tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35897279058470272892024-03-13T05:13:08.014-07:00The Primitive RanterGreg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-26871767738308592122024-03-13T05:01:00.000-07:002024-03-13T05:12:36.756-07:00Racial Justice : Reflections of an Old White Christian Man<div><br /></div> <div><br /></div><div id="signature_old" style="clear: both;"><div id="x3849dbc441b8430"><div id="xebd5a0240b2c4768934b3ec09ad84cda" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; tab-interval: 36.0pt; word-wrap: break-word;"> <p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-e00092ba-7fff-2489-8cc4-9881ee222d5f" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 26pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Racial Justice : </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 26pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reflections of an Old White Christian Man</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 17pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 17pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How I became aware of racial injustice and my own whiteness.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Greg Smith March 2024</span></p><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This paper is biographical and represents an attempt to set out my position on racial justice in terms of positionality and context, as summarised in </span><a href="https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/positionality/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my Temple blog of January 2024</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I don't want it to be read as an apologia for my life or an attempt at self justification, but I hope it will help people to understand what I have learned over many years, and why it is important for people like me to stand against injustice, prejudice, discrimination and hatred. </span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">A pdf file for this <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Zc5om89_2E_8ATuvFek5B9PyVaOv8BP2/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">document can be accessed here</a><br /></p><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Early Experiences</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I grew up in the flat fens of Lincolnshire in an isolated farmhouse which until 1963 was not even connected to mains electricity. Through my parent's large extended families it turned out that I was related to almost 50% of the population living within a ten mile radius of our home. We were all white English and Lincolnshire born and bred, and almost everyone we knew worked on the land, as poor small farmers, or low paid labourers.. We were also strongly Methodist, and understood that the Church of England was for bosses and posh people, while the Catholic Church was for the Irish. The only foreigners I ever encountered were occasional Polish, Ukrainian and Irish itinerant farm labourers who helped my uncles with the potato harvest.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="410" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ziGbHCMerYxdTGkwQqwFBiCZfTzEDvmsWMdv9eZdDmpkhEBt7BJdD5KgrzU3N6eefT1VuVPXjHUUMoZ9czzxt1sxa1eiwdm3OWhx8fkj4FHD71lDxWbW7e1T_et8zhSgMJUb_ZOm-PSz" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="548" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before we acquired our first TV, just in time for coverage of the JFK assassination, the only setting in which I had seen brown or black faces was in film strips or films shown at overseas missions evenings at the local Methodist Chapel. Then in the mid 1960s I met my first Indian, a Sikh Pedlar based in Grimsby who travelled the rural roads attempting to sell clothes and fabrics to the locals. I remember my Dad bartering two live chickens in exchange for a marvellous colourful table cloth. There was also a one off visit from a young Black South African who was covering huge distances on foot attempting to sell magazine subscriptions. We took pity on him and for the next two years I had a subscription to an electronics periodical, which helped me develop a short lived hobby building transistor radios.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We were a politically conscious, anti Tory family and this must have shaped our interpretation of the News we now received via TV. I remember being inspired by the Civil Rights movement in the USA, and the speeches of Martin Luther King in particular, and to some extent by the anti Apartheid struggle in the years after Sharpeville. It's interesting that from that period of my life I can remember the name and voice of Bishop Trevor Huddleston more than that of Mandela. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After benefitting from a Grammar School education, in 1969 I left home and went to University in Reading where I studied linguistics. One of the first societies I joined was SPEAR – the society for Peace and Equality Among Races. As one of their volunteers I made weekly visits to a Sikh family who lived in a terraced street in a working class area of the town. My task was to help a nine year old boy with his spoken and written English, while the two females who visited with me helped his sisters. Linguistics was a good base to develop an understanding of multiculturalism, with a year abroad in France and Croatia. Involvement in the Methodist Society and the Christian Union also brought me into contact with students from Africa and South Korea.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After graduation I applied to Voluntary Service Overseas and was fortunate to spend a year teaching English at a residential school in rural South India. I discovered I was the only white person in a 5O mile radius, and was accountable to an Indian head teacher and ultimately to the Indian government and administrative system, which at the time was suspicious of Western influence. I experienced great hospitality, though I became aware of a postcolonial respect which in the mid 1970s still offered a place of honour to an English "sahib".</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First Years in Newham</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On my return to the UK I was beginning to explore a possible calling</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to full time ministry and ended up in the summer of 1975 as a trainee community worker with a Christian agency, the Newham Community Renewal Programme. I was thinking of staying in East London for a couple of years but it eventually added up to 27. The borough of Newham was already becoming one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the UK, and had recently welcomed a large influx of South Asian refugees from Uganda and adjoining African countries. My first job involved organising and teaching community English classes for people from these communities. I also helped manage a newly established community centre in a redundant Methodist Church. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here I soon became aware of ethnic and religious diversity. There was the Karate club at the centre every Friday night. The instructor and all the members were you male Asian, who clearly thought that self defence through martial arts was an essential survival skill. There was the playgroup, run by a group of local white Mums, but catering for increasing numbers of South Asian heritage toddlers. There was the Asian EldersGroup, all male and supported by two community workers employed by the borough Council. One of these was an English guy who was fairly proficient in Urdu. It was he who encouraged me to have a go at learning the language, and eventually to organise a basic Hindustani summer school for community workers and church staff. Meanwhile the traditional white pensioners groups and Old Time Dance clubs met weekly, enjoyed community singing the wartime favourite songs but couldn't quite understand why their newer black and brown neighbours didn't want to join them.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="415" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/rG1fEGoqZAXWC8_cREJuk2PoscMg4bIjtthJKMpo9f-1blOwAukC3mKVRTHRDIWm5T3VJvjeonrQru82JMJPDFNDV0tSy3JxNZ3uQhMccGy_ygWUkCrfRRjk8bfqoXTB2g4OiD3g2peX" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="514" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then there were the three church groups that used the Centre. The Moravians had their own church building nearby from 1912 until they merged with the remnants of the Methodist congregation and moved to the centre in the mid 1970s. By the late 1970s when I was working there the congregation, though led by a white English minister, was entirely black, with Caribbean roots. The Assemblies of the First Born was a small congregation of a Pentecostal denomination, led by a Jamaican carpenter, Pastor Alf Reid and his wife. Their four teenage sons provided music, though it was clear from their expressions that they were there under sufferance rather than their own choice. From time to time I attended their midweek prayer meeting, gave a testimony or exhortation and joined in singing old time favourite hymns, (noting the irony of verses including "whiter than the snow"). We became good friends and connected Alf and his church into the wider network of Newham churches. The third congregation was the Church of Jesus Christ, led by "the other Pastor Reid". They were n </span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Jesus-Only" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Apostolic, Jesus Only Pentecostal Group</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> considered unorthodox in their theology and much more sectarian in their ethos. There were many other African-Caribbean majority churches in Newham by the end of the 1970s, including the two large congregations that used the Renewal Programmes other two centres, the Church of God at the Trinity Centre, and the Miracle Ministry Mission at Sebert Road in Forest Gate. It was to these that we directed visitors (urban mission tourists) to the borough who wished to get a taste of Black Pentecostal worship.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was in this period that I took my first steps in interfaith encounter. In the late 1970s Muslim, Sikhs, and Hindus were organising as faith communities, but did not yet have their own buildings for worship. Our community centres were approached to provide premises for religious activities and our team agonised long and hard about the boundaries of Christian hospitality. Local Hindus booked our centre for a lecture, by a notable swami visiting from India. We talked with the group about what we thought appropriate in a Christian centre, especially that we would be uncomfortable if they brought in statues and did puja. The response was an invitation to talk to the whole group about Jesus and Christianity. I was glad to spend 15 minutes trying to explain the gospel and share some personal testimony. We also had a request from local Muslims to use the Centre for Ramadan prayers as they did not have enough space in the private house where they normally met. This provoked a reaction among some white neighbours who had previously attended the Methodist church who were incensed about "these people bowing down to idols in our church". However, this was the first stage in building some positive relationships with the local mosque committed, and a year or so later I spoke at a public enquiry as a local resident who supported their planning application to develop a large house they had bought nearby as a place of worship. Forty years later I am still not absolutely sure these were the right course of actions. However, in the local historical context, while it was understandable that older white residents were often uncomfortable with the newcomers and the rapid pace of demographic and economic change, something had to be done to challenge overt racism and religious prejudice.</span></p><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discovering Racism in East London</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meanwhile across the East End there were outbreaks of racist violence as right wing extremists in the National Front were stoking up hatred among the white Cockneys, especially in the Docklands district. In 1978 10 year old Kenneth Singh was murdered barely a quarter of a mile from where I lived, and a fortnight later there was the more widely commemorated murder of Aftab Ali in Whitechapel. Clergy made numerous efforts along with other community leaders to mediate between communities and the police in an effort to lower the temperature and marginalise the National Front. But it was the far left and young people in the minority communities who took to the streets in direct confrontation with the Fascists.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /><span><img height="554.0295454545454" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/Etbklx_6zVqWDAVrEHeLqksOXW-CHHXrkHkGIjxEytyWRsqP525sLBN9p-QiT0L_2tCVKnIm-ohq-byJFzC2Zo2Ki3j_r0cRuI9Vlge26FtohGgzZjN8cM1Q3tWuBdAnEErX98PVp1sTihAEgBzTXg" style="margin-left: 55.5px; margin-top: 0px;" width="384.5" /></span><br /><br /><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/shine-a-light/remembering-altab-ali/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: navy; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/shine-a-light/remembering-altab-ali/</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="http://www.e7-nowandthen.org/2018/06/racism-in-forest-gate-in-1970s-and_12.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: navy; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.e7-nowandthen.org/2018/06/racism-in-forest-gate-in-1970s-and_12.html</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /><br /><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><img height="757" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/pE_P56hVz3_MPEa0Sz4HZ8eEgaRxVM9ecIzkx0rGXl7ADH88HgPaS5WtXwBK2nLNPDBXbavCb6hAowpkMW9iky7VOT49SM62XtSIhxu5MaOM56bSmCwe2O3jUFRQN1mi4BOvQY2ZvAgTX3frxDVAiQ" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="542" /></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I soon realised that there was serious cause for concern, and the ugly monster of racism repeatedly raised its head. The Metropolitan Police were undoubtedly racist in culture and behaviour, a decade or more before the term "institutional racism" came into official or popular discourse. Two incidents in particular impacted me personally. In 1976 -77 some of the local black Pentecostal ministers began expressing their concerns that innocent male youths from their congregations were being repeatedly stopped and harassed by the police. In this context one of our Renewal programme team, who was also a pastor in the Church of God was arrested and charged with affray. One Sunday night he had been travelling home by bus after a church service in North London. He was subject to an unprovoked violent attack by a white thug, and naturally made some attempt to defend himself. When the police arrived, despite the accounts of witnesses they arrested and charged the black victim and let the white assailant go free. Nerold was charged and brought to court, sent to the Crown Court for trial and was initially found guilty. Potentially facing a prison sentence the churches in Newham campaigned and prayed hard and raised money to pay legal fees for top barristers. Eventually on appeal the conviction was overturned. I have never fully trusted the police and the justice system since.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From 1979 to 1982 I lived and worked in the Methodist church in Canning town. For most of that time I shared my flat with Antoine, a student with Methodist roots in the Ivory Coast. He had come to London to improve his English, and to enrol for a Chemistry degree at North London Polytechnic. I was also on a learning curve trying to understand a West African form of French. Canning Town was probably one of the hardest places for a Black African to live at that period, as there was overt, crude and violent racism near to the surface, and even more hospitable people had limited cross cultural understanding and sensitivity. When Amtoine came with me on a weekend visit to my Mum in rural Lincolnshire he encountered total bewilderment from the locals, and one or two people who spoke to him asked if the other black person who worked in Boston hospital was his brother.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Antoine came from a highly political family and was always happy to discuss the liberation struggles in Zimbabwe and South Africa, and to discuss Franz Fanon's work on negritude. His residential status under a student visa ran out and I was introduced to the complexities of Home Office immigration procedures, right up to an appeal tribunal, which eventually ruled against him and resulted in his departure to Paris. In the meantime there were repeated encounters with the harsh realities of racism, at the hands of local youth and the police. In his own words Antoine reported 3 incidents. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="809" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/eByEMHaELvZAE8ZtAtAMZe1v3Fnt2AJUqt3kGLFH5n6vQtsqFEuZgUx4aIAMO3UEfGsSAzLoIlrILVuGWuUuqqqWVYHCG8onTtA1TXyGS8XCo7WJ80fWP5CzTpHwPU7Piy_U5KOmR3U1" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="577" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /><br /><br /></p><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> EERG and ECRJ </span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="764" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/EnLbFl6iWbkASUibJ1eHZEJXYjRAtyabx1OEZ5ZS-KwJ4wz3WV1xpGjMth1HPypSFxltcAOeifSxx_UoMqgdZ4f8MTZdTClYxI-MouIw3890rjU_aVSDJuumcDr9sJ0P7rVeASaGsyGx" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="602" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From the context of doing life, church, and community work in Newham by the end of the 1970s I had become an active member of the Evangelical Race Relations Group. In the early days this consisted mainly of white male clergy and educators working in multi-ethnic parishes, but by the mid 1980s the membership had broadened and diversified and the group was renamed Evangelical Christians for Racial Justice. I served on the managing committee for two spells between 1980 and 1995 alongside several younger generation Black and Asian heritage activists. Our concerns were about highlighting racial justice issues especially in immigration, education, employment, policing and the church, in the UK and the anti- apartheid struggle in South Africa.. We held conferences, networked with other Christian Racial Justice groups and produced a journal, "Racial Justice". We developed a biblically based Manifesto for Racial justice and the "New Humanity" resource pack to help Christians see the importance of combating personal and institutional racism. We lobbied within the denominations, the British Council of Churches and especially the Evangelical Alliance. In the EA I think we had some success in the recognition of the contribution of Black Majority Churches and the representation of some of their leaders on their Council. During this period I was employed by the Evangelical Coalition for Urban Mission and in my development role across the inner cities of the UK constantly advocated the cause of anti-racism and sought to build networks of friendship and partnership between the mainline churches and the newer Black Majority Churches. One highlight was a short residential conference at the New Testament Church of God College which brought together church leaders from Pentecostal and Mainline denominations and was inspired by the contribution of radical Anglo Catholic anti-racist activist, Fr. Ken Leach.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> All the ECRJ journals and much more on racial justice from the 1980s are</span><a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B7UDiSlsmmA8SDU1U25vMFlWcDQ?resourcekey=0-PYHLeGm2KHHtR42yZS7ENQ&usp=drive_link" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in this shared folder</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /><br /><br /></p><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Life as a Researcher</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From 1979 until the present about half of my working life has been devoted to practical community based and academic research, specialising on the interaction between ethnicity and faith in multicultural urban settings. (you can find all my published writings </span><a href="http://gregsmith.synthasite.com/publications-update-2021.php" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">via my Website here.)</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> My first paid employment as a researcher was with the Linguistic Minorities Project between 1979 and 1985. Our focus was on minority heritage languages as the living "Other Languages of England". We carried out surveys in schools and a dozen adult language communities in Bradford, Coventry and London. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have set up an archive of papers from this project</span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7UDiSlsmmA8dVlRSlhYVGtKZU0" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #bd1b79; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="388.89937106918234" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/xlRoa4ZfHff4xJ7Bfi02nsOBJTZ3YifgjFovZUNIcL93jCd21xMCtDbmOFh8ncRdzIVWhZGr0v0UYsKgDVfUkhKwTwMPTo5_myKhZoq-_C_gr3OUn5NWQdqAt2RUxbtIEXmxvfp3l2yK" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="298.29062292990506" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although the focus of this work was on language and culture it was very obvious that multiculturalism and racism were related issues. The </span><a href="http://gregsmith.synthasite.com/resources/thestruggleofsylhetispeakersintowerhamlets.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">case study I carried out with Sylheti speaking Bangladeshis</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> employed in low paid roles in the clothing industry of East London was a significant learning moment. I was directly challenged by Bangladeshi colleagues, who were struggling to establish their community rights and identity in an oppressive and racist context, about my own privilege as an external, white, English monolingual, Christian academic. Was I anything more than a classic Colonial anthropologist condoning and contributing to their oppression?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the late 1980s in the period following the </span><a href="https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/is-there-still-faith-in-the-city/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Faith in the City Report </span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I was employed by the Evangelical Coalition for Urban Mission networking and resourcing inner city churches and Christian organisations across the UK. Within this role there was an element of research, which brought me into contact with the experiences of white led mainstream churches grappling with mission and ministry in multi ethnic and multi-faith neighbourhoods, and with Black majority churches seeking partnership and respect for their distinctive identities and mission emphases as they engaged with other churches, and local and national government. I produced two significant papers, one on the </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7UDiSlsmmA8MllvVnZOR0g5Wmc/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-4mGUR45MPg9avMrVqIEoTQ" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Biblical theology of ethnicity</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and another on the diversity of </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7UDiSlsmmA8MnNpU1ZyTTN0QkE/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-KbCV31uv4oMnJoSIjDEflw" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christianity in our inner city setting from a sociological perspective</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the 1990s I worked as community researcher for Aston Charities, advising and empowering Voluntary and Faith Sector groups in Newham to carry out their own participatory action research. Issues of ethnic and faith diversity and the experience of racial injustice and marginalisation were always high on the agenda. One major project was the mapping of changing religious life in the borough, with three editions of the Directory of Religious Groups. Writing up the findings in a series of sociologically informed academic papers led to growing involvement and eventually employment with the University of East London. People often turned to me as a source of expertise in the relationship between ethnicity and Urban religion, both Christianity, and other world Faiths. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Family Life in Newham - the 1990s</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More important still was my everyday life, as a husband, father and neighbour in an ordinary street in the heart of Newham. Our two children were born in Newham hospital, the midwife who delivered our son was a lovely African woman. They went to the playgroup at the end of our road, and then to Selwyn primary school. In both settings they were a tiny minority of white children surrounded by peers of South Asian or African / Caribbean heritage. Their friends in the playground and who dropped in before and after school, were from Muslim, Sikh and Hindu families. At one time a classmate from an Ivoirian asylum seeking family stayed with us during the school week as her homeless family had been rehoused in a bed and breakfast hotel in a distant London borough. However they also had friends who were white, mainly through their parents' close friendships with other Christian families in the area. For most of their childhood we attended Woodgrange Baptist Church, with its majority black, predominantly Caribbean (Windrush generation) congregation (whose story I</span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HPRmavyfHdypBCzAMZciPm-4c3GOWU4L/view?usp=drive_link" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> wrote up in this piece</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.) Our son when he was eight or nine years old was a member of an award winning junior gospel choir, in which he was the only white face. As a church we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Empire Windrush docking at Tilbury by cancelling the evening service and watching TV coverage of Jamaica's match against Argentina in the World Cup. At one time we had a family home group that included people from Pakistan, China, Congo Nigeria and Britain. Each Christmas we attended a carol singing party with Iranian Christian friends and attempted to sing "we three kings of Orient are" in Farsi. These were for me relatively easy years of happy coexistence in a comfortably multi-ethnic local community. While in many respects the 1990s was a decade of progress in the UK, as the </span><a href="https://wearencs.com/blog/uk-black-history-decade-1990s" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Black contribution in culture, politics and sport became more visible</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> yet it was also marked by the murder of Stephen Lawrence, ongoing police racism and youth alienation, and continuing inequality in education, housing, employment and health. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /><br /></p><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="403" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/OgyjIN5-X0jqDVv3SzfLLEjpJE_rsfygHwRf1pD_NjGNafvK4XbkrilrOS7PBvJgWAp0nnkzID6ku8Tw4WEmD7I-2NC8qZbD48emoT2R1_EkY55P7MZHwo88OmeoshYY9OnUYQPuyvwv" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="602" /></span></h2><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Moving to Preston 2002</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For a variety of complex and family reasons in late 2001, shortly after the horrendous attacks on New York, and my 50th birthday, we decided to move to the north of England, and in May 2002 arrived at our new home in Preston. We had chosen to buy a house in a diverse inner area of the city which reminded us of the community in Newham, but with more open space and a more relaxed pace of life. The population was and still is ethnically and religiously diverse, there is evidence of poverty and deprivation, and despite good connections to London and Manchester feels somewhat cut off from metropolitan city life and power networks. We soon settled into local church and community life, and before the year was out I became involved in voluntary sector activities and local regeneration projects. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I soon concluded that the dynamics of interaction and patterns of discrimination in Lancashire are significantly different from those of East London. There is evidence of personal and institutional racism, but it is structured primarily around faith and religious identity rather than ethnicity or skin colour. This was particularly so in the first years of the 21st Century in the context of recent "riots" in the Pennine "mill towns", the reaction to 9/11 and the "war on terror". Islamophobia and the perception of "parallel lives" was heightened with the US/UK invasion of Iraq in 2003. In my research life I led a project looking at </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7UDiSlsmmA8T3E4bXd5YzQ1eVE/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-N2I2jkBsZEZGBvKuYYQnEg" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Children's Perspectives on Believing and Belonging</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, with comparative ethnographic work in primary school classes in East London and Lancashire. My own daughter (then aged 9) observed that in London it was easy to have friends of many different faith and ethnic backgrounds; in fact she had not had much choice as the only white English child in her class</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. In contrast in Preston she made lasting friendships with white and mixed race "Christian" and Hindu girls, but found it impossible to build relationships with Muslim classmates, in part because they lived in a more enclosed community, and spent the vast majority of their "spare" time after school in religious classes at the madressa.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this context I developed some involvement in Interfaith activities in the city, through the activities of the Preston Forum of Faiths and involvement in developing the Faith Covenant with the City Council. I was never a great enthusiast for the forms of inter-religious dialogue that were in vogue at the time, which tended to explore similarities and differences in belief and spirituality. They tended to attract "nice" educated people who shared "tea and samosas" and were often dominated by Bahais, Hindus, Buddhists and modernist Christians who tended to see all religions as equal and different ways of seeking God. As someone thinking more often within a sociological rather than a spiritual framework, and as someone with an activist personality I was more interested in the practicalities of collaboration between faith communities for the common good, and in robust honest debates between people who had firm convictions which they wanted to proclaim to everyone, such as evangelical Christians and Muslims.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="387" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/Y5O6t3QP3gm8G7aArnA_AL5cO7O2z0XixhA0BCGVHgzm4lCGYZA55NOhPzjT4arRoXIsbZhXEwWSzI8oqTDxgDtNDArAayGJ2weV9JP3ZyRHeokgSRvdwzqTSvlQNHRt7FocQxYdltno" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="544" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this period I was involved in research about Faith Communities and urban regeneration</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the contribution of </span><a href="https://gregsmith.synthasite.com/bridge-builders-preston.php" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">faith communities in the civic life of Preston</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> understandings of religious and social capital undergirding social action. I also helped organise events on the meaning of conversion, </span><a href="https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/blurred-encounters-in-a-messy-church/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">blogged about muslim families attending our Messy Church</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and published research findings about </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/19oVfwoZWBPHmJFZvLhuJkIb1IQ4Ss-DE/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Evangelicals' views on other faiths</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I attempted a personal assessment of my story so far</span><a href="https://gregsmith.synthasite.com/resources/Greg%20smith%20Chinese%20Church%2040%20years%20in%20the%20wilderness.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in living in urban and religious diversity.</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> While race was always a dimension of social difference, and racial justice remained a concern it was clear that identity and social cohesion had other complex dimensions.</span></p><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sanctuary seekers</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From the 1980s in Newham I had been aware of the struggles over immigration which had impacted the lives of many of our friends and neighbours. I joined campaigns to support people threatened with deportation such as </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7UDiSlsmmA8MGVSTkdqWVZjckE/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-DFrAYLHDDj7vyLZUq69ALg" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Marian Gaima,</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and the Danso Family, and observed the increasing harshness of Home Office policy, which had become a "hostile environment" long before 2012, when Theresa May, as Home Secretary declared "The aim is to create, here in Britain, a really hostile environment for illegal immigrants". In practice "illegal" broadened to include the majority of refugees and asylum seekers, and other undocumented long term UK residents such as the Windrush generation. In 2014 this became a personal encounter when a young Pakistani woman and her 5 year old daughter came to live with us; originally for a few nights, but eventually for two years. She was claiming asylum on the grounds of conversion to Christianity. We offered hospitality and support, and helped with the paperwork of the asylum claim, encountering at first hand the suspicion and incompetence of Home Office officials. Eventually the right to remain was granted, and ten years on, the mother and daughter have just acquired British Citizenship . They are still significant members of our family. One result is that our dog responds to commands given in Urdu.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the last ten years large numbers of Sanctuary seekers have come to live in Preston, under the asylum dispersal scheme, or the various refugee resettlement programmes, for Syrians, Afghans and Ukrainians. All face examples of discrimination and hostility, and life on a low income that sometimes amounts to destitution., which is related to their "othering" on grounds of ethnicity, religion, nationality or limited proficiency in English. But at the same time there is welcome and hospitality from many sectors of the community in Preston. In 2016 this came together in the formation of </span><a href="https://preston.cityofsanctuary.org/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Preston City of Sanctuary</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> , of which I was a founder member and continue to be an active member. It is a broad coalition of individuals and organisations and represents a fascinating space in which Christians, Muslims, secularists and charities, statutory bodies such as schools, colleges and Councils work together with Sanctuary seekers and resettlers for the welfare of those on the margins.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The local churches are significantly impacted by the presence of new arrivals. Local churches in Blackburn and Preston have been at the forefront of offering support for sanctuary seekers, through English classes, drop in centres, and housing provision. Congregations have welcomed new members, especially Iranians, Eritreans, Hong Kong Chinese, Nigerians and Namibians among others. Our own small inner city parish has a number of Iranians. One of whom we are supporting through the long process of family reunion. We have also encountered several people who have come to the UK on the Care Visa scheme, and have been scammed and trapped in destitution and debt by unscrupulous recruitment agencies. This amounts to bonded labour and is clearly a justice issue which as Christians we should be praying and campaigning about.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sadly even in the last few weeks one of our church's Iranian refugees was robbed and beaten up in the street by a gang of five young thugs. More than likely there was a racist or xenophobic element to this crime. Thankfully the police seem to have dealt with the issue with more understanding and compassion than the 1980s Metropolitan police did in the incidents highlighted earlier. However, it is clear that racist violence continues to be an issue, currently directed mainly toward people perceived as asylum seekers of "illegal migrants", and stoked up by the rhetoric of the government's "stop the boats" campaign and news coverage, especially in the tabloid press. Indeed looking back over 50 years it is clear that racist, Islamophobic and now Anti-semitic attacks tend to spike in response to high profile events and political interventions. In the 1960s Enoch Powell's notorious speech, in the 1970's and 1980s to National Front and BNP agitation, immediately after 9/11 and the 7/7 London bombs, after the Brexit Referendum, currently around the debates on small boats and the Rwanda policy, and now the war in Gaza have all been trigger events.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /><br /></p><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brexit and Beyond</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Sadly racial justice was largely absent from the agenda of the UK church in the early years of the 21st Century. This was in the context of a number of emerging issues which led up to the Brexit referendum. Firstly the expansion of the EU led to significant migration to the UK, and to areas which had not previously experienced high levels of immigration. Most of the newcomers were from Eastern or Southern Europe, Poles, Slovaks, Lithuanians and Portuguese, later followed by Romanians and Bulgarians. They were mostly white, and distinguished by language rather than skin colour. Many took low paid jobs in agriculture, food processing and construction. When I worked for the Salvation Army in Preston between 2005 and 2010 we managed teams of vendors of the Big Issue Magazine. At that time some EU nationalities had the right to live in the UK but not to regular employment. Large numbers of the Big Issue sales force, who were classed as self employed came from the new Romanian community.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Secondly it was a time when the government was promoting British Values as an essential part of the national curriculum in schools. Though these were mostly "motherhood and apple pie" values they had a subtle way of "othering" and marginalising minority people and their cultures. In the context of growing support for Scottish Independence there was a growth in the notion of English identity, which had elements of nativism that was essentially "white". A third element was the promotion of solidarity with British militarism, partly in the context of overseas campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, the rituals</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> around the return of bodies of the glorious dead, who had sacrificed their lives for "our" security and freedom. But it was also a narrative built around the centenary of the great war, and the revival of national ceremonies, in which the established Church of England played an important role. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This was the cultural context in which David Cameron called a referendum on EU membership, which provided a surprising, if narrow, and disastrous result</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I engaged in a number of ways in the debates about Brexit and focussed on the xenophobia that came out in the leave vote. With Linda Woodhead </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=16KVk3d02QnYB18zyEdY5L9Dp7dFU9tC5" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span><span face=""Trebuchet MS", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Smith, G. and Woodhead, L., 2018. Religion and Brexit: populism and the Church of England)</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I undertook a statistical analysis of one of the exit polls. We found</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">two-thirds (66%) of voters who identified as Church of England voted to leave the EU, though we argued about what this meant. </span><a href="https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/blog-brexit-church-english-identity/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In my view it was not a commitment as a faithful Anglican Christian</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that motivated votes to leave but a traditional white, older generation, English identity, most widespread in provincial monocultural rural and small town communities that was bundled with a nominal CofE identity, casually deployed in answer to "tick box" questions. I developed this line of argument in more theological depth in book reviews of </span><a href="https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/blog-review-looking-beyond-brexit/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tomlin's pamphlet</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and the collection of essays produced by </span><a href="https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/blog-review-the-future-of-brexit-britain/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chaplin and Bradstock</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I had more sympathy with the positions taken in </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S2BbYkEY8O_hXU4axGx6410_tZX8VxHj/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reddie's book</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on Theologizing Brexit, although I felt that by reducing the issue to a black/white binary he ignored the dimensions of othering and xenophobia focussed on white EU immigration. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2018 following I wrote a Temple Tract </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/14L3MGark4_xwuVxK3XQ8Mj2KQygE7RtX/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"The Revenge of the Racists"</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in which I attempted to review recent changes and new challenges to multiculturalism and reflected on my own position and context as a privileged white man. </span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Black Lives Matter 2020 and beyond</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since the Black Lives Matter movement emerged in the summer of 2020 after the murder of George Floyd in the USA the debates about racial justice, the colonial legacy, and contextual Black liberation theologies have run with new energy. Writers such as Anthony Reddie, Sanjee Perera, and Chine Mcdonald have made important contributions. The Church of England, </span><a href="https://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/10.3828/mb.2024.2" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">while failing at many levels</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, has made some imaginative appointments to senior positions. As part of the debate in 2021 I was invited to write </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #4a86e8; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://www.psephizo.com/life-ministry/how-can-we-create-multicultural-church/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face=""Trebuchet MS", sans-serif" style="color: #4a86e8; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How can we create multicultural church? Blog Article for Psephizo </span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But there has also been a pushback from conservative voices who dismiss everything as "woke" and have tried to invent and use a bogey man of "Critical Race Theory", portrayed as an organised movement which is anti- Christian, Marxist and even demonic. I am still sceptical that this is coherent enough to be labelled "critical race theory" but the concerns for justice and about racism, and the call to reflect seriously about white privilege still resonate for me. Much of this controversy has been shaped by the polarised politics of the USA, and the </span><a href="https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/blog-review-here-are-your-gods/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">idolatrous nationalism (see my review of Chris Wright's book) </span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of the Trumpite White Evangelicals. In </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IOlRr8e7ZM8wEVB_3RtmffSSCpI6gQVg/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">another Temple Tract drawing on my research on UK evangelicals</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I discussed evangelical identities and the contrast between "evangelicals" on different sides of the Atlantic. However in populist right wing, and some Christian circles these anti-woke, and anti-church discourses have increasingly been deployed in Britain.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recently I have been engaging on social media about Nigel Biggar's book "Colonialism a Moral Reckoning" involving some conservative (mostly white male and conservative evangelical Anglican) theologians and others such as Anthony Reddie. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have to admit I only managed to read the first half of B</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #f0f2f5; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">iggar's book and put it aside, frustrated . I can see that he has made some valid points that some people, especially Christians involved in the Imperial project made efforts to mitigate the brutality and exploitation. My friend of many years, John Root, has read it properly and provides an extensive but in my view </span><a href="https://www.psephizo.com/reviews/can-we-give-colonialism-a-moral-reckoning/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">over generous review. </span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I think Biggar relies mostly on sources written by White male British imperialists, or colonial subjects who had been incorporated in the Imperial regime and culture. His book comes over as a salvo in the anti woke culture wars. A crucial point is that a the author doesn't seem to reflect much on his own positionality as a white male Conservative and one of the founding members of the </span><a href="https://www.thenewconservatives.co.uk/updates/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New Conservatives</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, a movement which seems to have much in common with the populist, nativist christianism of Trump's white evangelicals and Victor Orban. I fully understand why my Black theologian friends hate it. According to Reddie "It's a risible book full of poor scholarship". I would love to see him and other post colonial theologians engage with the text and the sources, rather than dismiss it out of hand. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Clearly I have much sympathy after a lifelong commitment to racial justice and flourishing in superdiverse communities and churches, I have much sympathy with both Black Lives Matter and Black contextual Liberation theologies. Yet I have some unease that both these movements seem bounded by the sides of the Transatlantic Triangle of Trade and the experience of slavery and colonialism. They do not seem to take account of other theatres of oppression and demands for liberation in a wider global and historical setting, or fit very well with the contemporary experience in British cities. They can come across as trapping Black and white people in a perpetual binary of victim and oppressor. My friend and former colleague in the work of Evangelical Christians for Racial Justice, articulates these question and applies them to the context of the church in Britain in his </span><a href="https://johnroot.substack.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">regular blog "out of many one people".</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> John is another old, white man like me, and though I don't agree with everything he writes, he raises important questions that need to be debated.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Root is right that the empirical evidence shows the increasing diversity and complexity of the situation in the UK, and that class, alongside cultural background and ethnicity rather than race, is a crucial variable impacting differential outcomes for various groups. I am not so convinced by his view that differing family structures, in particular the low prevalence of stable marriage in some groups, plays a significant part. I think some of the social analysis of the 1980s ..(I'm thinking about writers such as Sivanandan and John Rex) gave a strong account that was rooted in Marxist analysis. I would be happy if we could rediscover that emphasis. It would certainly help me to articulate and channel my concerns about poverty and disadvantage in support of both white and minoritized working class people in communities like my own. I would also have less reason to grieve for the rich and powerful Black and Asian professionals and business people who currently hold high profile positions in the Conservative party and UK government, or have broken through glass ceilings in the media and entertainment sectors.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /><br /></p><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My identities.. White, woke and well grounded</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In conclusion I want to reflect on my 70 year journey in pursuit of racial and social justice in the context of my discipleship as a follower of Jesus and on my current identity as an old white Christian man.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Privileged </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First of all I recognize that as an educated, white, male, living in the UK I hold far more power, privilege and resources than the vast majority of minoritized and poor people, women and children in my own city and across the world. As a follower of Jesus I seek, very imperfectly, to deploy my privilege, resources, cultural and social capital, not in my own personal interest. I attempt to use it in the service of others, to enable and empower the agency and corporate struggles of disadvantaged people. I try to do this without patronising or presenting as a "white saviour". I need to be told if others perceive me differently from what I intend to be, and how I might be more focussed and effective in struggles for justice. However, in a society where racism and privilege is embedded deep in structures, organisations, institutions and mainstream culture it is impossible not to benefit from the systems of privilege and whiteness.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Secure </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Secondly I am secure in my person, my relationships and my identity. I live in a country largely free of war and violence, I have a secure and more than adequate income, a comfortable home and family life, and so far at least, good health. I have a supportive network of friendly relationships, in community and church life. I am secure in my personal identity first of all as a child of God and follower of Jesus and a member of the church universal. I have local loyalties to the places I have lived, and though I own a British passport, pay taxes to the UK government, and receive benefits from them, I have little or no patriotic sense of Britishness or Englishness. I am a member of the human race and a citizen of the world, but also (in St Paul's words) a citizen of heaven.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Informed </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Part of my privilege comes from being educated and informed, as does my understanding and commitment to anti-racism and social justice. I have had plenty of time over the years to read, listen, discuss, think and write extensively. As a researcher and data nerd I have familiarity with evidence and statistics from surveys, censuses and my own research projects. I have specialist knowledge in the field of ethnicity, religion and community work. I have been in this field long enough to see the trends and currents in social life. I find it frustrating that most people, including political and church leaders don't have this depth of understanding and that debates about ethnic and religious diversity betray ignorance and are conducted in sound bytes and around personalities.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grounded; </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Having lived and worked locally in two urban, diverse and deprived urban communities I keep in touch with neighbours, friends and church members who have very different stories and experiences to my own. As I am able I seek to listen to their accounts and views, and to accompany them in their struggles. I don't always do listening, empathy and compassion very well, though I am married to someone who does, and who keeps me connected to everyday life.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anabaptist Sympathies</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Theologically I have drawn inspiration from many streams but at the core I am an Evangelical non-conformist. In ecclesiology and religious politics I am drawn to the Anabaptist tradition. This means I am peace loving, indeed largely pacifist and hopefully a shalom maker. It also means I am anti establishment and have no time for hierarchies, bureaucratic rules or priest craft. I sit rather uncomfortably in our Anglican parish church!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Angry : </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since I first encountered racism, prejudice, discrimination and hatred in the 1970's I remain angry, and desperate to see greater equality and justice, and freedom for people who are oppressed. While I can see some signs of improvement, upward social mobility for some and greater social harmony over recent decades, I am greatly disturbed by some of the current trends, and probably more angry than ever about the direction of policies and culture. I am angry about poverty whoever it affects, and about unfairness where I see it affect particular groups or individuals.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Getting it wrong : </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I am conscious as a Christian that I am an imperfect person, living in a fallen world, and that I constantly do things I ought not to have done, and fail to do things that I ought to have done. I seek forgiveness from God and others for these failings. In terms of racism I recognize that I sometimes have wrong attitudes and thoughts, and that words come out of my mouth at times that are wrong, and sometimes can be interpreted as micro aggressions. I am painfully aware that I lack the courage and wisdom to directly challenge racism when I hear it expressed in personal interactions with other white people, as I tend to avoid conflict wherever possible. Even when I speak out or write in favour of racial or social justice I often don't have enough passion or clarity, and don't do it very effectively.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In conclusion</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I want to say that in today's context where every debate and disagreement is so easily polarised, and personalised, it feels difficult for an affluent white person to make a constructive contribution to the cause of racial and social justice. Sometimespeople feel damned if they speak their opinions and damned if they stay silent. I hope that I have shown that it is possible for an old white Christian man to continue to contribute as an ally in struggles against oppression and injustice. Just as I believe Jesus did and still does.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /><br /></p></div></div></div> Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-78428061329722728802024-03-05T04:03:00.000-08:002024-03-05T04:02:45.576-08:00Book Review Jesus and Justice: Stories of radical Christian Living.<div><br /></div> <div><div id="x84cf5c7adf3f4abe9bb71e3310488783"><p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;"><b> </b><span style="font-weight: 700;">Book Review</span><b style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt;"> to be published in Preach Magazine </b></p><p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;"><b> Jesus and Justice: Stories of radical Christian Living. </b></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;">Produced by Red Letter Christians & edited by Simon Jones </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;">ISBN 9798873935086 <font color="#000080"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://redletterchristians.org.uk/jesus-justice-stories-of-radical-christian-living-in-the-uk-book-release-feb-2024/">https://redletterchristians.org.uk/jesus-justice-stories-of-radical-christian-living-in-the-uk-book-release-feb-2024/</a></u></span></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;"> </p><div id="x42e550c94df64d2589439eb18343c04b" style="text-align: center; "><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjN7-brwzN4zjZR_HYBkYQRqlC4iOFh8LiR0dZfzeSTlvNoV9OphkbFi7K-w3M_DCPNMiU6ZCBKThWGlmq-NPY-43Ct65F4chsL9MWNLlW1P8Cx2ADEwWj0Ye7G3CWIsbYSjcibmKpSYrRMxj-gQ6TDndOE2phyqaPf9FS6hHTkGiNTiSLYU3qd0me6MYw"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjN7-brwzN4zjZR_HYBkYQRqlC4iOFh8LiR0dZfzeSTlvNoV9OphkbFi7K-w3M_DCPNMiU6ZCBKThWGlmq-NPY-43Ct65F4chsL9MWNLlW1P8Cx2ADEwWj0Ye7G3CWIsbYSjcibmKpSYrRMxj-gQ6TDndOE2phyqaPf9FS6hHTkGiNTiSLYU3qd0me6MYw=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7342848608732110866" /></a><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif; font-weight: 700;"> </span></div> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;">This edited collection brings together <strong><span style="font-weight:normal;">26 authors </span></strong><strong> </strong>from across the UK, writing about their lived experience of seeking Jesus and justice in their communities. Some of the contributors are well known, such as Steve Chalke, Anthony Reddie, Shane Claiborne and Stephen Timms MP, while others are grass roots disciples of Jesus, living and working in deprived and overlooked communities across the country. I have known lots of them and some of their contexts personally for many years and consider them co-conspirators for the upside down Kingdom (or as some prefer Kindom or Commonwealth) of God. </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;">The stories and the structure of the volume is based around verses from the beautiful vision of <strong style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt;">Shalom in Isaiah 65:17-23. </strong> They explore eco-justice, poverty and placemaking, housing, migration, racial justice, economics, youth deprivation and criminal justice. The hope of the authors is that "Our book will inspire you with what is possible when a Jesus-centred faith is at the heart of activism.' I think that for the most part the book succeeds in this, and would recommend it to anyone who seeks to "act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God".</p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;">The writing style is accessible, with fascinating personal stories, testimonies and reflections, including a number of panel discussions about different themes. The theological issues are important and deep, but not buried in academic jargon. The doctrinal stances of authors are varied; and some chapters may be "too inclusive" for some evangelical readers. Yet all of them clearly love Jesus and the Bible. I think it is inevitable, and indeed right, that when Christians are living and working in a context where there are real world injustices impacting them and the people and churches they love, we interpret Scripture with new eyes, as verses and stories leap out from the text and make connections with the world we inhabit. Our faith is far more than mere head knowledge as taught in Bible College or from the pulpit, and is no longer confined to worship events and prayer meetings. Rather as the book argues it is about following and living with Jesus in a messed up world.</p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;"><br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;">Reviewed by Greg Smith <font color="#000080"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://gregsmith.synthasite.com/">https://gregsmith.synthasite.com/</a></u></span></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;"><strong style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt;">Greg Smith </strong> has worked for over forty years in urban mission, community development and social research in London and Preston. <font style="font-size: 10pt;">He is a senior research fellow of the William Temple Foundation and has published extensively on religion in the inner city, faith involvement in urban regeneration, and urban theology. </font> He is a lay leader in an inner city parish and a volunteer in work with asylum seekers and refugees.</p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;"><br /> </p></div></div> Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-67842853153510375172024-02-22T06:54:00.001-08:002024-02-22T06:54:34.713-08:00Book review :Finding the Treasure: Good news from the estates edited by Al Barrett Published by SPCK<div><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif;">This short book comprises a collection of reflections from the Church of England Estates Theology Project with five case studies from parishes on social housing estates in various urban and suburban settings across England. It is intended to be an encouragement to church leaders working in such settings and to break the stereotype that all is grim and the church is dead or dying in the less affluent areas. It arises from the Anglican commitment promoted by Bishop Philip North to strengthen and renew parish life and spread the gospel among people living in such neighbourhoods. In my opinion (and personal lifelong calling) this is exactly where Christians should be directing their prayers, resources, time and effort, not so much because there is spiritual, social and economic need, but it is in such places that we will find remarkable signs of God at work and encounter Jesus in surprising ways, not just on Sundays. That I think, is the message the book attempts to convey, though I am not fully convinced it achieves its aim.</span></div><div><div id="xfdafc45f77024b6e9ade75410227a23e"><div style="background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin:0px;"><div id="x278da7008ae742e2b80efde960167bb9"> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Segoe UI',sans-serif ;">First of all the case studies in the book are exclusively Anglican, which inevitably will narrow the potential readership to clergy working in parish settings, and those tasked with training them. The Wythenshawe case study concentrates on a community weaving project based at the William Temple Church. It comes over as a good story of an interesting example of a community art project, which at certain points touches Christian values and faith. But over the years I have heard or read numerous other accounts of church life in Wythenshawe, from different denominations and mission perspectives, which are not represented in the chapter. As a result I am reminded of a comment originally made by Anne Morissey (who write a foreword to the book) about the way the Church of England exudes "a sense of effortless superiority" in it's approach to community ministry.</span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Segoe UI',sans-serif ;">The rest of the book continues in the same vein. The majority of the parishes involved are from a liberal catholic or radical tradition. Only the chapter from Eltham, with input from the Church Army, uses any evangelical language in its theological framing of the local story. Yet in doing so it largely rejects the evangelical priorities of sharing the Gospel, and calling people to repent, believe, follow Jesus and be baptised into the community of his church. Long experience of urban mission has shown there are big problems with such a formulaic approach, and that preaching AT people is mostly ineffective. However, if the local church on estates is to survive, become self supporting and self propagating, we need to work hard on talking about Jesus, making disciples, strengthening socially diverse worshipping communities, who engage with and serve their neighbourhood, and developing local Christian leaders. There doesn't seem to be much of this sort of good news reflected in the book, though there are many other places where it is happening. <o:p xmlns:o="#unknown"></o:p></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Segoe UI',sans-serif ;"><o:p xmlns:o="#unknown"> </o:p></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Segoe UI',sans-serif ;">I find the theological method of the book curious. It is based on pairing an academic theologian with a church leader and trying to listen to the voices of local residents. They then reflected on what they heard and produced chapters which still feel rather abstract and academic in style. While listening is always to be recommended, and contextual reflection on local stories is foundational for urban theology, it might have been helpful to use a more participatory approach where local people (Christians and others) worked together to generate conclusions and linking with Bible stories and themes. It is only in the final section of the book that the editor makes reference to Laurie Green's "Let's do Theology" which would have been my personal starting point for the whole project. <o:p xmlns:o="#unknown"></o:p></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Segoe UI',sans-serif ;"><o:p xmlns:o="#unknown"> </o:p></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Segoe UI',sans-serif ;">Reviewed by Greg Smith , <o:p xmlns:o="#unknown"></o:p></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Segoe UI',sans-serif ;">Associate Research Fellow William Temple Foundation and Trustee of Urban Theology Union.<o:p xmlns:o="#unknown"></o:p></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Segoe UI',sans-serif ;">May 2023<o:p xmlns:o="#unknown"></o:p></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Segoe UI',sans-serif ;"><o:p xmlns:o="#unknown"> </o:p></span></p></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div> Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-42742913610282287602024-02-14T10:05:00.000-08:002024-02-14T10:06:03.650-08:00My new Temple blog :positionality<div dir="auto"><div dir="auto">making my identity and position clear..</div><div dir="auto">Where I am coming from. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><a href="https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/positionality/">https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/positionality/</a></div> Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-82893804165973948982023-08-31T07:57:00.001-07:002023-08-31T07:57:44.289-07:00Just published August 2023<div><br /></div> <div><h3><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tqH3Hk90O06cUJjZNRViOlqNlDiZwVZR/view?usp=sharing" rel="noopener">Children, Religion and Social Capital: Bonding and Bridging in Multi-faith Urban Neighbourhoods by </a><span class="xv78j7m"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tqH3Hk90O06cUJjZNRViOlqNlDiZwVZR/view?usp=sharing" rel="noopener">Greg Smith</a> </span><br />Based on a research project I carried out 20 years ago</h3></div><div><br /></div> Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-7471109556678330112023-07-25T03:22:00.001-07:002023-07-25T03:22:17.168-07:00A pair of urban pioneers:<div></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Short review by Greg Smith of two autobiographies by key figures in urban ministry'</span></div><h3 dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:16pt;margin-bottom:4pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(67, 67, 67); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">40 Years in Ministry in Liverpool - by Rev. Canon Neville Black</span></h3><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(self published)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This book talks about Neville Black's ministry as a Church of England Vicar in Everton and Toxteth from 1964 to 2004. Neville, whom I have known now for over 40 years, was born and went to grammar school in Bootle, and has spent his whole life in Liverpool. Following an evangelical conversion in his teens, and national service in the RAF, he married Val, and felt the call to ordained ministry in the church of England. Following selection, his bishop sent him to Oak Hill College, and told him not to bring his wife to London with him! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After ordination Neville served in Liverpool dioceses for 40 years in parishes and various roles in Everton, Toxteth and the City Centre. It was the epoch of Faith in the City, the 1981 Toxteth disturbances, the work of Bishops David Shephard and Derek Worlock to overcome sectarianism and bring urban regeneration to Merseyside. Neville's passion and key role was in training urban working class Christians for discipleship and ministry. He was the first lead officer of the Evangelical Urban Training Project (now Unlock) and was involved in the Northern Ordination Course, then founded in Liverpool the Group for Urban Ministry and Leadership (GUML). As a pioneer in relevant context based, non book adult Christian learning he should be honoured, and listened to for anyone concerned with training for urban ministry.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The book is full of stories, and above all of people, with many reminiscences about his colleagues and collaborators in Church and community. It is an important documentary source for the history of urban mission in the late 20th Century, Neville writes with warmth and honesty about the dilemmas and conflicts of his ministry, and about his own mistakes and failings He provides with each chapter some thought provoking questions for reflection, touching on gospel and culture, faith and learning, humanity and spirituality. Anyone involved in inner city and estates ministry will benefit from reading this book.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To purchase a copy of the book for £12.50 email <a href="mailto:nevilleblack55a@me.com">nevilleblack55a@me.com</a> or call on 07970235817</span></p><br /><h3 dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:16pt;margin-bottom:4pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(67, 67, 67); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus and Jellied Eels: Making sense of my life by Bishop Laurie Green</span></h3><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brimstone Press</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:14pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a strapline for this book I would suggest "Hard to believe - a Cockney lad became a bishop", though maintaining an ambiguity about how to read the hyphen in the phrase. I am a friend of the author, and moved into East Ham in 1975, soon after he left to prepare for ordination. Therefore I recognize the Cockney culture of the period, and some of the locations, pubs, schools, churches and people in the early sections of the book. I even knew the vicar of St Barnabas who recognised his call to ministry. Since then half a century has passed and we have all learned a lot,</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Laurie recounts with humour and serious reflection his journey over those years from parish ministry in Birmingham, to training vicars in the Aston training scheme, then back to East London and to his period of Bishop of Bradwell serving the churches and people of the Cockney diaspora in Essex.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In all that time Laurie has been a leading practitioner, theologian and inspiration of urban ministry and mission. The book is important for any Christian engaged in urban and estate ministry today. As someone who still identifies as an evangelical I don't agree in every detail with Laurie's, theology, ecclesiology and spirituality, yet have learned so much from him. In particular I share his emphasis on understanding the urban context, engaging with and discovering God incarnate at work in the lives of people and communities, reading the bible from the underside of society, his political passion for justice and conviction that ordinary urban people have much to offer in church and community.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is an excellent read ; do buy it , enjoy and reflect on it.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can get a copy at </span><a href="https://www.eden.co.uk/christian-books/christian-biographies/general-biography/jesus-and-jellied-eels-making-sense-of-my-life/" style="font-size: 12pt;">https://www.eden.co.uk/christian-books/christian-biographies/general-biography/jesus-and-jellied-eels-making-sense-of-my-life/</a></p><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div> Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-37120460243197098622023-06-06T03:12:00.000-07:002023-06-06T03:13:01.396-07:00Is there still Faith in the City?<div><div class="OFA52E"><div tabindex="-1" class="cD_92h UitnHM" data-hook="post-title"><h1 class="UbhFJ7 nkqC0Q blog-post-title-font blog-post-title-color blog-text-color post-title blog-hover-container-element-color FG3qXk blog-post-page-title-font" data-hook="post-title"></h1></div></div><div class="nLG8d5" data-hook="post-description"><article class="blog-post-page-font"><div class="post-content__body"><div class="moHCnT"><div class="moHCnT"><div class="fTEXDR EHSB8c AchpNK" data-rce-version="9.9.0"><div class="itVXy Myhmo_ em5dea _8a1b4" dir="ltr" data-id="rich-content-viewer"><div class="mhGZq IEVVTS"><div type="first" data-hook="rcv-block-first"></div><p id="viewer-foo" class="xVISr Y9Dpf WkT0MK OZy-3 lnyWN T3Ond1 WkT0MK public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 fixed-tab-size public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr"><span class="B2EFF public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr">In a new <a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://www.facebook.com/WilliamTempleFoundation?__cft__[0]=AZUvfAGb1h7MkC-znWJtWvT_ZbOx-4RWg_PNkCGfiQnvctHkiBHYkpKbO6Cc2JzxjiXJAO8tZUWKAi75pzEFM3ciPKrTD-LT3cbdEbkSuyVxWRIHdTRxztwk_NdcN4oT8uo6PY6xOOsEU9F7Z7Yk9ZA19wlTdf0JsoM5pRfG8fPrtQC6yOYUQ2EBpESbnE9ZyI2E3T0i5w2Kmv8EkpjM1aDmSAFQZrlPyd3I7r6o0XW4-w&__tn__=-" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="TWoY9 itht3">William Temple Foundation</a> blog, 40 years after the start of Archbishop's Commission on Urban Priority Areas, Greg Smith reflects on how "it is in such movements [as Missio Dei] that I see signs of God at work" and "I believe we can still find Faith in the City." <a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/is-there-still-faith-in-the-city/?fbclid=IwAR3nAQFMKz7LuVIRAz8N5XL-JrKmPKusF548V2Ujh0jdMWLZB1Ic9N5Pgxc" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="TWoY9 itht3">https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/is-there-still.../</a> </span></p><div type="paragraph" data-hook="rcv-block1"></div><div id="viewer-5takp" class="xVISr Y9Dpf WkT0MK OZy-3 lnyWN T3Ond1 WkT0MK public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 fixed-tab-size public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr"><span class="B2EFF public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr"><br role="presentation" /></span></div><div type="empty-line" data-hook="rcv-block2"></div><div id="viewer-cs53l" class="xVISr Y9Dpf WkT0MK OZy-3 lnyWN T3Ond1 WkT0MK public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0 fixed-tab-size public-DraftStyleDefault-text-ltr"><span class="B2EFF public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr"><br role="presentation" /></span></div><div type="empty-line" data-hook="rcv-block3"></div><div id="viewer-3ggc9" class="QHjDE iG0hRj"><div class="gO6aa N9BmOG N9BmOG flaqF"><div data-hook="imageViewer" class="Q6a5A" role="button" tabindex="0"><div class="vBPBf L9OMM XHhj0" id="new-image3838217"><wow-image id="b6540c_c9e4d27326334183914d62cdeefcda6d~mv2.png" class="gXpdtc " data-image-info="{"containerId":"new-image3838217","displayMode":"fill","isLQIP":true,"isSEOBot":false,"lqipTransition":"blur","imageData":{"width":789,"height":411,"uri":"b6540c_c9e4d27326334183914d62cdeefcda6d~mv2.png","name":"","displayMode":"fill"}}" data-bg-effect-name="" data-animate-blur="" data-src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b6540c_c9e4d27326334183914d62cdeefcda6d~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_947,h_493,al_c,lg_1,q_90,enc_auto/b6540c_c9e4d27326334183914d62cdeefcda6d~mv2.png" data-transitioned=""><img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b6540c_c9e4d27326334183914d62cdeefcda6d~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_947,h_493,al_c,lg_1,q_90,enc_auto/b6540c_c9e4d27326334183914d62cdeefcda6d~mv2.png" alt="" data-pin-url="https://www.urbanmissionuk.net/post/is-there-still-faith-in-the-city?utm_source=so&cid=9602d3f2-a41a-499b-9a6a-3bce3e35859a&utm_content=4522fc78-80b2-4072-bc76-54c512d47ba7&postId=9079ac52-63b2-4456-b625-f2ccff896d33&utm_campaign=6767b15b-e388-49b7-aae4-d01d8c677cfa&utm_medium=mail" data-pin-media="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b6540c_c9e4d27326334183914d62cdeefcda6d~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_947,h_493,al_c,lg_1,q_90/b6540c_c9e4d27326334183914d62cdeefcda6d~mv2.png" fetchpriority="high" data-load-done="" style="width:740px;height:385px;object-fit:cover;object-position:50% 50%;" /></wow-image></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></article></div></div><div><br /></div> Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-24930401411794680482023-03-08T04:22:00.001-08:002023-03-08T04:22:20.986-08:00A theology of charity moving beyond naive grace<div><br /></div> <div><br /></div><div id="signature_old"><div id="xc0f425d2ed63417"><div id="xebd5a0240b2c4768934b3ec09ad84cda" style="tab-interval:36.0pt;
word-wrap:break-word"> <div id="x96ecaf10165249b49ef39657d8284819"> <p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom:0.11cm;line-height:100%;page-break-inside:avoid;widows:0;orphans:0;page-break-after:avoid;">A PDF version of this piece <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CrRlGz_xsR1-ny099_24JGiOMwcAAniH/view?usp=share_link" style="font-size: 12pt;">can be downloaded HERE</a></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><b>Greg Smith February 2023</b></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>I am writing this article in response to a series of pieces </b></font></font><a href="https://gracetruth.blog/2023/01/18/we-need-to-dig-deeper-in-our-response-to-poverty-by-greg-smith/" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u><b>(one by myself</b></u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>) in Jon Kurht's </b></font></font><a href="https://gracetruth.blog/" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u><b>Grace and Truth blog</b></u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>. The articles there are reflections on the motives, methods and theology of Christian social action, charity and community work.</b></font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">I am also aware of an excellent recent academic paper by </font></font><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/1/59" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>Shannahan and Denny</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"> based on research for the Life on The Breadline Project. Interviewing a wide range of church leaders and activists who are engaged in work addressing poverty, austerity policies and the cost of living crisis they identify four main (sometimes overlapping) approaches; caring, advocacy, enterprise, community building. Exploring underlying theological frameworks the authors advocate contextually appropriate methods based on liberation theology. While I am sympathetic to their analysis and conclusions I am concerned that the reflections of church leaders framed in an academic article may not connect well to the experience of ordinary Christian believers who are usually the volunteers on whom such activity and projects depend. So I am aiming at teasing out a more </font></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4"><b>ordinary theology, </b></font></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">drawing on what I have heard from Christians over 40 years in particular understandings and consequences of the bible verses, hymns and songs they refer to when talking about their attempts to ameliorate poverty.</font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> </p> <p class="western" style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%;"> <span id="docs-internal-guid-9d6ef75b-7fff-f659-27c3-015e041f56ea" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_-9CY2N3cvqsGM_mAzW8wnqkoyxcADZ7phckhYk-eTDFf4hWDnoTNZb4SdLPQub-J___eWjTy0TBzTVBodiGSdcIcmrLMAmVy2by2rf7q4jrYIoKpUytwavcbA7ma_bR_Twry_taQgrH64O63WbYvA" width="602" height="339" style="margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;" /></span> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>It's their own Fault</b></font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">First of all it is important to recognise that there remains a significant group of UK Christians who have little or no concern for poverty, or even deny its existence. I think of this group as the "contras" and perceive them as upper or middle class traditionalists, who are likely to vote Tory and support austerity measures and free market policies. They often argue that religion and politics should not mix, the church should not express political concerns, that faith and belief are a purely private matter. If arguing theologically they might foreground Bible verses such as "</font></font><a href="https://biblehub.com/matthew/5-3.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>blessed are the poor in Spirit</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">", and Jesus quoting from Deuteronomy when he said "</font></font><a href="https://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/15-11.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>the poor you will always have with you"</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">. </font></font><a class="sdfootnoteanc" name="sdfootnote1anc" href="#sdfootnote1sym"><sup>1</sup></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"> They may point out that when Peter and John met the beggar in the temple they sang "</font></font><a href="https://youtu.be/ljBgPqqdLJc" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">" and the priority is the good news of Jesus which brings miraculous healing, and eternal salvation through trusting in what he did by dying on the cross.</font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif">In the 1980's Margaret Thatcher's comments that St Paul insisted that a</font><a href="https://biblehub.com/2_thessalonians/3-10.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><u> person who will not work shall not eat</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif">, and that the</font><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDF6blmU3co" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><u> Good Samaritan was clearly a successful enough businessman to have money to pay the innkeeper</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif">, resonated deeply with this group.They locate the causes of poverty firmly in personal behaviour and attitudes rather than in structural disadvantage. A</font><a href="https://www.eauk.org/church/resources/snapshot/upload/Good-news-for-the-poor-report-pdf.pdf" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><u> survey for The Evangelical Alliance in 2015 (p14-15)</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"> demonstrated that this interpretation on UK poverty is almost universal among Christians. Blaming people facing poverty is misguided . Jesus </font><a href="https://biblehub.com/john/9-3.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><u>did not blame either the blind man or his parents and their sins</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"> for his disability, but he did tell a paralytic </font><a href="https://biblehub.com/john/5-8.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><u>to take up his bed and walk</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"> (rather than to continue to beg, and directly addressed and </font><a href="https://biblehub.com/luke/5-23.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><u>forgave the sins of the man let down through the roof.</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"> So understanding the social structures that lead to poverty does not mean we can deny individual agency and personal responsibility as I argued in my previous blog </font><a class="sdfootnoteanc" name="sdfootnote2anc" href="#sdfootnote2sym"><sup>2</sup></a></p> <p class="western" style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%;"> <span id="docs-internal-guid-bd593c16-7fff-9388-f7c6-3fdee26ff213" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/vp2zPZUeGrdrsK7BJeSRR0h4HXwfCnZYyyfTa9ELSA7Yv4XWdr3l3WpY5vUU9gVJ36HK21UH8QIEsnZulsV-c9Y5dl0MkiHmdlOZAHCMAXOqSowXMLNs5MNGpdh-LdB_IaXkY5Sc5UdDL5Tn9grD-g" width="460" height="344" style="margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;" /></span> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>Loving your neighbour.. When I needed a neighbour</b></font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">On the other hand the large majority of active Christians seem to have a kinder and more generous spirit. They readily give to and serve in Food banks, Soup Kitchens, and appeals to assist refugees and asylum seekers, or victims of domestic violence. They often refer to the second great command "</font></font><a href="https://biblehub.com/matthew/22-39.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>love your neighbour as yourself</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">" or the ending of the parable of the sheep and the goats, "</font></font><a href="https://biblehub.com/matthew/25-40.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>in as much as you did it onto the least of these you did it to me</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">"</font></font><a class="sdfootnoteanc" name="sdfootnote3anc" href="#sdfootnote3sym"><sup>3</sup></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">. They might think of </font></font><a href="https://youtu.be/V0hKro89cVg" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>Sydney Carter's hymn "when I needed a neighbour"</u></font></font></a></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">The question of "who is my neighbour" may come to mind. Not surprising then that, another favourite reference is </font></font><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2010%3A25-37&version=NIV" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>the parable of the Good Samaritan</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">. People in poverty can be seen as "the man who fell among thieves" and it is a Christian's duty to offer first aid and provide a bed for the night, This may be missing a key theme of the Story that it was the despised "other" rather than the religious people who showed kindness and was a good neighbour. It is probably not enough; as more are coming to realise we need to go up the road (upstream) to investigate and deal with the bandits who are mugging passing travellers. Indeed Anne Morissey wrote </font></font><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/537976" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>a significant book on the call to go Beyond the Good Samaritan.</u></font></font></a></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><b style="font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Generosity and grace with no limits</b></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Another key motivating theme is the boundless love of Jesus, and the call to imitate his life. People still ask the question: "What would (or did) Jesus do?" The greatest love was that he </font></font><a href="https://biblehub.com/john/15-13.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>laid down his life for his friends</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">. The famous memory verse </font></font><a href="https://biblehub.com/john/3-16.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>John 3'16 God so loved the world</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"> …. and </font></font><a href="https://biblehub.com/john/3-17.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>sent his son not to condemn the world</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">, can be interpreted exclusively as applying to evangelism but also transfers to charitable works. Even the rich young ruler comes to mind whom Jesus told </font></font><a href="https://biblehub.com/mark/10-21.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>sell all you have and give to the poor</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">. St Francis of Assisi took it literally and continues to inspire thousands.</font></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b> </b></font></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">So for Christians the idea of putting any boundaries or limits on our loving response to people in need tugs at our heartstrings, and stretches our deeply rooted theology. For we live and are saved by the unmerited grace of God, who in the words of </font></font><a href="https://youtu.be/905DEs06g64" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>the old gospel song "giveth and giveth and giveth again</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">". We can't help wonder sometimes if God was naïve in loving me, and so sometimes it must be OK if we are naïve in giving to others.</font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><b style="font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Moving beyond Charity.</b></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">So far we have been dealing with a simple theology that motivates people to be kind and compassionate and to offer help to people in need. The problems with staying at this point include:</span></p> <ul> <li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Giving unconditional help may not address underlying problems faced by the recipient</font></font></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">It may lead to long term dependency</font></font></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">It places the donor at the centre, giving them arbitrary control of the transaction, a warm feeling about doing good, and a Saviour complex</font></font></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">It can become a substitute for presenting the gift and challenge of the Good News about Jesus</font></font></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">It fails to recognise systemic patterns, and social and economic which explain the struggle against poverty and disadvantage</font></font></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">It focuses on individuals and families as helpless victims</font></font></p> </li><li><p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Donors can be naive in accepting incomplete or false stories told by people who "game the system".</font></font></p> </li></ul> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">We move on now to consider Bible passages which may be used to develop a more wholistic approach to social action. For many of these insights I remain indebted to </font></font><a href="http://jimpunton.org.uk/" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>Jim Punton</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"> and </font></font><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7UDiSlsmmA8eDFNMjQ4S3BESkk/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-Q9ATK4XutPqF_OJfAohp-A" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>Roger Dowley</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"> who in the 1980s gave me the key to a radical and deeper way of approaching Scripture.</font></font></p> <p class="western" style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%;"> <span id="docs-internal-guid-ea04634c-7fff-29d2-0996-8bfbde85b689" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/qjKI-4giUiEDVx7L3KAJNL8dKtffK9JOG6SKN59fwt6YAiAVarkaq3BmzNzffIwm8bs4a-r0vltI5IbQUQLfDrFtJejmSV-POVCWM7zmjI8m3gjcU6VX0hUaDZnlyn4VaZHc4bDtDLbtyHW3aO6nng" width="602" height="401" style="margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;" /></span> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>Personal empowerment and transformation</b></font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">There is much in the OT that suggests that God will bless and bring prosperity to people who follow his commandments (</font></font><a href="https://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/26-9.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>Deuteronomy speaks of a land flowing with milk and honey</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">) and the opposite will apply, and historically does when his people do the opposite.. But note it is usually for the nation or wider community, rather than for individuals..and involves living and working together in building a society of justice, equality and solidarity.. The book of Nehemiah relates how returning exiles built together a new Jerusalem, and has been referred to </font></font><a href="https://www.nehemiahprojectcdc.org/" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>as a manual for community development</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">.</font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">The NT also speaks of blessing, and testifies to the power of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit bringing, healing, salvation and transformation to individuals who are among the poor and oppressed. But it never promises a life totally without suffering in this age, if anything the opposite if disciples remain faithful. And the </font></font><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205%3A1-12&version=NIV" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>blessings listed by Jesus in Matthew 5</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"> are a mirror image of what most people think of as blessings. There is no basis for a prosperity gospel as the solution to poverty. So while we may pray and work for the transformation of individuals and communities, and encourage people in need to trust in God, or as Alcholics and other "Anonymous" groups do, to draw on "a higher power", we can never "command" a blessing.</font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><b style="font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Prophecy and Justice</b></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">A concern with social justice drawing on the writings of the Hebrew prophets is not a new invention, for it was found in the early church, in the reformers and Puritans, and the 19thC abolitionists. Among Western evangelicals it re-emerged following the Lausanne congress from the mid 1970s </font></font><a href="https://biblehub.com/micah/6-8.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>Micah 6 8 about acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with God</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">, and </font></font><a href="https://biblehub.com/isaiah/58-6.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>Isaiah 58;6 on the fast God desires</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"> are often cited.. Another key text is </font></font><a href="https://biblehub.com/amos/5-24.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>Amos 5; 24</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"> which </font></font><a href="https://youtu.be/Xfv9OI59_7o" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>Graham Kendrick -referenced in his song O Lord the clouds are gathering</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">)</font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">There are challenges about the interpretation and application of such texts. In a western Protestant worldview it is easy to limit thinking and action to cases of injustice affecting individuals, and to respond mainly with attempts at rescue, care and advocacy of persons and particular cases. Yet when taken up by protestors and reformers in the church. It can lead to political lobbying as in Make Poverty History, and initiatives such as Fair Trade, anti trafficking groups, and climate justice action. It's not so clear that movements concentrating on the UK such as Housing Justice, or Evangelical Christians for Racial Justice have taken off well enough to change policies. This is mainly because of the hegemony of right wing governments, but partly because many conservative Christians don't accept structural analysis, and are uncomfortable with alliances with secular and other faith radicals who they suspect of"wokery".</span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> </p> <p class="western" style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%;"> <span id="docs-internal-guid-4160c85f-7fff-9083-c1a4-d0e06c13d658" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/0gZJzVedkq2gpHH1NT1Lh97nT_vhCiBdMiKiEHTADDsp5SRLzpx2sAOa3rQpLB52HqCUyaPqnf882khrb01R8_ZSjgaFYuAtKYFGUx856SKCStDew6c5HSCzR1u5J9SkYhUHLY5waJ4dNRVCFNLwtg" width="507" height="378" style="margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;" /></span> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>The poor and oppressed in Scripture.. God is on their case</b></font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The OT law emphasises compassion for the widow, the orphan and the refugee with many detailed commands and provisions for their welfare. God's people were called to be a community of shalom, that would be a light to the Gentiles, but sadly failed, time and time again.</span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif">The Bible has hundreds of verses that refer to poverty and oppression and generally indicates that God has a special concern for people in poverty. Here is</font><a href="https://www.worldvision.org/christian-faith-news-stories/what-does-bible-say-about-poverty" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><u> a starter list drawn up by World Vision</u></font></a></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;">An old hymn written by <a href="https://youtu.be/gKz01u63gq8" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"><u>Isaac Watts sums this up in a paraphrase of Psalm 146</u></font></a></p> <p class="western" style="margin-left:1.27cm;margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><font size="3">He saves the oppressed, He feeds the poor</font><font size="3"><b>…..</b></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-left:1.27cm;margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-left:1.27cm;margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font size="3"><b>Verse 3 </b></font><font size="3">The Lord gives eyesight to the blind,</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-left:1.27cm;margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font size="3">he calms and heals the troubled mind,</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-left:1.27cm;margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font size="3">he sends the wounded conscience peace;</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-left:1.27cm;margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font size="3">he helps the stranger in distress,</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-left:1.27cm;margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font size="3">the widow and the fatherless,</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-left:1.27cm;margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font size="3">and grants the prisoner sweet release</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Catholic social teaching and Liberation theology frames this as </font></font><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Option_for_the_poor" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>the preferential option for the poo</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">r Disciples of Jesus are challenged to move beyond almsgiving to identification and solidarity with the "least of these".</font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><b style="font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Towards equality</b></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Old school Christian socialists and new generations of radicals can draw on Bible passages that argue for equality. Some would like to turn these into a national or international political programme or redistribution, others towards intentional Christian communities based on common property. The </font></font><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+25%3A8-55&version=NIVUK" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>law of jubilee (Lev.25</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">) is often cited, along with </font></font><a href="https://biblehub.com/luke/4-18.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>the Nazareth manifesto Luke 4; 16-19</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"> announcing good news to the poor, and proclaiming the acceptable (jubilee) year of the Lord.</font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">The coming in power of the Holy Spirit led to a community in Jerusalem, which was marked by radical economics, a sharing of resources in which there were no needy people among them. </font></font><a href="https://biblehub.com/acts/4-32.htm"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>Acts 4; 22-36 </u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"> Even though this model may not have been universally sustainable as the church grew and spread, the ideal remained powerful. As Paul organised a relief fund for the people affected by famine in Jerusalem he argued in favour of equality </font></font><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%208%3A12%2D14&version=NIV"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>2 Cor 8; 13-14</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"> The example has inspired Christians throughout the ages for example in monastic orders, and Anabaptist communities. Perhaps it is the suburban and middle class captivity of the western church, which segregates our life from communities facing deprivation, that limits consideration of this model today.</font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>Exodus and liberation..</b></font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Liberation theologies and Black theologies (right back to the old "Negro Spirituals". (e.g. </font></font><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3OjHIhLCDs" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>Paul Robeson sang "let my people go</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">" ) constantly emphasize the story of the Exodus, and the miraculous intervention of God to free his people from captivity and bring them to freedom in the Promised Land. The New Testament proclaims that the finished work of Christ amounts to a new exodus, and </font></font><a href="https://www.agapebiblestudy.com/charts/Typology%20of%20Moses%20and%20Jesus.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>Jesus as a new Moses</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">.</font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Mainstream western Christianity tends to interpret this spiritually, the exodus being seen as salvation from the slavery of sin, and a journey across a spiritual Jordan to heaven. At best the kingdom/regime of God, inaugurated by Jesus, involves a redeemed community experiencing life "in the meantime" , here but not yet in fullness. We await in hope the redemption of creation, a new heaven and a new earth, in the age to come, when the dead are raised to life and Christ returns. There </font></font><a href="https://youtu.be/VxarZBxK0iQ" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>will then be no tears, no dying, no poverty</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">. </font></font><a href="https://biblehub.com/revelation/21-4.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>Rev 21;4</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">. It will says</font></font><a href="https://biblehub.com/2_peter/3-13.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u> Peter be the home of righteousness/justice</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">. This hope should inspire believers (</font></font><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcgiKMBWXrk" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>according to NT Wright</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">) to practical and political action in the current age which is not in vain There is more dispute among Christians as to whether God is already at work, progressively improving life on earth, or whether everything is going downhill until redemption comes from heaven. The latter view would tend to discourage Christians from engaging in any form of political action.</font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%;"> <span id="docs-internal-guid-a49792ae-7fff-00e1-1782-ce8a039f296a" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/tnFT4XvMkFYf_KNgVJomXFbrB3qFJHUVwYSIT8iGrBtsOyIMDVfVV5lXNBHRrfXFgiAZF8mAT-hVpTBf4wDRamgJgAiQEeZOkfi0RCi2mU1tbi40yKt92_Y5EqLY49biyu8BXHKLDRQxU0TckYonaw" width="556" height="416" style="margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;" /></span> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>Turning things upside down</b></font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">In English Cathedrals and St Georges Chapel Windsor daily services often include choral settings of </font></font><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsUWG2axB3w" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>the Magnificat</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">…The irony is that the words are quite revolutionary. They might be better sung to the tune of the Red Flag and paraphrased thus:</font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">MARY'S SONG </font></font><a href="https://biblehub.com/luke/1-51.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>Luke 1 verse 51 5</u></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"> cf </font></font><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%202&version=NIV" style="font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>1 Samuel 2</u></font></font></a></p> <p class="western" style="margin-left:2.54cm;margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Join Mary's song! Sing loud and clear of anger God is feeling </font></font> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-left:2.54cm;margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">that selfish men make others poor and legalise the stealing! </font></font> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-left:2.54cm;margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">With her sing praise that he should care,</font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-left:2.54cm;margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">and with the wronged their burden share;</font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-left:2.54cm;margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">from seats of power the proud he'll tear, and send the mighty reeling.</font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-left:2.54cm;margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-left:2.54cm;margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">That God's with those who are oppressed there can be no denying. </font></font> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-left:2.54cm;margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">With those who're poor or dispossessed, his heart has long been sighing. </font></font> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-left:2.54cm;margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">But they shall have what's just and right,when God shall break the men of might;</font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-left:2.54cm;margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">he'll lift the hungry to the heights and send the selfish crying</font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-left:2.54cm;margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Strangely enough in 50 years as a Christian, I have only sung these words once! It's an important question as to whether or not this gospel passage permits or encourages Christians to ever be involved in (violent) revolution. But if not, How and when is God going to turn the established order upside down?</font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>Through whose eyes?</b></font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">As we move from the simple Bible verses that commend love of neighbour, charity and selfless love, towards the more challenging Scriptures that speak of justice, equality, politics and revolutionary social change the fundamental question is how do we read them. If we don't recognize that most mainstream British Christians are in a position of privilege (the more so if they are male, white, old and upper class) we will tend to interpret them with conservative or purely spiritual assumptions.</span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">However, when read from the underside, in the context of poverty, oppression or discrimination they are more likely to strike us as having a practical, earthy, social and political application. It will become clear that the Bible is not just about individual and spiritual salvation, with a bit of ethics thrown. Rather it is about God's engagement with the whole of society and the whole of creation. It should become clear that the word of God is like a two edged sword, bringing judgement to those who fail to remember the poor, become complicit in oppression and fail to love mercy, do justice and walk humbly with God in every area and sphere of life.</span></p> <p class="western" style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="western" style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">Questions to ponder</span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>Is charity always a good thing? If not, why?</b></font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>Why do many Christians think the Bible only or mainly refers to spiritual things?</b></font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>Why do you think people in the UK often struggle with poverty and destitution? Does the Bible help us to develop a clear understanding of this?</b></font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>Does God tend to bless those who trust and serve Him faithfully?</b></font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>Which Bible passages about justice do you know and get inspired by?</b></font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>What does the Bible teach about equality? And how can society best move towards it?</b></font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>How does God Liberate and transform individuals and communities?</b></font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>If God is bringing down the mighty and raising up the humble, what roles do Christians have to play in this?</b></font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;widows:0;orphans:0;"> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>What can the Bible teach us about how we should undertake social action in our churches and communities?</b></font></font></p> <div id="sdfootnote1"> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;page-break-before:always;"> <a class="sdfootnotesym" name="sdfootnote1sym" href="#sdfootnote1anc">1</a><sup></sup><font size="2"> Rather out of context and without balancing the </font><a href="https://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/15-4.htm"><font color="#1155cc"><font size="2"><u>other verse in Deuteronomy</u></font></font></a></p> </div> <div id="sdfootnote2"> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;page-break-before:always;"> <a class="sdfootnotesym" name="sdfootnote2sym" href="#sdfootnote2anc">2</a><sup></sup><font size="2"> …..</font>, for that is central to the human condition. People created by God and placed in society are moral beings. It is often right to challenge people with a word of 'tough love'. Darren McGarvey, an expert in the field by lived experience has explored this brilliantly in his books such as<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/36317638-poverty-safari"><font color="#1155cc"><u> Poverty Safari</u></font></a> and his recent<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001g2zf"><font color="#1155cc"><u> Reith Lecture.</u></font></a></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;"><br /> </p> </div> <div id="sdfootnote3"> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;line-height:100%;page-break-before:always;"> <a class="sdfootnotesym" name="sdfootnote3sym" href="#sdfootnote3anc">3</a><sup></sup><font size="2"> Although some have argued that the least of these is restricted to </font><a href="https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/the-parable-of-the-sheep-and-the-goats-in-matthew-25/"><font color="#1155cc"><font size="2"><u>Christian brothers and sisters</u></font></font></a><font size="2">,</font></p> </div></div></div></div></div> Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-58582898512620017962023-01-18T08:42:00.000-08:002023-01-18T08:43:10.852-08:00New Blog Digging Deeper and Food Banks<div dir="auto"><br><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://gracetruth.blog/2023/01/18/we-need-to-dig-deeper-in-our-response-to-poverty-by-greg-smith/">https://gracetruth.blog/2023/01/18/we-need-to-dig-deeper-in-our-response-to-poverty-by-greg-smith/</a> Just written and published this. Thanks <span style="background-color:#1877f2">Jon Kuhrt</span> for editing and hosting it on the G&T blog</p></div> Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-69304186294484774062022-11-30T07:24:00.001-08:002022-11-30T07:24:11.609-08:00The 2021 Census Data on Religion<div><span>Yesterday the census data on religion, (and other topics) were released. I've been engaging in various Facebook groups on this and finding it frustrating how the media are covering it and how people, especially in the churches are responding. This blog is an attempt to put together some of my thoughts and some important links.</span></div><div><div id="x8d6e202d6ba44e89bb391d577514ea74"> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><b style="font-size: 12pt;">The headline Findings as reported in the Media and Online</b></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;">The <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/religion/bulletins/religionenglandandwales/census2021" style="font-size: 12pt;">Official Release from the Office of National Statistics</a> and their <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/census/maps/choropleth/identity/religion/religion-tb/christian" style="font-size: 12pt;">wonderful online mapping tool for looking more locally</a></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;">On the<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-63792408" style="font-size: 12pt;"> BBC Website</a></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;">In <a href="https://lawandreligionuk.com/2022/11/29/2021-census-for-england-wales-religious-affiliation/" style="font-size: 12pt;">Law and Religion</a></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;">In <a href="https://www.christiantoday.com/article/christian.population.in.england.and.wales.falls.below.half.for.first.time/139527.htm" style="font-size: 12pt;">Christian Today</a></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/nov/29/ten-things-weve-learned-from-the-england-and-wales-census" style="font-size: 12pt;">The Guardian</a> has <font color="#050505"><font face="Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><font style="font-size:11pt;">a random selection of fun facts from the census that don't have much strategic relevance. But at the local level, as for example in our local parish, we need to work out how to relate to particular clustered communities, such as Romanians, Polish and third generation Gujeratis..</font></font></font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;">The <a href="http://eauk.org/news-and-views/census-figures-we-are-not-surprised-but-there-is-work-to-do" style="font-size: 12pt;">Evangelical Alliance has an optimistic take</a></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><b style="font-size: 12pt;">My Comments</b></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5);">The Census tells us nothing about religious beliefs. It is a simple tick box question aimed to count faith identity.</span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">There are no surprises in the data. A simple tick box religious identity question is a very poor way of assessing religiosity, vitality of faith communities, or the number of faithful followers of Jesus.</p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;">the multicultural cities like London and Birmingham the ones where Christianity is relatively thriving and vibrant, while it is in rural and coastal 95% White Brit places that the church is in decline. There is a strong case that multi faith competition strengthens the life and health of followers of Jesus.</p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;">The data from census shows cultural / nominal / Christian identity is declining. It is no longer the default for (white) English people to say they are CofE. And the identity statements of those who are counted as Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish are about ethnoreligious identity rather than religious practice. On the other the mainstream denominational churches are certainly in trouble.. but the data that shows that is around declining attendance / membership and the ageing demographic profile of those who do attend. The data around that is harder to collect and less reliable but the broad trends there are clear. I think though it is right to be hopeful that in a situation where Christianity is a minority faith among many and none, this in itself tends to strengthen the core active, strongly believing faithful people who drive the mission of the kingdom forward, and eventually growth and renewal will follow.</p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Some Random Comments from others that I like and agree with</b></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Christians still make up a plurality if not a majority which is better than nothing and B: I don't think the number of Christians has actually fallen. What has is the number of people using Christian/Church of England as a cultural identifier when what they mean is agnostic.</p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;">I'd be more interested in church attendance. People used to tick c of e because they knew they weren't Hindu or Muslim. Now they tick no religion.</p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;">it's not surprise really is it? Probably just more honest. When you look at Talking Jesus type research, active Christians make up less than 10% I believe</p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;">The number ticking "Christian" has never been a measure of the number of Christians. All we are seeing is the end of Christendom. This is no bad thing</p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;">I would rather see the real numbers of active Christians than some one who just thinks they are born a Christian because of our heritage.</p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><b>On the Nones</b> <a href="https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/research/2022/10/31/the-nones-who-are-they-and-what-do-they-believe?fbclid=IwAR0VepO41kc3fFUN3_B57ejJdYpZHm9sNBD3IcXXKwPPaxGst0uTLOfnQE0">https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/.../the-nones-who-are...</a>This is an interesting and helpful piece of research</p></div></div> Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-45945867187963433192022-11-10T03:24:00.001-08:002022-11-10T03:24:31.589-08:00Hard to believe - a Cockney lad became a bishop<div>As a friend of the author, who moved into East Ham in 1975, soon after he left to prepare for ordination, I recognize the Cockney culture of the period, and some of the locations, pubs, schools, churches and people in the early sections of the book. I even knew the vicar of St Barnabas who recognised his call to ministry. Since then half a century has passed and we have all learned a lot, </div><div><br /></div><div>Laurie recounts with humour and serious reflection his journey over those years from parish ministry in Birmingham, to training vicars in the Aston training scheme, then back to East London and to his period of bishop of Bradwell serving the churches and people of the Cockney diaspora in Essex. </div><div><br /></div><div>In all that time Laurie has been a leading practitioner, theologian and inspiration of urban ministry and mission. The book is important for any Christian engaged in urban and estate ministry today. As someone who still identifies as an evangelical I don't agree in every detail with Laurie's, theology, ecclesiology and spirituality, yet have learned so much from him. In particular I share his emphasis on understanding the urban context, engaging with and discovering God incarnate at work in the lives of people and communities, reading the bible from the underside of society, his political passion for justice and conviction that ordinary urban people have much to offer in church and community. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is an excellent read ; do buy it , enjoy and reflect on it.</div><div><br /></div><div>You can get a copy here:</div> <div><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jesus-Jellied-Eels-Making-sense-ebook/dp/B0BJP2NN1Q/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8" style="">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jesus-Jellied-Eels-Making-sense-ebook/dp/B0BJP2NN1Q/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div id="signature_old"><div id="xd2bc28e33589464"><div id="xebd5a0240b2c4768934b3ec09ad84cda" style="tab-interval:36.0pt;
word-wrap:break-word"> <p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p></div></div></div><div><br /></div> Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-9145403428493673362022-10-29T12:12:00.001-07:002022-10-29T12:12:36.321-07:00An Old Sermon<div>I have just discovered this in our family ephemera box. I think it is the notes from a sermon given by my Methodist Lay Preacher grandfather, (H.O. Smith - pictured on page) probably in the 1950s. Simple words but still relevant today.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEioDcObXUzVf4BkNW_njh22PH01BsRY2vAdwuGIoieqSc_ovEz1xMsDXZakUWBjfrYuGZMOmrNKrztW1blofuTmEWSI3eZxR2SPBd9sgDu2jgXdTdEtyAAKkkE8JHVzKZQjXZwQkWySsgpy90APic8SsznzMPm1CU32QfRcOGVgQS1v6wa2C2XIv1BK"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEioDcObXUzVf4BkNW_njh22PH01BsRY2vAdwuGIoieqSc_ovEz1xMsDXZakUWBjfrYuGZMOmrNKrztW1blofuTmEWSI3eZxR2SPBd9sgDu2jgXdTdEtyAAKkkE8JHVzKZQjXZwQkWySsgpy90APic8SsznzMPm1CU32QfRcOGVgQS1v6wa2C2XIv1BK=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7160014384408340818" /></a> </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMf0kLpLqAmxwksVkPAU65SuzQPMfONalAw5QzUjqOa3gRoL_Fwl-g6UYfqqUu9PAOM2U80yq9WVTRaKAP4kJTO5xqCX13vN1vbG8aGaT-VJOe_4BPlu0Oi1R3oV0vXjHvlswS0EBhxxtf1a5SUOHFteRG2jropWic2Z53TCLczNJzWKIo1yUGXPL7"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMf0kLpLqAmxwksVkPAU65SuzQPMfONalAw5QzUjqOa3gRoL_Fwl-g6UYfqqUu9PAOM2U80yq9WVTRaKAP4kJTO5xqCX13vN1vbG8aGaT-VJOe_4BPlu0Oi1R3oV0vXjHvlswS0EBhxxtf1a5SUOHFteRG2jropWic2Z53TCLczNJzWKIo1yUGXPL7=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7160014385886056674" /></a> </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixsvt3eJWL0BPtXTmQlbwqvOXh-amTvbss3THFmj9KXcci7gAntwD_Pywsyjg5NOeGiNdAx8T7yVspr60Dq2aZfCewk1SZ12A9PRH7emiI5cgJD68ewMmBpr4aSl6yU1J-3Umaav2WCTdP6B64fXovvpTvb_8vHmE1lpe0_jR8a4USwoHWtkx8YJ1V"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixsvt3eJWL0BPtXTmQlbwqvOXh-amTvbss3THFmj9KXcci7gAntwD_Pywsyjg5NOeGiNdAx8T7yVspr60Dq2aZfCewk1SZ12A9PRH7emiI5cgJD68ewMmBpr4aSl6yU1J-3Umaav2WCTdP6B64fXovvpTvb_8vHmE1lpe0_jR8a4USwoHWtkx8YJ1V=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7160014397380720818" /></a> </div> Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-38119293025209717322022-08-09T03:32:00.001-07:002022-08-09T03:32:22.964-07:00Just published. review of an important book for urban mission<div><br /></div> <div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 28px; font-family: interstate, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 21px; line-height: 30px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://www.eden.co.uk/creators/mez-mcconnell/" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: transparent; color: rgb(193, 59, 75); text-decoration-line: none; border-bottom: 2px solid rgba(193, 59, 75, 0.4); transition: color 0.2s linear 0s;">Mez McConnell</a>, The Least, the Last, and the Lost: Understanding Poverty in the UK & The Responsibility of the Local Church</strong> <br style="box-sizing:border-box;" />Published by Evangelical Press 2021<br style="box-sizing:border-box;" />ISBN 978-178397-328-6 </p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 28px; font-family: interstate, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 21px; line-height: 30px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Reviewed by Greg Smith</strong>, <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Associate Research Fellow William Temple Foundation</strong> </p></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/the-least-the-last-and-the-lost/" style="">https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/the-least-the-last-and-the-lost/</a></div><div><br /></div> Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-58677033347973463332022-07-19T01:10:00.001-07:002022-07-19T01:10:29.634-07:00William Temple Foundation Urban Tracts.<div><span>Just Published (July 2022) Urban Tract No 4 </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>The latest of our series of electronic booklets on urban mission issues</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span> Israel Olofinjana of the Evangelical Alliance One People Commission explores the contribution of African Missionaries to British Cities. </span><a href="https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/temple-tracts/urban-tracts/" style="font-size: 12pt;">https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/temple-tracts/urban-tracts/</a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;">Also please have a look at our </span><span style="font-size:14.6667px;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);"><a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgregmaistersmith.wixsite.com%2Furbanportal&data=04%7C01%7Canna%40urbanlife.org%7C3a9cbadf3ca745c7f28e08da0beece67%7C1d1e43d3e7f34fc28ae4b9b30010b73a%7C0%7C0%7C637835417541492552%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=RhNbvdDYaouqZihthcDtS01Im2loXME0HPIjvem7%2B9U%3D&reserved=0">Urban Mission UK Portal Website</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Subscribe to the blog page <a href="https://www.urbanmissionuk.net/blog" style="font-size: 12pt;">https://www.urbanmissionuk.net/blog</a> to receive regular updates by email on all things concerning urban ministry and mission.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div id="signature_old"><div id="xd6c6d13ad6fd4ae"><div id="xebd5a0240b2c4768934b3ec09ad84cda" style="tab-interval:36.0pt;
word-wrap:break-word"> <p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br /></p></div></div></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div> Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-31416908707964096092021-10-04T02:13:00.001-07:002021-10-04T02:13:14.023-07:00The Ordinary Theology of British Evangelicals : The Bebbington Quadrilateral and Beyond<div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="1phjr" data-offset-key="9atr8-0-0" style="margin-bottom: 8px; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div data-offset-key="9atr8-0-0" class="_1mf _1mj" style="position: relative; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="9atr8-0-0" style="font-family:inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family:inherit;">Just published... this is my final paper based on data from the Evangelical Alliance 21st Century Evangelicals Research Programme</span></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="1phjr" data-offset-key="ccgaf-0-0" style="margin-bottom: 8px; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div data-offset-key="ccgaf-0-0" class="_1mf _1mj" style="position: relative; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="ccgaf-0-0" style="font-family:inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family:inherit;">The Ordinary Theology of British Evangelicals : The Bebbington Quadrilateral and Beyond </span></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="1phjr" data-offset-key="2t3r-0-0" style="margin-bottom: 8px; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div data-offset-key="2t3r-0-0" class="_1mf _1mj" style="position: relative; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="2t3r-0-0" style="font-family:inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family:inherit;"> </span></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="1phjr" data-offset-key="bi4cp-0-0" style="margin-bottom: 8px; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div data-offset-key="bi4cp-0-0" class="_1mf _1mj" style="position: relative; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="bi4cp-0-0" style="font-family:inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family:inherit;"> Greg Smith, Associate Research Fellow, William Temple Foundation, UK </span></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="1phjr" data-offset-key="a4aq-0-0" style="margin-bottom: 8px; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div data-offset-key="a4aq-0-0" class="_1mf _1mj" style="position: relative; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="a4aq-0-0" style="font-family:inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="1phjr" data-offset-key="etopo-0-0" style="margin-bottom: 8px; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div data-offset-key="etopo-0-0" class="_1mf _1mj" style="position: relative; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="etopo-0-0" style="font-family:inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family:inherit;">Download direct from</span></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="1phjr" data-offset-key="5pi83-0-0" style="margin-bottom: 8px; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div data-offset-key="5pi83-0-0" class="_1mf _1mj" style="position: relative; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span class="py34i1dx" style="color:var(=-blue-link);font-family:inherit;"><span data-offset-key="5pi83-0-0" style="font-family:inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family:inherit;"><a href="https://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/theologyandministry/Volume7/TheoMin7_31-54_SmithG_BritishEvangelicals.pdf">https://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/theologyandministry/Volume7/TheoMin7_31-54_SmithG_BritishEvangelicals.pdf</a></span></span></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="1phjr" data-offset-key="4f3qa-0-0" style="margin-bottom: 8px; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div data-offset-key="4f3qa-0-0" class="_1mf _1mj" style="position: relative; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="4f3qa-0-0" style="font-family:inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="1phjr" data-offset-key="ce7p4-0-0" style="margin-bottom: 8px; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div data-offset-key="ce7p4-0-0" class="_1mf _1mj" style="position: relative; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="ce7p4-0-0" style="font-family:inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family:inherit;">In</span></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="1phjr" data-offset-key="fhr7d-0-0" style="margin-bottom: 8px; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div data-offset-key="fhr7d-0-0" class="_1mf _1mj" style="position: relative; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="fhr7d-0-0" style="font-family:inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family:inherit;"> THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY 7 (2021): 31–54 </span></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="1phjr" data-offset-key="5j1oc-0-0" style="margin-bottom: 8px; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div data-offset-key="5j1oc-0-0" class="_1mf _1mj" style="position: relative; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="5j1oc-0-0" style="font-family:inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family:inherit;"> ISSN 2049-4513 </span></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="1phjr" data-offset-key="1mln5-0-0" style="margin-bottom: 8px; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div data-offset-key="1mln5-0-0" class="_1mf _1mj" style="position: relative; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="1mln5-0-0" style="font-family:inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family:inherit;"> © THE AUTHOR </span></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="1phjr" data-offset-key="625m4-0-0" style="margin-bottom: 8px; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div data-offset-key="625m4-0-0" class="_1mf _1mj" style="position: relative; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="625m4-0-0" style="font-family:inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family:inherit;">This is an open access article distributed under a CC BY 4.0 licence </span></span><span class="py34i1dx" style="color:var(=-blue-link);font-family:inherit;"><span data-offset-key="625m4-1-0" style="font-family:inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family:inherit;"><a href="http://www.theologyandministry.org">www.theologyandministry.org</a></span></span></span><span data-offset-key="625m4-2-0" style="font-family:inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family:inherit;"> </span></span></div></div></div><div id="signature_old"><div id="xf6ad045eb7454ff"><div id="x844bbd136fb2449e91643664b0b1c911"><div bgcolor="#D8D9DA" text="#000000" style=""><div id="signature" style=""><div id="x1695cda2bea4463" style=""><div align="left" style=""><div id="xe515a689b981446e870e0de85ddcc123" style=""><div id="xbea76799be284fd7ac7f9bfb4598de08" style=""><div align="left" style=""><div id="xe515a689b981446e870e0de85ddcc123" style=""><p class="western" align="LEFT" style="font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="western" align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div> Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-82162176628729661012021-09-28T01:26:00.001-07:002021-09-28T01:26:14.652-07:00RETURN TO TOYNTON FEN<div dir="ltr"><span id="gmail-docs-internal-guid-e13e5e20-7fff-379e-05ac-2b623e693a4d"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:21pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">RETURN TO TOYNTON FEN</span><span style="font-size:21pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span><span style="font-size:21pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">September 2021</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Greg Smith</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">This week Jane and I are spending a week in Lincolnshire and are delighted to be staying in an</span><a href="https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/19001307" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> AirBnB property described as the Wesleyan Chapel, Toynton Fen</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">. The building has been beautifully converted into a holiday let, equipped with all mod cons and highly suitable for a couple wanting to explore the back of beyond.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="border:none;display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;width:262px;height:465px"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ft8UV8H7kEno5WMo62UEnw-JASppGKYjCUCTExYiY9DXqhhmLkzordVZxmWiCR5fsLLZZYag40gAPWKB0v28E_POloM8_YnomEHtvLXZFdU69WWxWlUomC7PRmWqVE_ZnbkN6TDb=s0" width="262" height="465" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="border:none;display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;width:261px;height:464px"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/yCDt1Al-gyiNTTaFf0-HY8TCpVo-mgtQWXdfo986GMfXuYAEGlMuquqTYJytAQtkl8lR8P0xb1dYUKXhGroUaPUK10Ui0cJBa_j905yGb6FovuofmtGfWSqU1MbNdG8kvf-xZpuZ=s0" width="261" height="464" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The place is of great significance for me as for about 20 years from 1956 it was the place where I attended Sunday school and chapel services, and on a couple of occasions after reaching adulthood I was invited to preach. My mother, a lifelong Methodist, worshipped here, taught Sunday school, and was chapel steward, until the place closed for good in about 1980. Opened in 1882 it just failed to reach its centenary, and for over thirty years was left empty and derelict. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The building as I remember it was a simple one room structure, entered as now by the side door. On the right were about six rows of wooden pews with a central aisle, rising slightly towards the back row (the prize seats as far as youngsters were concerned). On the left was a low dias, fenced off by a communion rail, and behind this the pulpit, reached by a couple of steps from the left. In the front right corner as viewed from the pews, was a harmonium (organ) with a double keyboard and pedal operated bellows. The only other feature was a round cast iron coke burning stove, with a vertical chimney pipe up to the roof, which on a cold winter Sunday would be stoked up with a roaring draft so that the iron itself glowed red.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">From 1956 to 1969 (between ages 5 and 18) I lived about a mile from the chapel at Poplars Farm, Hobhole Bank. I went to Toynton All Saints Primary School, then from 1962 to </span><a href="https://spilsbyschoolsarchives.org.uk/spilsby-grammar-school" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">King Edward VI Grammar School, Spilsby.</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> We caught the school bus each morning at the Anchor, or Drain End (the corner just a few hundred yards West of the chapel.). The Anchor had once been a public house and, so we were told, the terminus of a weekly market boat service to Boston. But in my childhood days it was a small dairy farm belonging to the Alliss family, and Granny Alliss, who lived at the Anchor, still separated off the cream and hand churned her own butter. The fen was a remote and undeveloped corner of England, many local farmhouses had no bathrooms and WC toilets, just an outside privy. It was 1962 before electricity reached Hobhole Bank. But we still had trains, two miles down the road was Midville station with regular services to Lincoln and Skegness, with connections at Firsby for Grimsby and London.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">In the early 1960s the chapel had services at 6pm each Sunday with Sunday school in the afternoon. There would be about 25 children on the Sunday school roll, one family, the Mountains, contributed about 7 of them. Each week we would sing a few hymns or choruses taken from the Sunday School Hymn Book, listen to a Bible story and maybe do some colouring or some worksheets. The three highlights of the year were the annual prize giving where those who had attended regularly were given an improving book, the annual coach outing to Cleethorpes, and the Sunday School Anniversary in June. For about six weeks before this there would be practices each Sunday, and in the final week on a weekday evening, for choral items, and individual recitations. One or two children, but never tone deaf me, might offer a solo song. On the Sunday itself the chapel would be packed with parents and other locals who came to see and hear the children perform. A special guest preacher, usually chosen as someone who related particularly well to children, presided. They would also lead the evening service which the children were also expected to attend, and in the interval were often invited back to our house for Sunday tea. On the Monday night after the anniversary there would be a tea party for all the children in the hut which stood at the side of the church. Some years this even included slices from blocks of ice cream purchased from the village shop and rushed to the chapel before it melted. The evening would conclude with some sports on Mr Bradshaw's grass field behind the chapel.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The other big event of the year was in September, the Harvest Festival, with two services on the Sunday, and a sale of produce on the Monday night, which raised significant funds for the work of the chapel. The front of the chapel was covered with gifts of locally grown fruit and vegetables, plus lots of tins and packets of food, and with luck some confectionery. The auctioneer was almost always Mr Slater from Candlesby, a popular local preacher and school teacher by day. With a bit of luck and canny bidding I usually managed to turn my pocket money into chocolate and candy for the week. There were also occasional specials on midweek evenings in the winter, for example an overseas mission evening with a "magic lantern" (slideshow presentation) or after electricity reached the chapel, a film night using a rickety 16mm cine projector. I also remember visits from a choir from another chapel in the area. The chapels in the Spilsby district were organised in a Circuit who shared a superintendent minister, and for a time a deaconess (Sister Betty from about 1965-70) who were the only paid clergy. Most services were led by local (lay) preachers, men and women who traveled to different chapels each Sunday according to the quarterly plan. There were also circuit wide events such as an annual rally, and a garden fete, and for several years a visit from a male voice choir from South Wales. All of these had a strong emphasis on raising funds. . </span></p><br><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">One year (probably 1961) we had a Circuit children's mission with two young Methodist deaconesses spending a few weeks in the area visiting families, and putting on special early evening events for children. They were quite fun and I remember being taught the chorus, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so, little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong. Yes Jesus loves me (3x) - the Bible tells me so".</span></p><br><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">By the mid 1960s the numbers coming to Sunday school declined, for in my generation teenagers had been invented and younger families seemed less interested in religious activities. Sunday school came to an end and for the last 10 or so years the evening service at the chapel was replaced by an afternoon one. As a teenager, often reluctantly I continued to be dragged along to these services, though by the time I was 15 this came to an end. However, I was still well involved in Methodism, mainly through the Circuit Youth Fellowship which met on Saturday nights in Spilsby Chapel, with table tennis, snooker and an annual variety concert. I used to ride my bike on dark winter nights the four miles through the country lanes up and over Toynton Hill to Spilsby.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The normal format of the Methodist service in those days was a "hymn sandwich", usually five selected from the 1933 Methodist Hymn Book. The familiar tunes were played, not very expertly, on the harmonium. Up to the mid 1960s the organist was Mrs Gravell, and after she died the role was inherited by Miss Gladys Seymour who ran a little sweetshop, next door to Spilsby Grammar School, which sold excellent homemade ice cream. Her loud singing voice could best be described as screeching soprano. After the first hymn the preacher would lead in an extempore prayer followed by everyone saying the Lord's prayer. After the second hymn would come one or two Bible readings, usually from the King James Version, although by the 1960s modern English translations such as JB Philips and the New English Bible were being used even in rural Lincolnshire. After the third hymn there would be another prayer from the preacher, then a fourth hymn and the sermon, usually at least 20 minutes long. The service would conclude with a hymn, and a benediction, which would normally happen exactly 60 minutes from the beginning of the service.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Circuit ministers usually only stayed in one area for three years when they would be stationed to another circuit by the Methodist Conference. As a result it is hard to remember their names and personalities. The exception for me would be Rev Sowden-Enderby, partly because he had a heart attack after a year in post and took medical retirement in Spilsby, but more significantly because he had two attractive daughters of a similar age to myself. The local preachers as well known figures in the local community were more memorable. A favourite for local children was Mr Bert Odlin, "the toffee man". We liked him not for anything he said but because he always came with a packet of butterscotch which he distributed after the service. Mr Slater was also popular as he often added a brief children's talk to his services, and told some good stories. John Short was an earnest evangelical preacher and is I understand still alive. I remember his stepfather Mr Sergeant tended to preach apocalyptically and linked Ezekiel's Gog and Magog with the plans of the Soviet Union to sweep down through the Middle East to conquer Israel. Finally I remember Mrs, Tuxworth, whose substantial figure often filled the pulpit. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">There were local preachers in my own family too, though they were outside the Spilsby Circuit so very rarely came to Toynton Fen. My grandfather H.O Smith completed 40 years service in 1970, his eldest son Harry became a full time ordained minister, and my uncles Charlie and George were local preachers for many years.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">I can't remember that much about the final years of the chapel because by 1970 I had moved out of the area, and in 1972 my parents moved to Toynton St Peter where my mother took the role of caretaker of that chapel. During my university days I made a personal commitment to Christ and by 1975 I was training as a Methodist local preacher myself. I was invited at least once to lead a service at Toynton Fen and preached to a congregation of about ten people. Mother continued to attend services at the Fen but in her last years (she died in 1985) the three chapels in the Toynton's worked closely together with services alternating between the different buildings on different Sundays each month. The ageing congregations for various reasons did not see new or younger people coming into membership so eventually the cause became unsustainable and the buildings at St Peters and Toynton Fen were closed for worship.The Chapels at Spilsby and Toynton All Saints continue to operate within the Mid lincs Methodist Circuit </span><a href="http://midlincs.org.uk/" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">http://midlincs.org.uk/</span></a></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">These have been nostalgic reminiscences of an ageing man, triggered by the joy of staying in a building which was central to my childhood. It was here I first learned about God and Jesus and that early formation has proved a bedrock for my life and faith. There is of course also a sadness that building is no longer used for its original purpose of worshipping God, But at least the building is in use and its story continues to be worth telling.</span></p><br><br></span></div> Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-29769301731294342472021-07-12T06:19:00.001-07:002021-07-12T06:19:46.743-07:00Publication of my latest paper<div><a href="https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/temple-tracts/urban-tracts/" rel="noopener" style="font-size: 12pt;">Urban Mission 40 Years On (July 2021)</a></div><div id="signature_old"><div id="xcf0a2df6401a44d"><div id="x844bbd136fb2449e91643664b0b1c911"><div bgcolor="#D8D9DA" text="#000000" style=""><div id="signature" style=""><div id="x1695cda2bea4463" style=""><div align="left" style=""><div id="xe515a689b981446e870e0de85ddcc123" style=""><div> <p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">This first instalment of the William Temple Founation <em>Urban Tracts</em> series offers an overview of urban ministry since the early 1980s and draws out some important lessons from the last 40 years. Are there distinctive characteristics and key principles that are transferable to new places, new times, and a new generation of practitioners? As we head, post-pandemic, towards a 'new normal' for urban society and the church there are exciting opportunities to be grasped.</p> <h3 style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><a href="https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/temple-tracts/urban-tracts/" rel="noopener">https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/temple-tracts/urban-tracts/</a></h3> <h3 style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Or <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gWbei2eCyO7VFbAnrbQEMSUFD8aigx2w/view?usp=sharing" rel="noopener">download here</a></h3></div><div id="xbea76799be284fd7ac7f9bfb4598de08" style=""><div align="left" style=""><div id="xe515a689b981446e870e0de85ddcc123" style=""><p class="western" align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div> <div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br /> <table style="border-top: 1px solid #D3D4DE;"> <tr> <td style="width: 55px; padding-top: 13px;"><a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank"><img src="https://ipmcdn.avast.com/images/icons/icon-envelope-tick-round-orange-animated-no-repeat-v1.gif" alt="" width="46" height="29" style="width: 46px; height: 29px;" /></a></td> <td style="width: 470px; padding-top: 12px; color: #41424e; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Virus-free. <a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank" style="color: #4453ea;">www.avast.com</a> </td> </tr> </table><a href="#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2" width="1" height="1"> </a></div>Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-44077899296903809992021-05-10T02:25:00.000-07:002021-05-10T02:26:01.500-07:00Two new blogs just published<div><div id="x331313cbb1ea413699ca77e06f0033fe"> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><b>On building multicultural churches and the realm of God</b></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><b style="font-size: 12pt;">Blog published on Psephizo</b></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><b><a class="western" href="https://www.psephizo.com/life-ministry/how-can-we-create-multicultural-church/" style="">https://www.psephizo.com/life-ministry/how-can-we-create-multicultural-church/</a></b></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;">also available to download here</p><p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BTjNEjyBsarybyFtwAVJ7gb-JxwODi1T/view?usp=sharing" style="">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BTjNEjyBsarybyFtwAVJ7gb-JxwODi1T/view?usp=sharing</a></p><p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><br /></p><div id="x6c8ebe7c9a364268a1ca83a3a4584e21"> <h1 class="western">Is Britain Flagging?</h1> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><i style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>In light of the prominence of the Union Jack in the news over recent months, Greg Smith considers the complex relationships between flag, state, and church.</b></i></p></div><p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><a href="https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/blog-is-britain-flagging/">https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/blog-is-britain-flagging/</a></p><div><div bgcolor="#DDFFFF" text="#000000" style="font-size: 12pt;"><div><div id="x331313cbb1ea413699ca77e06f0033fe"><p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;">also available to download here</p></div></div></div></div><p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w38KxnUQtyeKSHbtvg8mxvlH-7jsYWZM/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w38KxnUQtyeKSHbtvg8mxvlH-7jsYWZM/view?usp=sharing</a></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"></p></div></div><div id="signature_old"><div id="x368fe13b76fa418"><div id="x844bbd136fb2449e91643664b0b1c911"><div bgcolor="#D8D9DA" text="#000000" style=""><div id="signature" style=""><div id="x1695cda2bea4463" style=""><div align="left" style=""><div id="xe515a689b981446e870e0de85ddcc123" style=""><div id="xbea76799be284fd7ac7f9bfb4598de08" style=""><div align="left" style=""><div id="xe515a689b981446e870e0de85ddcc123" style=""><p class="western" align="LEFT" style="font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="western" align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div> <div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br /> <table style="border-top: 1px solid #D3D4DE;"> <tr> <td style="width: 55px; padding-top: 13px;"><a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank"><img src="https://ipmcdn.avast.com/images/icons/icon-envelope-tick-round-orange-animated-no-repeat-v1.gif" alt="" width="46" height="29" style="width: 46px; height: 29px;" /></a></td> <td style="width: 470px; padding-top: 12px; color: #41424e; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Virus-free. <a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank" style="color: #4453ea;">www.avast.com</a> </td> </tr> </table><a href="#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2" width="1" height="1"> </a></div>Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-54233496835449772222021-03-05T04:35:00.001-08:002021-03-05T04:35:02.134-08:00Review of ‘The Future of Brexit Britain<div>Just out my review of Review of 'The Future of Brexit Britain' edited by Jonathan Chaplin and Andrew Bradstock</div><div><br /><a href="https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/blog-review-the-future-of-brexit-britain/">https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/blog-review-the-future-of-brexit-britain/</a></div><div id="signature_old"><div id="x986d1901e82a477"><div id="x844bbd136fb2449e91643664b0b1c911"><div bgcolor="#D8D9DA" text="#000000" style=""><div id="signature" style=""><div id="x1695cda2bea4463" style=""><div align="left" style=""><div id="xe515a689b981446e870e0de85ddcc123" style=""><div id="xbea76799be284fd7ac7f9bfb4598de08" style=""><div align="left" style=""><div id="xe515a689b981446e870e0de85ddcc123" style=""><p class="western" align="LEFT" style="font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="western" align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div> <div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br /> <table style="border-top: 1px solid #D3D4DE;"> <tr> <td style="width: 55px; padding-top: 13px;"><a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank"><img src="https://ipmcdn.avast.com/images/icons/icon-envelope-tick-round-orange-animated-no-repeat-v1.gif" alt="" width="46" height="29" style="width: 46px; height: 29px;" /></a></td> <td style="width: 470px; padding-top: 12px; color: #41424e; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Virus-free. <a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank" style="color: #4453ea;">www.avast.com</a> </td> </tr> </table><a href="#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2" width="1" height="1"> </a></div>Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-49093085404000155642020-12-14T03:32:00.001-08:002020-12-14T03:32:18.326-08:00Just out another book review:<div><br /></div> <div></div><div id="signature_old"><div id="x02a6a0b0de94429"><div id="x844bbd136fb2449e91643664b0b1c911"><div bgcolor="#D8D9DA" text="#000000" style=""><div id="signature" style=""><div id="x1695cda2bea4463" style=""><div align="left" style=""><div id="xe515a689b981446e870e0de85ddcc123" style=""><div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Book Review</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Evangelicals: Who They Have Been, Are Now, and Could Be</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">edited by Mark A. Noll, David W. Bebbington, and George M. Marsden, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2019, 336 pp., US$28.99 (pb), ISBN 978–0–8028–7695–9</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Greg Smith </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Pages 590-592 | Published online: 14 Dec 2020</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DpgvUfu5X_SIg4WhtdnbRWYbtOH52Xhi/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DpgvUfu5X_SIg4WhtdnbRWYbtOH52Xhi/view?usp=sharing</a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> <div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br /> <table style="border-top: 1px solid #D3D4DE;"> <tr> <td style="width: 55px; padding-top: 13px;"><a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank"><img src="https://ipmcdn.avast.com/images/icons/icon-envelope-tick-round-orange-animated-no-repeat-v1.gif" alt="" width="46" height="29" style="width: 46px; height: 29px;" /></a></td> <td style="width: 470px; padding-top: 12px; color: #41424e; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Virus-free. <a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank" style="color: #4453ea;">www.avast.com</a> </td> </tr> </table><a href="#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2" width="1" height="1"> </a></div>Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-30812353876734782802020-12-04T03:31:00.000-08:002020-12-04T03:32:02.700-08:00Trans-Atlantic Evangelicalism: Toxic, Fragmented or Redeemable? (2020)<div style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; color: #000000"><ul style="list-style-type: disc;"><li> my paper just published today as a Temple Tract.</li></ul></div><div id="xeb38d70583a84ad"><div style=""><div style=""><br /><div style="">Trans-Atlantic Evangelicalism: Toxic, Fragmented or Redeemable? (2020)</div><font face="Trebuchet MS"><span>Greg Smith</span></font></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><br />In the wake of the 2020 US presidential election, Greg Smith investigates the rapidly changing, and often fraught, nature of evangelical identity in both the US and the UK. Drawing on survey data from the Evangelical Alliance, Smith offers a nuanced picture of evangelical self-understanding in relation to British values, moral questions, contemporary politics and our current culture wars. What, asks Smith, is the future for evangelical identity on both sides of the Atlantic?<br /><a href="https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/temple-tracts/">https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/temple-tracts/</a><br /><br />also out today a review of Chris Wright's new book<br />review: <a href="https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/blog-review-here-are-your-gods/">https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/blog-review-here-are-your-gods/</a></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><div id="signature_old" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"> <div align="left"> <div><font face="Arial"><div align="left"><br /></div></font></div></div></div></div> </div><div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br /> <table style="border-top: 1px solid #D3D4DE;"> <tr> <td style="width: 55px; padding-top: 13px;"><a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank"><img src="https://ipmcdn.avast.com/images/icons/icon-envelope-tick-round-orange-animated-no-repeat-v1.gif" alt="" width="46" height="29" style="width: 46px; height: 29px;" /></a></td> <td style="width: 470px; padding-top: 12px; color: #41424e; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Virus-free. <a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank" style="color: #4453ea;">www.avast.com</a> </td> </tr> </table><a href="#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2" width="1" height="1"> </a></div>Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-44643384037226240912020-11-06T11:12:00.001-08:002020-11-06T11:12:46.502-08:00My latest Book Review<div><div> <h3>Review of 'Race, Space and Multiculturalism in Northern England' by Shamim Miah, Pete Sanderson and Paul Thomas</h3> <p>6 Nov 2020 <a href="https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/blog-review-race-space-multiculturalism/">https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/blog-review-race-space-multiculturalism/</a></p></div></div><div><br /></div> <div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br /> <table style="border-top: 1px solid #D3D4DE;"> <tr> <td style="width: 55px; padding-top: 13px;"><a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank"><img src="https://ipmcdn.avast.com/images/icons/icon-envelope-tick-round-orange-animated-no-repeat-v1.gif" alt="" width="46" height="29" style="width: 46px; height: 29px;" /></a></td> <td style="width: 470px; padding-top: 12px; color: #41424e; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Virus-free. <a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank" style="color: #4453ea;">www.avast.com</a> </td> </tr> </table><a href="#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2" width="1" height="1"> </a></div>Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-55941592628943874922020-09-04T04:49:00.001-07:002020-09-04T04:49:34.676-07:00Review of ‘Christian hospitality and Muslim immigration in an age of fear’ by Matthew Kaemingk<div>My latest book review just published on the William Temple Foundation Blog</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/blog-review-christian-hospitality-muslim-immigration/" style="font-size: 12pt;">https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/blog-review-christian-hospitality-muslim-immigration/</a> </div><div id="signature_old"><div id="x929b52e6cc0c477"><div id="x844bbd136fb2449e91643664b0b1c911"><div bgcolor="#D8D9DA" text="#000000" style=""><div id="signature" style=""><div id="x1695cda2bea4463" style=""><div align="left" style=""><div id="xe515a689b981446e870e0de85ddcc123" style=""><div id="xbea76799be284fd7ac7f9bfb4598de08" style=""><div align="left" style=""><div id="xe515a689b981446e870e0de85ddcc123" style=""><p class="western" align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div>Review of 'Christian hospitality and Muslim immigration in an age of fear' by Matthew Kaemingk</div> <div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br /> <table style="border-top: 1px solid #D3D4DE;"> <tr> <td style="width: 55px; padding-top: 13px;"><a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank"><img src="https://ipmcdn.avast.com/images/icons/icon-envelope-tick-round-orange-animated-no-repeat-v1.gif" alt="" width="46" height="29" style="width: 46px; height: 29px;" /></a></td> <td style="width: 470px; padding-top: 12px; color: #41424e; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Virus-free. <a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank" style="color: #4453ea;">www.avast.com</a> </td> </tr> </table><a href="#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2" width="1" height="1"> </a></div>Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-83302443657678865572020-08-11T06:13:00.001-07:002020-08-11T06:13:54.802-07:00Just appeared: My 21st Century Evangelicals Research programme web page<div style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; color: #000000"><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div> <div id="xdbed6541bd6f4b3" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; color: #000000"> <div>Academic friends and those with an interest in research on evangelicalism in the UK will be pleased to know that (at last) I have archived and put together in a single web page portal all the findings, publication and resources from the 21st Century Evangelicals Research programme on which I worked from 2011 -2016 with you guys.. Do have a browse and bookmark it if it is helpful.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div> <a href="http://gregsmith.synthasite.com/21st-century-evangelicals---resource-page.php">http://gregsmith.synthasite.com/21st-century-evangelicals---resource-page.php</a></div></div> <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And to summarize the findings on a lighter note</div><div id="signature_old"> <div align="left"> <div><font face="Arial"><div align="left"><div id="x5f63908aa6554754b45063681f12219c"> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"> <font face="Verdana, sans-serif"><font size="4"><b>I am the very model of a modern evangelical. </b></font></font> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><b style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With Apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan</b></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><br /></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">I am the very model of a modern evangelical . </font> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">My beliefs and practices may look pretty fundamental</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">Our worship band is loud though their praise songs are unsingable</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">I love the word of God but my reading's just occasional</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">on a smartphone Bible app that my gran finds too technological</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">My sense of church belonging's increasingly ecumenical</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">I tend to charismatic and definitely not denominational</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">I like small groups and all things that simply are relational</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">My prayers are JUST – a tiny bit liturgical</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">Outreach to unbelievers is mostly ALPHAbetical</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">My doctrine of atonement is becoming controversial</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">and my social justice action's making me look rather radical</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">around food banks, refugees and the crisis environ</font><span>mental</span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">though I don't need that with eschatology pre-millenial</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">but I often get confused now the world is multi-cultural</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">Our love's a hot potato when society's so sexual</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">though I hope Love wins and salvation's universal</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">though I fear that saying that will make me quite heretical</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">While the global church is growing at a speed that's just unmeasurable</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">and the minorities are bringing us fresh insights theological</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><br /> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">while Americans are becoming idolatrously political</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">and embarrassing we Brits with their label "evangelical" </font> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">giving meanings to the E -word that sound like hypocritical </font> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"> <font face="Verdana, sans-serif">So maybe it is time to ditch the Bebbington quadrilateral</font></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;"> <font face="Verdana, sans-serif">to seek to reinstate the GOOD news in our gospel. <br /></font> </p></div></div></font></div></div></div> </div><div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br /> <table style="border-top: 1px solid #D3D4DE;"> <tr> <td style="width: 55px; padding-top: 13px;"><a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank"><img src="https://ipmcdn.avast.com/images/icons/icon-envelope-tick-round-orange-animated-no-repeat-v1.gif" alt="" width="46" height="29" style="width: 46px; height: 29px;" /></a></td> <td style="width: 470px; padding-top: 12px; color: #41424e; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Virus-free. <a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank" style="color: #4453ea;">www.avast.com</a> </td> </tr> </table><a href="#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2" width="1" height="1"> </a></div>Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3589727905847027289.post-78730579781362255722020-08-04T06:52:00.001-07:002020-08-04T06:52:14.777-07:00New book review Theologising Brexit: A Liberationist and Postcolonial Critique<div><br /></div> <div>My recently published review of Reddie's book <br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13537903.2020.1765496">https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13537903.2020.1765496</a><br /><br />Message me if you want to read the review and have difficulty accessing it. </div><div id="signature_old"><div id="xe8b2867c958d485"><div id="x844bbd136fb2449e91643664b0b1c911"><div bgcolor="#D8D9DA" text="#000000" style=""><div id="signature" style=""><div id="x1695cda2bea4463" style=""><div align="left" style=""><div id="xe515a689b981446e870e0de85ddcc123" style=""><div id="xbea76799be284fd7ac7f9bfb4598de08" style=""><div align="left" style=""><div id="xe515a689b981446e870e0de85ddcc123" style=""><p class="western" align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div> <div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br /> <table style="border-top: 1px solid #D3D4DE;"> <tr> <td style="width: 55px; padding-top: 13px;"><a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank"><img src="https://ipmcdn.avast.com/images/icons/icon-envelope-tick-round-orange-animated-no-repeat-v1.gif" alt="" width="46" height="29" style="width: 46px; height: 29px;" /></a></td> <td style="width: 470px; padding-top: 12px; color: #41424e; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Virus-free. <a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient" target="_blank" style="color: #4453ea;">www.avast.com</a> </td> </tr> </table><a href="#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2" width="1" height="1"> </a></div>Greg Smith (TL)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16775037262853619570noreply@blogger.com0