Christian Action Research and Education

Christian Action Research and Education
Type Christian lobby group
Headquarters 53 Romney Street
Westminster
London SW1P 3RF
United Kingdom
Executive Chairman
 Lyndon Bowring[1]
Chief Executive
 Nola Leach
Website www.care.org.uk

Christian Action Research and Education (CARE) is a Christian advocacy group based in the United Kingdom.

Founding and programmes

CARE began in 1971 as the Nationwide Festival of Light, but was renamed in 1983 to reflect a substantial shift in emphasis. Over the following decades it established the following departments, in the belief that Christians should show active care as well as campaigning for moral standards in society:[2]

CARE also runs the "Leadership Programme", an internship programme securing placements for graduates. Some work as researchers for MPs, mostly in the Conservative party, and MSPs while others work in Christian NGOs.[2] The funding of political research assistants by a "right-wing Christian" lobby group has attracted controversy, although CARE claims that there is a clear separation between the internships and its lobbying side.[3][6] Unlike journalists, researchers have virtually unrestricted access to parliamentary documents and in 2008 Paul Burstow MP was questioned after failing to include a research assistant's CARE sponsorship on the main register -though he said he didn't believe they had behaved improperly.[7]

Charity registration

Christian Action Research and Education (CARE) Trust (registered charity number 288485, registered 12 January 1984) ceased to exist on 30 September 2008. CARE (Christian Action Research and Education} (registered charity number 1066963, registered 18 December 1997) is still operational.[8]

Leadership

Lyndon Bowring is the Executive Chairman of the organization. He is a former minister at Kensington Temple, in London, and currently is on the staff of Regents Theological College.[9]

Finance

CARE's annual income to March 2011 was over £2 million, mostly from voluntary donations.[10] The cost of the intern programme is around £70,000 p.a.[7] It is supported by some 40,000 individuals[11] who want CARE to make a difference in Parliament.[4]

Impact

Opposition to homosexuality, abortion and sex work

Labour Party insiders credited CARE with significant influence in support of Section 28 regarding education and homosexuality.[7][11] CARE has received media criticism for its stance on abortion and homosexuality and was accused in 2000 by MP Ben Bradshaw of being "a bunch of homophobic bigots".[12][13][14] CARE has also been criticised for their opposition to abortion and gay rights by The Guardian,[15] which reported that CARE believe sexuality to be a choice, curable by prayer.

CARE have funded the network of CareConfidential crisis pregnancy centres in the UK, some of which came under criticism in an investigation by The Daily Telegraph when counsellors were filmed undercover claiming abortions would increase chances of breast cancer and could predispose women to becoming child sexual abusers.[16]

CARE are listed in the UK Parliament's register of all-party groups as the secretariat of the All-party parliamentary group (APPG) on Prostitution and the Global Sex Trade, a pressure group to encourage 'government action to tackle individuals who create demand for sexual services'.[17]

Other campaigns

CARE's 2010 report on taxation claimed that the tax burden had moved from single people with no dependants into families with two adults but only a single earner in them.[18]

References

  1. ↑ "Annual Report 2010" (PDF). CARE. 23 September 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Our Story, CARE. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Modell, David (17 May 2008). "Christian fundamentalists fighting spiritual battle in Parliament". Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Quinn, Ben (28 August 2011). "Christian activists poised to win concessions on abortion after 40 years". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  5. ↑ "Evaluate Informing Choice". Evaluate.org.uk. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
  6. ↑ Warwick Mansell; Jon Slater (21 December 2001). "Anger at minister's Christian intern". Times Educational Supplement. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Merrick, Jane (30 March 2008). "Right-wing Christian group pays for Commons researchers". Independent (London). Archived from the original on 2009-11-24. Retrieved 22 March 2012. CARE connections (list of MPs)
  8. ↑ "Find charities". Charity Commission. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
  9. ↑ Residential teaching staff, Regents Theological College. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  10. ↑ 1066963 - CARE (Christian Action Research and Education), summary on the website of the Charity Commission. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "God on their side?". The Scotsman. 12 May 2002. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  12. ↑ Kamal Ahmed (2000-07-30). "Onward Christian lobbyists | World news | The Observer". London: Guardian. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
  13. ↑ Tris Reid-Smith (2012-03-16). "UK MP cuts ties to Christian gay ‘cure’ charity". Gay Star News. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
  14. ↑ http://www.peoplesrepublicofsouthdevon.co.uk/2012/04/13/gay-cure-christian-charity-funded-20-mps-interns/
  15. ↑ Smurthwaite, Kate (19 April 2012). "Anti-abortion CARE and campaigns to MPs". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  16. ↑ "Abortion scandal: women told terminations increase chance of child abuse". Daily Telegraph (London). 10 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  17. ↑ "House of Commons - Register Of All-Party Groups as at 28 February 2014: Prostitution and the Global Sex Trade". Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
  18. ↑ Taylor, Jeff (7 March 2011). "Christian charity claims single earner families worst off in UK". Economic Voice. Archived from the original on 15 February 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012.

External links