Unless you like to watch Prime Minister’s Questions on C-SPAN every week, it’s unlikely you know much at all about newly appointed British Prime Minister Theresa May, other than she is the second woman to serve in that role—the other being the late Margaret Thatcher.
And while the two women may have a lot in common—and a few differences—May will likely bring an entirely unique personality to the “special relationship” that exists between the United States and the United Kingdom. That will largely be due to her deep personal faith and upbringing as the daughter of an Anglican priest.
In a November 2014 interview, May said her Christian faith is a part of her, who she is, and how she approaches issues. But, it’s generally seen as improper for British politicians to “flaunt their faith,” as she put it.
“I think it’s right that we don’t flaunt these things here in British politics,” she said. “But it is a part of me, it’s there and it obviously helps to frame my thinking and my approach.”
Her record as a Member of Parliament is mixed, though. She pushed for a change in the British abortion laws to prevent taking of unborn lives after 20 weeks gestation, but also championed the U.K.’s homosexual “marriage” law.
David Burrows, another Conservative MP, said that as a Christian, he was pleased to have a professing Christian as prime minister. He noted that May attends church regularly—she attends services every Sunday—and has stood up for issues British Christians feel are important.
“Christians should be pleased that all the leadership candidates professed a Christian faith,” he said. “It’s excellent that we have a prime minister that professes a Christian faith, that’s a regular church-goer, that has stood tall on issues that Christians have been campaigning on for many years.”
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