Kemi Badenoch is right to defend Kate Forbes from religious intolerance
By 
James Mildred2023-02-24T11:52:00
Classic liberalism means everyone’s views have a place in the national conversation, says James Mildred. If Hindus and Muslims can lead political parties and hold high office, why can’t an evangelical Christian?
“To stop people from saying what they really feel is overly draconian.” So said Kemi Badenoch in an interview with Politico. She was talking about Kate Forbes and the media storm that has surrounded her in recent days.
What Badenoch was articulating in her defence of Forbes was classical liberalism. The idea is that you have your own beliefs and worldview and, naturally, that shapes how you think about everything. It doesn’t mean everyone will agree with you, but it does mean your ideas and convictions can be part of the national conversation. You have a right to be heard.
Related articles
-
OpinionKemi Badenoch has a tough road ahead. Let’s pray she navigates it well
Leading the opposition with such a small number of seats is a real challenge, says Tim Farron. The new Conservative Party leader - who describes herself as a “cultural Christian” but also says she’s not at all religious - will need our prayers
-
OpinionFaith is a force for good. The government must engage better with it
A landmark review into faith engagement has found the government needs to recognise faith groups as a force for good. Much more must be done to improve religious literacy, as well as tackling harms such as extremism, says it’s author, Colin Bloom
-
OpinionRaab was right to resign over bullying claims
Bullying occurs in the boardroom, the classroom and even in government, says Ross Hendry. As Christians, we should be thankful that the standards and values in public life, rooted so much in the Bible, have been upheld
More from Opinion
-
OpinionThe police tried to stop me preaching. They won’t succeed
When street evangelist Monique Bailey set out to share the gospel in King’s Cross, she didn’t expect a police officer to stand in her way. She explains why the experience reminded her of the need for every Christian to bring light into dark places, no matter the consequences
-
OpinionCory Asbury is right. Our worship needs heart surgery
Worship artists make ungodly compromises in order to be successful in Christian music. That’s according to Cory Asbury, the writer of ‘Reckless Love’ who recently criticised artists for acting in ways which are “antithetical to the way of Jesus”. Scottish songwriter Andrew Mitchell, who himself stepped away from the Christian music industry in the US explains why he agrees with Asbury’s comments
-
OpinionFactory farming is a faith issue. Here’s a Christian response to chlorinated chicken
The conversation around the prospect of chlorinated chicken coming to UK has primarily focused on food safety, Hadden Turner says that focus is misguided, and much more concern should be directed toward animal welfare, environmental damage and what our food choices say about our faith
- Issues
- Topics A-Z
- Writers A-Z
- © 2025 Premier Christianity
Site powered by Webvision Cloud