It’s not hard for government ministers to upset secularists these days, given their religiosity, but Stephen Timms (pictured) has really got up the National Secular Society’s nose – specifically that of its president, no less.

This Labour Party vice-chair, former financial secretary to the Treasury and currently Minister of State for Competitiveness at the newly created Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, and MP for East Ham, seems to think that social work is a good thing (no argument there), but, if it’s done by Christians, it’s better.

He told a Traidcraft meeting: “There is positive impact when people of faith are involved in the lives of their community, because these people bring valuable qualities in their service which are rare elsewhere and they are qualities modern Britain urgently needs.”

Somethng about the juxtaposition of “modern” and “people of faith” that isn’t quite computing here. Modern Britain needs people who believe in fairies?

It’s one thing to say that “people of faith” do good things, and no one would doubt that; but the implication – nay, direct claim – is that they do them better than those of no faith.

“He also said,” quoth the NSS’s Newsline ezine, “that political and social activism, rooted in faith, has a vital role to play in shaping modern Britain.” (That word “modern” again.) “He told delegates at the conference that they represented an outstanding example of how ‘effective and influential’ faith-based organisations could be.”

The NSS’s president, Terry Sanderson, is no newcomer to social work. He did it for forty years, with the emphasis on helping people with learning difficulties. In the ezine, he had a good old go at the pious Mr Timms, saying his remarks are

grossly insulting to those of us – and there are many – who have devoted our lives to the service of others and don’t have a religious bone in our bodies. He should apologise immediately to the tens of thousands of non-religious people who toil day in and day out in various works of social importance – in hospitals, old people’s homes and schools – but who don’t happen to believe what he believes.

Faith-based welfare is a dangerous concept that should be stamped on. It promises to bring yet more division and injustice, not to mention the exploitation of vulnerable people. Mr Timms’ rose-coloured view of Christian social work screens out the abuse and violence that was endemic in all-too-many of the institutions controlled by religion. Mr Timms is one of the best arguments yet for the ending of the faith-based madness that his government is promoting with such gusto.

Mr Timms puts his involvement with the Christian Socialists as second in importance only to his ministerial duties, says Newsline.