Any theology of ‘place’ or ‘parish’ done in the CofE needs to ask itself ‘how do I avoid a nostalgic account that accidentally buttresses white nationalism’? Good theologies of place are needed, but so is this question.

We need to recognise that Britain is a ‘place’ that has disrupted and destroyed many other ‘places’. And the history of our parishes will be tied up in that.

We also need to recognise that other Christians have persisted, and continue to persist, in what we think of as our places. They may well have a different spiritual geography than ours. Comparative theological geographies should be mandatory for Anglicans.