Tom
Welcome, Nick, we're incredibly grateful for your twenty-five-plus years teaching on the Programme. What first led you to get involved and what do you, or have you, enjoyed about teaching on the Programme over the years?
Nick
Well, in 1998, I began a job running a programme at Sarum College in Salisbury, which was all about politics and Christian theology. And at the same time, I began teaching on the Leadership Programme after a trial session the previous year.
The other thing about my involvement in the Leadership Programme is that when I was in my 20s, I worked in politics for three years for a Member of Parliament. And that was a very formative and great experience for me.
It was also completely exhausting. The MP in question had a very demanding role and a very demanding, economically deprived constituency as well. I found that very draining, in the sense that the whole experience raised many questions which it was impossible to address in the context of doing the job.
The opportunity to contribute to the Leadership Programme had huge appeal to me, because people were working in politics four days a week and yet there was this chance for a day every week to think, learn, discuss, question, in the context of Christian faith. How can Christian faith enable us to address the hard questions that politics throws up?
I would have loved to have had that when I was working in Parliament. And I think that combination of the practicalities and pressures of the political world yet being able to step back and think about some of the bigger issues at the same time is a great thing and a rare thing.
Tom
In your time teaching on the CARE Leadership Programme, both the wider culture and CARE have changed significantly. How has that impacted your work both academically, but also on the Friday study days?
Nick
In the 1980s, there was the rise to prominence and even dominance of a revived form of free market economic liberalism. Since then, I would say there's been a rise to prominence of two other forms of sort of individualistically based liberal politics. One of these was deeply indebted to John Rawls, his position coming to be called egalitarian liberalism. His argument was that the state can be neutral among different ethical positions and conceptions of the human good. In effect it disallows appeal to explicitly religious claims in public life.
And then secondly, the influence of expressive individualism which idealises authentic self-expression and is one factor, although only one factor, in the rise of identity politics.
But more recently, there's been the whole Trump phenomenon and national populism, which includes the rise of Faragist politics, Brexit, and so on. And I think that can be read as a reaction against all three of those forms of liberalism. Not a very well theoretically worked out reaction, but an understandable reaction in some ways because of flaws in those three versions of individualistic liberal politics.
I think it's very incumbent upon us all to go on seeking to understand more fully the whole national populist phenomenon. At the same time, in my view, it's very important not to support it, because I think it's definitely a sub-Christian reaction and development.
I suppose I would point to the continental Christian democratic tradition at its best as still having potential in it for constructive Christian political theology and practice moving forward. Although that's quite an unrealistic and idealistic view in a way, because the Christian democratic tradition has, for whatever combination of reasons, never caught on anywhere significantly in the English-speaking world. For sceptical British readers, I wrote an introduction to Christian Democracy a few years ago which I’ll share.
Tom
As you look forward, what encouragements or challenges perhaps do you have for our alumni network? Are there particular things that you think would be helpful for alumni to remember or refresh themselves with from the Programme?
Nick
To describe a very big task simply, I think that, in relation to the broadly liberal and democratic societies of the Western world, the challenge is to reconnect all that’s really valuable in these societies with their Christian theological roots – obvious things like protection of personal liberties including religious freedom, and less obvious things like humility and moderation in sentencing (there but for the grace of God go I).
Secularism wants to cut everything off from any theological roots, but that is to the great detriment of our society. So, I think a more nuanced analysis, recognising the possibility of what you might even call redemption, is needed when it comes to the free societies we have inherited.
Looking forward, I wanted to say something else which relates more to our personal journeys and walk with God, because we live in tricky, difficult times.
There's been a real loss of seriousness in the quality of public argument about major issues that makes life difficult for any participant in public affairs. But I think our faith helps us in this regard, and we must let it help us, because the God revealed in Jesus is wholly trustworthy. And as Jesus himself demonstrated in his complete trust in, and faithfulness to, his Father all the way to execution, we Christians, need to be faithful to God's ways, regardless of any costs or worldly failure that might result.
In worldly terms, Jesus was a failure and we need to remember that. He didn't achieve any worldly outcomes. Instead, he got executed. And yet his faithfulness and his obedience were a complete success. And so, he saved the world because of his faithfulness and his obedience all the way to the cross.
This point, it's so basic in our faith, but it's so necessary in these tricky times because otherwise there is the risk that we in our politics will get co-opted by some sub-Christian or even anti-Christian political cause.
We all face the challenge of how we should contribute in these difficult times. Looking back, I'm not sure that I've always risen to the challenge myself in the way that perhaps I should have done.
Anyway, I'm aiming to put together something that will distil material that's been in the teaching on the Leadership Programme over the years. I'm hoping that might be a worthwhile project and prove valuable, God willing.
Tom
Thank you, Nick for that reminder and for your honest reflections of the past 30 years. As we come to a close, you're a familiar face to many of us but it would be nice to hear a little more about what life looks like beyond your teaching on the Leadership Programme…
Nick
For the time being, I'm living in Sidmouth which is owed in significant part to two former grads. I remember talking with each of these two people separately, then in their 20s, and both of them either had already gone back, or were about to go back, to live with their parents who were seriously ill.
I was very struck that they were giving up career opportunities for their parents’ health. Anyway, in 2014, I concluded I should go and live with my mother because she was very physically frail. My mum then lived for another seven years but died a few years ago.
I'm quite involved in church life in Sidmouth, leading a home group and doing music. I'm also a main link person for a CMS mission partner who's based in Kiev, Ukraine. And that's been a good experience though very sobering, obviously.
I'm somewhat involved in the society for people who teach Christian ethics in academic institutions, called the Society for the Study of Christian Ethics. I'm going to be the main organiser for this year's conference, so that's a little practical task I've got. My main other activities this year are writing projects.
Tom
Nick, it's been great to chat with you, and we look forward to your continued involvement with the Leadership Programme.
Nick
It's been great to be involved in the Leadership Programme, and I hope and pray for its long-term fruit.