Scotland's finance secretary admits to 'tiptoeing around' her Christian faith

 (Photo: Scottish Parliament)

Scottish finance secretary Kate Forbes has spoken of "tiptoeing around" around her Christian faith. 

Ms Forbes attends the Free Church of Scotland, which adheres to a biblical view of marriage. 

She told the BBC's Political Thinking podcast that her Christian faith was "essential" to her being, and that she felt called to love and serve Jesus.

She added, though, that MPs should be representative of their constituents, and she admitted to being "as guilty as anybody of tiptoeing around" her Christian beliefs.

Explaining why this was the case, she spoke of a "fear and a sense that the public will think we only speak for our own rather than speak for everybody".

"To be straight, I believe in the person of Jesus Christ," she said. 

"I believe that he died for me, he saved me and that my calling is to serve and to love him and to serve and love my neighbours with all my heart and soul and mind and strength.

"So that for me is essential to my being. Politics will pass - I am a person before I was a politician and that person will continue to believe that I am made in the image of God."

She went on to say that it was important to be open about her faith with constituents. 

"Some of them will agree with my politics, others will disagree. Some will agree with my faith, others will disagree," she said.

"I have a duty to represent them, but neither do I want to deceive my constituents and I think being straight with them about my faith, about who I am, about my background is really important."

News
What we can learn from Mary of Bethany
What we can learn from Mary of Bethany

Dear reader, what would it look like for you to be a Mary of Bethany in this day and age?

Why the world needs more women like Dullari
Why the world needs more women like Dullari

In the UK, gender equality conversations often focus on pay gaps or female representation in leadership, but in Nepal the struggle is far more basic. It is whether a girl can go to school, whether a woman can seek medical care without permission from her husband, and whether she can live in her own home without fear.

Fresh drive to reach 100,000 girls with anti-trafficking programme
Fresh drive to reach 100,000 girls with anti-trafficking programme

An international charity has committed to reaching 100,000 girls worldwide who are at risk of human trafficking. 

The story of the Bible’s female leaders
The story of the Bible’s female leaders

8 March is International Women’s Day. In the Bible we can read about the roles that many women played in leadership and ministry. This is the story …