Who We Are
The Christian Socialist Movement is an independent body of Christians on the Left who seek to influence public policy at both a national and local level. We are an individual membership organisation.
Our faith compels us to be involved. Moreover, it has led us to progressive politics and a concern for social justice in a way that has made CSM a unique organisation. Not only are we called to pray for the world, but to change it.
Each human being is of equal worth because all are made in the image of God. There should be equality of opportunities for all – and that means intervention to ensure that this genuinely happens everywhere. Inequality does matter. Moreover, it matters on an international scale. We cannot be ignorant of the plight of the global poor. Therefore we have a moral responsibility. This matters in a world that is clearly not going to meet the Millennium Development Goals without further effort.
Christian Socialists believe in individual freedom, exercised with others in community, and embrace civil liberties along with social and economic freedom. A commitment to liberal democracy is vital in these times. Christian Socialists want social justice – we are in politics because we want the institutional causes of poverty to be abolished.
Finally, we believe that people are called to common stewardship of the Earth, including its natural resources. This we see from the book of Genesis onwards, when men and women were divinely appointed as stewards of the Earth. The climate change happening now speaks to our failure to live up to that ancient responsibility.
CSM is affiliated to the Labour Party, but not all CSM members are members of the Labour Party.