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 Part ...

in the UK. The movement fulfils a need among Christian socialists 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,

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...

, R. H. Tawney, and

Donald Soper Donald Oliver Soper, Baron Soper (31 January 1903 – 22 December 1998) was a British Methodist minister, socialist and pacifist. He served as President of the Methodist Conference in 1953–54. After May 1965 he was a peer in the House of Lo ...

. Today, Christians on the Left has over 40 members in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

and the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. As of October 2022, its director is Hannah Rich and its executive committee chair is

Jonathan Reynolds Jonathan Neil Reynolds (born 28 August 1980) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Business and Trade and President of the Board of Trade since July 2024. A member of the Labour and Co-operative parties, he has been ...

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.

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 Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

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 {{UK-poli-stub