The National Council of French Evangelicals (CNEF) has called on churches in France to demonstrate “another society is possible” after the chaotic stalemate following the left-wing’s surprise success in the second round national election vote for the Assemblée Nationale (National Assembly) yesterday, Sunday.
President Emmanuel Macron has pleaded with his Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to stay temporarily after he tendered his resignation, to ensure stability after the controversial vote left no clear outcome for the three main political parties, with a hung parliament on the horizon.
The second round of the two-round snap election saw the New Popular Front, a left-wing coalition, surprise the nation by getting 182 seats, beating Macron’s Together coalition into second place on 168 seats and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally far-right party into 143 seats – confounding expectations that her party would come first.
None of the three parties have achieved the 289-seat minimum needed to be in charge of the National Assembly’s 577 seats for lawmakers. All three groups have completely different political outlooks and the parliament is, in effect, paralyzed pending negotiations for a resolution. Macron’s own position as President is not under threat and his term ends in 2027.
In a statement sent to Christian Daily International this morning, Erwan Cloarec, President of CNEF called on churches to demonstrate gospel values at this difficult time for France. Evangelicals make up an estimated 2,530 churches with 1.1 million believers in the country.
“In this time of division and national confusion, the churches in France must, more than anything else, show by what they are that another society is possible,” said Cloarec.
“A society in which the divisions of origin, gender and social conditions that fracture humanity do not prevail; this is the meaning of ‘neither Jew nor Greek; neither slave nor free; neither male nor female’ of which the apostle Paul speaks in his letter to the Galatians.
“We owe this example to the world, and we owe it to ourselves to ensure that the divisions and invective that plague global society are not imported into our communities.”
The first round of voting on June 30 saw the National Rally far-right party, led by Marine le Pen, scoop 33 percent of the popular vote. The New Popular Front alliance came second with 28 percent and Macron’s Together coalition, which included his Renaissance party were last on 21 percent.
The snap election was called by the French President after European parliamentary elections earlier in June, which saw an upsurge of support for Le Pen’s party. The National Rally received 32 percent, compared to the Socialists on 14 percent and Macron’s party on 15 percent.
CNEF has produced a special booklet to help evangelicals in France, relevant during this unstable political period, called ‘Convictions of Evangelicals in France 2024’. The booklet guides believers in principles of the gospel worldview for engagement between church, society and the political sphere.
The booklet highlights that Protestant evangelicals in France are Christians who emphasize the personal aspect of the Christian faith through conversion to Jesus Christ, meaning one is not born a Christian but becomes a Christian. “They are to share the Gospel with all those around them” and “plant new local churches.” “Local churches should welcome and inspire new believers, and to do good around them.”
