The Church in the Public Square - Prof Donald McLeod

‘The Church in the Public Square?’ was the title for a major day conference held on Thursday, 30th January in Assembly Buildings, Belfast and organised jointly by Union Theological College and the Church and Society Committee of the Presbyterian Church. It was attended by 200 people including ministers, students and MLA’s and officials from the various political parties and the NI Assembly.

At a time when not only has the Christian voice become incomprehensible in many ears, but is often hated and opposed, the aim of the conference was to bring together a number of leading thinkers in the UK to consider the role which Christians and the Church can play in wider community life.

Professor Donald McLeod is Professor of Systematic Theology at Free Church College in Edinburgh, and a regular commentator on current affairs in Scotland and the UK from a Christian point of view. He reflected on how and where the Church ought to position itself in current debates. Should the church retreat from the public square and only be concerned with spiritual matters or is there a biblical mandate for involvement in the discussion of key issues?