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I’ve been reflecting on the proposed ‘new deal’ between the Government and the Christian church: https://bit.ly/2G9ZgY0 ">https://bit.ly/2G9ZgY0&q... #levellingup As these conversations continue, here are a few things I’m hoping… (1/10)
1. That there are people involved who’ve read Jennifer Wolch (The Shadow State), Adam Dunham (Faith and Social Capital after the Debt Crisis) and Luke Bretherton (Christianity and Contemporary Politics). (2/10)
2. That we (that is, the church) will ask really good questions of ourselves about whether, how, where and with whom to respond to social issues, including within religiously plural communities – and let others do the same. (3/10)
3. That we’ll not forget to make room for leaders to emerge who are more personally familiar with the kind of social problems we’re trying to solve than we (as individuals) might be ourselves. (4/10)
4. That we’ll remember that the church is not first and foremost a set of institutions but a community that gathers and disperses, lest we further reinforce the idea that the church’s social impact is effected primarily through its programmatic activity. (5/10)
5. That we’ll remember that while voluntary hospitals and the provisions (inc. workhouses) of the Poor Laws were indeed features of times when the church ‘did’ welfare, those are not times we celebrate today as ones in which provision was equitable, dignified or sufficient. 6/10
6.That there are some female church leaders significantly involved in conversations about the deal. (7/10)
7. That we’ll resist our own (and sometimes other people’s) inclinations to position ourselves as saviours or heroes, recognising that while we may have much to give, we also need to receive from others too. (8/10)
8. That we’ll be careful about burnout and realistic about our own limitations and failings. (9/10)
9. That we’re also deeply engaged in speaking out to acknowledge & challenge structures and norms that reinforce inequality or injustice, including in government policies, economic systems, corporate practices, or church culture. (10/10)
