London launch for controversial faith and politics agenda
-12/07/06
A book which has be
London launch for controversial faith and politics agenda
-12/07/06
A book which has been described as ìthe most radical reconsideration of the thorny issue of religion in the public square for many yearsî will be launched at the Westminster Forum in London tomorrow (Thursday 13 July 2006), following a conference on the subject in Birmingham two weeks ago.
Faith and Politics After Christendom by Jonathan Bartley, co-director of the UK Christian think tank Ekklesia, argues that the ëdominanceí, ëmutual dependenceí and ëallianceí models of church-state relations which have characterised the last 1700 years of Western Christendom are coming to an end ñ opening up productive possibilities for a new self-understanding among faith groups and a relationship of positive difference between governing authority and religious communities.
The issues ñ which involve new critical perspectives on contentious matters like religiously-sanctioned violence, faith schools, religious censorship and faith-based social provision ñ will be discussed at a meeting and champagne reception at St Matthew’s Church House, 20 Great Peter Street, London SW1P 2BU, from 6.30pm on 13 July. Attendance is free, but by prior invitation from [email protected] or [email protected].
The occasion also marks a re-launch for the Westminster Forum, a space for debating the ethical dilemmas of modern life from a spiritual perspective in a way that does not need to be constrained by the spotlight of public gaze or media hype. It aims to do this in the context of reflection and relationship and operates under ëChatham House rulesí.
Coming at a time when the government is making a ënew dealí with faith communities, when religious violence is on the rise, and when some religious and secular values seem to be at odds, the timing of Faith and Politics After Christendom could not be more appropriate.
Ekklesia will also use the occasion to introduce a new policy document, Redeeming Religion in Public Life, which looks at the theory and practice of a post-Christendom settlement between religion and public institutions.
The paper is intended as a discussion starter for Christian, other faith and secular bodies ñ and is intended to clarify confusions, highlight dead ends and offer alternatives in the ëfaith and politicsí debate.
ìEkklesia believes that current debates about religion in public life ñ including the governmentís attempts to elevate a ëmoderateí over a ëradicalí Islam in the wake of the appalling London bombings ñ are desperately confused on all sidesî, comments co-director Simon Barrow.
ìThe idea that the ësafestí religion is the least religious kind, or that the real choice is between ëprivatisingí religion out of public life or else being dominated by conflict among religions, is based on false premises,î he claims.
ìEkklesiaís approach seeks to be radical and positive. We explain why, on theological rather than secular grounds, faith communities should definitively reject the idea of grasping or manipulating governance to their own ends ñ and why public policy should seek a level playing field between those of different convictions, religious and non-religious.î
In Faith and Politics After Christendom Jonathan Bartley claims that such an approach is rooted not in ideals alone, but in the reality of the post-Christendom situation in Britain, and the difficulties of the ënew dealí which government and faith communities are trying to strike in areas like service provision.
Ekklesia argues that a greater separation of religion and state will benefit all concerned, and need be no big threat to faith communities if they focus on self-organisation, exemplary behaviour and a positive contribution in (and witness to) wider society.
In practical terms, the think tank is encouraging churches to become directly involved in non-violent conflict transformation, restorative justice, the politics of forgiveness, ecologically sustainable lifestyle, hospitality for migrants and displaced people, alternative worship, emergent church, radical spirituality, anti-poverty action and fresh approaches to bio-ethics, family and sexuality.
To make possible a level playing field it is calling for an end to ìfalse hopesî such as the Establishment of the Church of England under the Crown, blasphemy laws, religious selection in state schools, and marriage laws which fail to distinguish between legal, civil and religious partnerships.
ìWe cannot speak for other faith communities, but a new ëno fear or favourí approach by the churches, rooted in a deep spirituality and theology, would undoubtedly generate a very different agenda for inter-faith relations and dialogue with secularists,î says Simon Barrow.
Faith and Politics After Christendom has already been commended as an ìessential readî by commentators, academics and church leaders ñ including (among others) Bruce Clark of The Economist, Stephen Bates of The Guardian, Methodist general secretary David Deeks, Bishop of Bath and Wells Peter Price, and Lord David Alton.
To attend the Westminster Forum meeting about Faith and Politics After Christendom, please write to: [email protected] or [email protected].
[For more information about ëpost-Christendomí see: Change faith versus politics standoff, says Christian think tank; also Postchristendom.com and After Christendom – The Series. For new perspectives on religion and is relation to politics see God and the Politicians and Subverting the Manifestos and Does Christianity kill or cure? on Ekklesia]
London launch for controversial faith and politics agenda
-12/07/06
A book which has been described as ìthe most radical reconsideration of the thorny issue of religion in the public square for many yearsî will be launched at the Westminster Forum in London tomorrow (Thursday 13 July 2006), following a conference on the subject in Birmingham two weeks ago.
Faith and Politics After Christendom by Jonathan Bartley, co-director of the UK Christian think tank Ekklesia, argues that the ëdominanceí, ëmutual dependenceí and ëallianceí models of church-state relations which have characterised the last 1700 years of Western Christendom are coming to an end ñ opening up productive possibilities for a new self-understanding among faith groups and a relationship of positive difference between governing authority and religious communities.
The issues ñ which involve new critical perspectives on contentious matters like religiously-sanctioned violence, faith schools, religious censorship and faith-based social provision ñ will be discussed at a meeting and champagne reception at St Matthew’s Church House, 20 Great Peter Street, London SW1P 2BU, from 6.30pm on 13 July. Attendance is free, but by prior invitation from [email protected] or [email protected].
The occasion also marks a re-launch for the Westminster Forum, a space for debating the ethical dilemmas of modern life from a spiritual perspective in a way that does not need to be constrained by the spotlight of public gaze or media hype. It aims to do this in the context of reflection and relationship and operates under ëChatham House rulesí.
Coming at a time when the government is making a ënew dealí with faith communities, when religious violence is on the rise, and when some religious and secular values seem to be at odds, the timing of Faith and Politics After Christendom could not be more appropriate.
Ekklesia will also use the occasion to introduce a new policy document, Redeeming Religion in Public Life, which looks at the theory and practice of a post-Christendom settlement between religion and public institutions.
The paper is intended as a discussion starter for Christian, other faith and secular bodies ñ and is intended to clarify confusions, highlight dead ends and offer alternatives in the ëfaith and politicsí debate.
ìEkklesia believes that current debates about religion in public life ñ including the governmentís attempts to elevate a ëmoderateí over a ëradicalí Islam in the wake of the appalling London bombings ñ are desperately confused on all sidesî, comments co-director Simon Barrow.
ìThe idea that the ësafestí religion is the least religious kind, or that the real choice is between ëprivatisingí religion out of public life or else being dominated by conflict among religions, is based on false premises,î he claims.
ìEkklesiaís approach seeks to be radical and positive. We explain why, on theological rather than secular grounds, faith communities should definitively reject the idea of grasping or manipulating governance to their own ends ñ and why public policy should seek a level playing field between those of different convictions, religious and non-religious.î
In Faith and Politics After Christendom Jonathan Bartley claims that such an approach is rooted not in ideals alone, but in the reality of the post-Christendom situation in Britain, and the difficulties of the ënew dealí which government and faith communities are trying to strike in areas like service provision.
Ekklesia argues that a greater separation of religion and state will benefit all concerned, and need be no big threat to faith communities if they focus on self-organisation, exemplary behaviour and a positive contribution in (and witness to) wider society.
In practical terms, the think tank is encouraging churches to become directly involved in non-violent conflict transformation, restorative justice, the politics of forgiveness, ecologically sustainable lifestyle, hospitality for migrants and displaced people, alternative worship, emergent church, radical spirituality, anti-poverty action and fresh approaches to bio-ethics, family and sexuality.
To make possible a level playing field it is calling for an end to ìfalse hopesî such as the Establishment of the Church of England under the Crown, blasphemy laws, religious selection in state schools, and marriage laws which fail to distinguish between legal, civil and religious partnerships.
ìWe cannot speak for other faith communities, but a new ëno fear or favourí approach by the churches, rooted in a deep spirituality and theology, would undoubtedly generate a very different agenda for inter-faith relations and dialogue with secularists,î says Simon Barrow.
Faith and Politics After Christendom has already been commended as an ìessential readî by commentators, academics and church leaders ñ including (among others) Bruce Clark of The Economist, Stephen Bates of The Guardian, Methodist general secretary David Deeks, Bishop of Bath and Wells Peter Price, and Lord David Alton.
To attend the Westminster Forum meeting about Faith and Politics After Christendom, please write to: [email protected] or [email protected].
[For more information about ëpost-Christendomí see: Change faith versus politics standoff, says Christian think tank; also Postchristendom.com and After Christendom – The Series. For new perspectives on religion and is relation to politics see God and the Politicians and Subverting the Manifestos and Does Christianity kill or cure? on Ekklesia]