Europe is today a significant step closer than it was 24 hours ago to the Lisbon Treaty (aka the European Constitution) becoming law, a treaty that will create a European President and Foreign Minister (more technically, 'President of the European Council' and 'High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy') and introduce new powers for the European Commission, European Parliament and European Court of Justice, for example in the field of justice and home affairs.

The treaty must be ratified by all 27 member countries of the European Union and the Czech Republic is the only country that has not yet done so. Following a meeting with the Swedish Government, which currently holds the presidency of the Union, Mr Klaus has now said that his last objections have been overcome.

There are serious questions that still need answering about the democratic process by which Europe has reached this point. Specifically, the fact that citizens in just one of the 27 countries has ever had the opportunity to express their wishes through a referendum - the Irish, who rejected the treaty in 2008 and were therefore required to vote again earlier this month, when they accepted it after all - and the fact that the British Government promised its citizens a referendum on the treaty but chose to break its promise (see our 2007 Cambridge Paper, Promises, Promises).

Moving beyond the questions of process, however, it is now time to ask how we should respond to the treaty. In doing so, it is worth looking again at another of our Cambridge Papers, Should Christians support the euro? In that paper, we identified seven biblical principles. Eleven years on, I repeat some of the arguments that were expressed then and apply them to the circumstances we now face:

i) The identity of peoples and nation-states

Biblical teaching portrays national identities and diversity as ordained by God and something to be celebrated. Loss of national sovereignty through absorption into empire is regarded as a judgement, both for Israel (e.g. Deuteronomy 15:6) and her neighbours (e.g. Amos 1). God may use empires as instruments to achieve his purposes (e.g. Isaiah 40) but they are nowhere extolled as part of God's social design. Rather, diversity of language is a means of restraining evil (Genesis 11).

The centralising forces that accompany the treaty will significantly diminish decision-making powers of existing nation-states. This increases the likelihood of internal conflict within Europe (see below) and weakens the ability of nation-states to resist pan-European dictatorship. Too often the states of Europe have been the focus of nationalistic idolatry, but at the same time their existence has repeatedly prevented the rise of lasting pan-Continental Empires as, for example, under Louis XIV, the Hapsburgs, Napoleon, Kaiser Wilhelm III, Hitler or Stalin. If the EU bypasses nation-states by replacing them with a single executive and devolving administration to regional governments, the risk of continent-wide dictatorship increases.

ii) Solidarity of family and local community

Much of Old Testament law is designed to protect and give function to the family and local community. Although Jesus makes clear that the demands of his kingdom must take precedence over family loyalties, he nevertheless underlines family obligations for welfare in his teaching (e.g. Mark 7:9-13) and by example (e.g. John 19:26-7). Paul does the same (e.g. 1 Timothy 5:3-8).

Greater mobility is probably the only way that regional divergences of economic performance within the EU can be evened out. This runs counter to the need to reduce social isolation and welfare dependency, both of the elderly and of young families, which arises as a result of the disintegration of the extended family through spatial job mobility.

iii) Avoidance of concentration of political and economic power

If Israel's political and social design was intended to teach general normative principles for social organisation, one of its most obvious lessons is the importance of diffusion of political and economic power. Decentralisation of power facilitates the widespread participation in political and economic decisions, which is a necessary expression of every person being made in God's image. It is also important to ensure accountability in the exercise of power, given the reality of human fallenness, and prevents the state abrogating to itself the glory that rightly belongs to God (cf. Revelation 13).

With the establishment of a common EU defence and foreign policy, it will be much more difficult for concerned organisations or individuals to influence EU decisions than national decisions. In such an environment, only the largest and most highly resourced lobbying groups will influence policy.

iv) Effective stewardship of resources

Christians generally understand the command to 'subdue the earth' (Genesis 1:28) as a mandate for the effective stewardship of the earth's economic and human resources. The same theme underpins the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). Stewardship is partly a matter of making the best possible use of the resources God has given us, so maximising economic growth and wealth creation. However, it is also concerned with the long-term sustainability of the growth process and the care we take of the environment. Since the natural world belongs to God rather than ourselves, we are under an obligation to use it both productively and responsibly.

The EU probably trades too much with itself anyway to be truly efficient in trade terms due to its tariff wall and agricultural protectionism. From an economic viewpoint, the 'stewardship' case for greater centralisation of powers in the EU is far from proven and runs the risk of major costs, especially for the UK.

v) Equity in distribution of wealth and income

Every person is made in the image of God. From this foundation stems the obligation to ensure the welfare of every person. This in turn raises concerns about both absolute and relative levels of wealth and poverty, in particular how the structures of political and economic organisation impact on the distribution of wealth and power.

There is a role for richer EU nations to help their poorer neighbours but this does not require a new treaty. Indeed, at a wider European level, the Lisbon Treaty will increase income disparities between countries inside and outside the EU, with those outside remaining discriminated against in their agricultural exports to the EU. Making EU markets more accessible to such countries would raise incomes and bolster democracy.

vi) Peaceful relationships between nations

It is almost a platitude to say that God is concerned that there should be peace between nations. The desire for peace, however, must be compatible with the demands of justice - God does not want 'peace at any price'.

The original goal of the Christian founders of the EEC was to foster peace in Europe so as to make another war in Western Europe inconceivable. Although NATO must take most of the credit for the past sixty years of peace, the EU has played its part by fostering closer political and economic ties. Unfortunately, the Lisbon Treaty may well foster conflicts and increase nationalism among EU countries. Perhaps the whole debate this week over the rise of the BNP in British politics is but a taste of things to come.

vii) Acknowledgement of God's sovereignty over political life

All Christian thinking about society must begin not with man but with God. Contrary to the ideas of Rousseau that political sovereignty lies with the 'general will' expressed through an autonomous state, a biblical understanding of government is that ultimate sovereignty lies with God (Romans 13:1). A fundamental Christian concern, therefore, is that the Word of God should be acknowledged, or at least taken into account, when laws are made and society structured, and that there should be a sense of submission to God in the making of law and policy. Although this becomes increasingly difficult in pluralistic European societies, as Christians we still have to ask whether closer European integration will help or hinder keeping God and his values as an influence on the political and economic system.

From a Christian viewpoint, political integration of the UK into the EU could be advantageous. In many cases, the constitution and legislation of other EU countries embody a stronger Christian Democratic or Christian Socialist outlook than those of the UK. However, of greater significance, in most of continental Europe the trend towards secularisation is even stronger than in Britain. While British Christians may have a strategic role in the re-evangelisation of the continent, closer integration of Britain into the EU is unlikely to bring about greater acknowledgement of God's sovereignty in temporal affairs, particularly if it results in weaker ties with the US.

Conclusion

Assuming the Lisbon Treaty is now ratified by the Czech Republic and passes into European law, we should probably be sceptical of the impact it will have on our lives and communities. How we respond to the move towards greater centralisation, however, will very much be determined by our beliefs about the future and the direction we believe the world is heading: whether we think the state of the nations is destined to go from bad to worse or to improve over time, for instance. But that is a topic far too large for today - one for a future Cambridge Paper, perhaps...

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