Christian women compete for UK's next Prime Minister
The race for the U.K.'s next Prime Minister is down between two Christian women: home secretary Theresa May and energy minister Andrea Leadsom.
The Tory contest held Thursday, July 7 just sealed the residence of Number 10 Downing Street to a woman as justice secretary and former journalist Michael Gove got knocked out from the race. This leaves frontrunner May, who secured 199 votes and also supported the Remain campaign in last month's EU Referendum, to a faceoff with a relatively unknown Leadsom, who garnered 84 and rose to prominence as an outspoken Brexit campaigner.
Both women also happen to be confessed Christians.
May, daughter of an Anglican vicar, is more guarded when it comes to keeping the privacy of her private life, including her Christian faith. The 59-year-old longest-serving Home Secretary in over 60 years of British politics believes it's not right for politicians to wave their faith like a banner.
"I think it's right that we don't flaunt these things here in British politics," Premier Praise quoted May as saying in 2014 on BBC's "Desert Island Discs," where she chose as her songs the hymns "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross" and "Therefore We Before Him Bending This Great Sacrament Revere."
May added, "It [Christian faith] is part of me. It is part of who I am and therefore how I approach things."
Indeed, when the surprise Brexit result of the EU Referendum just turned out, May and her husband went to church.
On the other hand, 53-year-old Leadsom chose to speak more openly about her faith. In a testimony she shared with Christians in Parliament website, Leadsom pointed to the day she gave birth to her son as her defining divine moment.
"I looked at him and just thought that it was a complete miracle and nobody but God could have overseen such a perfect creation," said Leadsom.
She then shared how she tries to practice her faith.
"I always try to ensure I am doing what I think God would want me to do," she said. "What that means is I try to keep the 'love your neighbour' [command] and not just allow the wave of politics and arguments to get to me."