out for those who cannot speak", as well as explaining how this can be achieved through campaigning.
"Evangelicals have a proud tradition of speaking truth to power and calling for justice and I hope this booklet will enable Christians today to follow in those footsteps."
The Prophetic Church can be downloaded here.
Ends
For more information contact Joe Ware at jware@christian-aid.org. The 24 hour Christian Aid press duty phone is 07850 242950.
Notes to Editors:
1. Christian Aid works in some of the world's poorest communities in around 40 countries at any one time. We act where there is great need, regardless of religion, helping people to live a full life, free from poverty. We provide urgent, practical and effective assistance in tackling the root causes of poverty as well as its effects.
2. Christian Aid's core belief is that the world can and must be changed so that poverty is ended: this is what we stand for. Everything we do is about ending poverty and injustice: swiftly, effectively, sustainably. Our strategy document Partnership for Change (http://www.christianaid.org.uk/images/partnership-for-change-summary.pdf) explains how we set about this task.
3. Christian Aid is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of more than 130 churches and church-related organisations that work together in humanitarian assistance, advocacy and development. Further details at http://actalliance.org
4. Follow Christian Aid's newswire on Twitter: http://twitter.com/caid_newswire
5. For more information about the work of Christian Aid visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk
Joe Ware
Church & Campaigns Journalist
Christian Aid
35-41 Lower Marsh
London
SE1 7RL
0207 523 2418
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