London (CNSNews.com) – Evangelical Christians in Britain have remained mostly silent this month on the selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential nominee, although a leading creationist group said it was encouraged by her religious beliefs.
Palin was baptized into a Pentecostal church in her home state of Alaska as a child and has been identified as an evangelical Protestant ever since.
But despite her high public profile as a Christian, Palin would not automatically attract support from British evangelicals, a spokesman for the largest evangelical umbrella group in the United Kingdom said last week.
Daniel Webster, a political analyst with the Evangelical Alliance, said many British evangelicals had been attracted to Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama, and the addition of Palin to the Republican ticket would not affect that.
On the other hand, he said, other British evangelicals were encouraged that any future McCain administration would likely be a more socially conservative one.
In Britain, no political party has a monopoly on the Christian vote, Webster said.
British evangelicals in general are concerned about a wider range of issues than their American counterparts, he argued. For instance, many regarded global warming equally as important as abortion or same-sex marriage.
The link between faith and politics tends to be less public in the more reserved British society, he said. “It doesn’t exist in the same way as in America, where political leaders speak so openly about it.”
Evangelicals in Britain firmly believe their faith should influence government policy for the good of all of society, but many were skeptical of the way American politicians constantly talk about God, he added.
An estimated two million evangelicals in Britain regularly attend services, accounting for some 27 percent of total habitual church-goers, according to a comprehensive 2007 study by Tearfund, a Christian development agency.
While Britain still largely identifies itself as Christian, the study also found that two-thirds of British adults had no connection whatsoever to any church or religion.
Representatives of several other British evangelical groups declined to comment on Palin’s nomination, saying that they were not familiar enough with her or her record.
However, the head of the largest creationist group in the United Kingdom said he was very encouraged by what he called the “Christian, creationist stand” taken by Palin.
David Rosevear, chairman of the London-based Creation Science Movement, said that in Britain creationists were ridiculed as “feeble-minded,” despite the fact that they include people with high degrees in science.
In contrast to the United States, he said, few high-profile people admit to believing in the early chapters of Genesis as literal fact.
“The fact that in the world’s leading superpower creationists can hold high office is an embarrassment to Britain’s vocal atheists,” he said.
During her 2006 campaign to become governor of Alaska, Palin expressed the view that creation-based alternatives should be taught alongside the theory of evolution in public schools.
However, as governor she kept a campaign pledge not to add creationism to the Alaskan school curriculum.
Michael Reiss, director of education at the Royal Society, the academy of sciences for the United Kingdom, was forced to resign this week after saying publicly that science teachers should be allowed to discuss creationism in class, if asked about it.
Palin was baptized into a Pentecostal church in her home state of Alaska as a child and has been identified as an evangelical Protestant ever since.
But despite her high public profile as a Christian, Palin would not automatically attract support from British evangelicals, a spokesman for the largest evangelical umbrella group in the United Kingdom said last week.
Daniel Webster, a political analyst with the Evangelical Alliance, said many British evangelicals had been attracted to Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama, and the addition of Palin to the Republican ticket would not affect that.
On the other hand, he said, other British evangelicals were encouraged that any future McCain administration would likely be a more socially conservative one.
In Britain, no political party has a monopoly on the Christian vote, Webster said.
British evangelicals in general are concerned about a wider range of issues than their American counterparts, he argued. For instance, many regarded global warming equally as important as abortion or same-sex marriage.
The link between faith and politics tends to be less public in the more reserved British society, he said. “It doesn’t exist in the same way as in America, where political leaders speak so openly about it.”
Evangelicals in Britain firmly believe their faith should influence government policy for the good of all of society, but many were skeptical of the way American politicians constantly talk about God, he added.
An estimated two million evangelicals in Britain regularly attend services, accounting for some 27 percent of total habitual church-goers, according to a comprehensive 2007 study by Tearfund, a Christian development agency.
While Britain still largely identifies itself as Christian, the study also found that two-thirds of British adults had no connection whatsoever to any church or religion.
Representatives of several other British evangelical groups declined to comment on Palin’s nomination, saying that they were not familiar enough with her or her record.
However, the head of the largest creationist group in the United Kingdom said he was very encouraged by what he called the “Christian, creationist stand” taken by Palin.
David Rosevear, chairman of the London-based Creation Science Movement, said that in Britain creationists were ridiculed as “feeble-minded,” despite the fact that they include people with high degrees in science.
In contrast to the United States, he said, few high-profile people admit to believing in the early chapters of Genesis as literal fact.
“The fact that in the world’s leading superpower creationists can hold high office is an embarrassment to Britain’s vocal atheists,” he said.
During her 2006 campaign to become governor of Alaska, Palin expressed the view that creation-based alternatives should be taught alongside the theory of evolution in public schools.
However, as governor she kept a campaign pledge not to add creationism to the Alaskan school curriculum.
Michael Reiss, director of education at the Royal Society, the academy of sciences for the United Kingdom, was forced to resign this week after saying publicly that science teachers should be allowed to discuss creationism in class, if asked about it.
