Christians on the Left, formerly known as the Christian Socialist Movement (CSM), is a
socialist society
The Socialist Society was founded in 1981 by a group of British socialists, including Raymond Williams and Ralph Miliband, who founded it as an organisation devoted to socialist education and research, linking the left of the British Labour Party ...
in the UK. The movement fulfils a need among
Christian socialists
Christian socialism is a religious and political philosophy that blends Christianity and socialism, endorsing left-wing politics and socialist economics on the basis of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Many Christian socialists believe capi ...
for an organisation that would be both politically engaged and theologically reflective. Christians on the Left is a member organisation of the
International League of Religious Socialists. Members have included Labour leaders
John Smith
John Smith is a common personal name. It is also commonly used as a placeholder name and pseudonym, and is sometimes used in the United States and the United Kingdom as a term for an average person. It may refer to:
People
:''In chronological ...
,
Tony Blair, and
Gordon Brown,
R. H. Tawney, and
Donald Soper. Today, Christians on the Left has over 40 members in the
House of Commons and the
House of Lords.
As of October 2022, its director is Hannah Rich and its executive committee chair is
Jonathan Reynolds.
History
The Christian Socialist Movement was founded in 1960 when the Society of Socialist Clergy and Ministers and the Socialist Christian League merged.
R. H. Tawney made one of his last public appearances at the movement's inaugural meeting on 22 January 1960.
Donald Soper chaired the movement until becoming its President in 1975. In 1998, it affiliated to the
Labour Party. It was a volunteer organisation until 1994 when it appointed a co-ordinator, followed by an administrator. In August 2013, it announced that, following a consultation with its members, it would be changing its name to Christians on the Left.
CSM to become Christians On The Left
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Gallery
File:Tawney2018event.jpg, The Tawney Dialogue 2018
File:Larry Sanders 1559.jpg, A meeting of the Oxford Branch of the Christian Socialist Movement, with Larry Sanders speaking, October 2007
References
External links
*
Christian socialist organizations
Labour Party (UK) socialist societies
Organisations based in the London Borough of Wandsworth
Religion in the London Borough of Wandsworth
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