The social transformation of the world - alleviating poverty and disease, restoring human rights and religious freedom, bringing peace overcoming prejudice - can only come through spiritual revival, progressive evangelical Jim Wallis has said.

What gives meaning to modern, story-shaped politics?

In light of a call today that Prince Charles should become the Defender of the Christian faith at his Coronation, and a feature by the Sunday Times asking whether it time to take 'God out of the state', the religious thinktank Ekklesia is urging a radical change in the way that the debate about religion and politics is framed.

The present situation where churches seek government support in areas like education, and government uses faith groups to prop up its own social agenda, is unhealthy for all concerned, says Ekklesia.

Current ideas about the relationship between faith and politics ‚Ä' both among believers and secularists ‚Ä' are ‚Äúhopelessly stuck‚Äù in a confrontation which is ‚Äúas deadly as it is mistaken‚Äù, says the UK Christian think tank Ekklesia ‚Ä' which is launching a book proposing a ‚Äúradical new approach‚Äù.