One in three constituencies will now be holding church hustings ahead of the upcoming General Election.
More than 220 churches have now signed up to hold hustings, meaning that hundreds of parliamentary candidates will be grilled over their stances on a variety of moral and religious issues.
The hustings are being organised by Christian Action Research and Education (CARE), and other Christian groups are holding further meetings.
Hustings
Attendees are likely to question the candidates on topics such as marriage, abortion, assisted suicide and faith schools.
Nola Leach, chief executive of CARE, welcomed the surge in the number of churches registered on the charity’s election website Make the Cross Count, saying: “When we set out we hoped we might get 50, never expecting that two weeks into the campaign we would have over 200!
“We continue to be unaware of any larger single source of hustings. It’s wonderful to see the church playing such a strategic role during this election.”
Parliamentary
Her sentiments were echoed by Dan Boucher, CARE’s director of parliamentary affairs, who said: “We really hope that Make the Cross Count empowers Christians to make the most of their hustings and to ask challenging questions, putting Christian concerns and priorities right at the heart of this election.”
The campaign group Christian Concern for Our Nation are organising a further 25 hustings.
There are currently 650 constituencies.
Briefing
Last week the Christian Institute launched its highly anticipated Election Briefing 2010.
The briefing provides an in-depth exploration of the policies of the main political parties, and will help voters reach an informed decision on how to cast their vote.
The briefing also contains a set of six key questions for parliamentary candidates about free speech, abortion, smacking, euthanasia, marginalisation of Christians, and protecting marriage and the family.