Keep the faith Mr Brown

Statement from the Rev Joel Edwards, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance

11 May 2007

“It’s what you do that matters rather than what you say,” said Gordon Brown in an interview with the Guardian last month.

We have heard what he has to say when launching his bid for the premiership today. He says he is optimistic about the “driving power of social conscience at work” in the life of Britain’s communities, churches and faith groups.

He says his church minister father’s moral compass has guided him through each stage in his life, teaching him the importance of integrity, decency, treating people fairly and duty to others.

I have seen some of this desire to treat others fairly at a series of workshops I attended alongside him in the run-up to Jubilee 2000, where I was convinced by his passion for the poor of Africa.

His words that day have been backed up by his actions as he has pushed Britain forward towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals it committed to in 2000.

So I challenge him, as he runs for leadership of the country, to continue to pursue that undertaking to the poor.

I challenge him to follow his words of admiration for the drive of Britain’s faith communities and churches by being unafraid of his own commitment to faith and the place of faith in society.

I challenge him to reach beyond the public apathy to clearly support not only the community benefits of faith, but also the values which inform the activities of faith leaders.

And I challenge the people of Britain, as we evaluate the next leader of our country, to look beyond words to substance, and to judge him on what he does rather than what he says.

Rev Joel Edwards, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance