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Faithful Cities: A call for Celebration,
Vision and Justice
Report of the Anglican
Commission on Urban Life and Faith
Methodist Publishing House, 2006
“Faithful
Cities” is the report of the Anglican Commission on Urban Life and Faith. It is
the follow-up of the report “Faith in the City” (1985) that had a huge
influence both on government and church 21 years ago. The new report hopes for
a similar influence.
Basic
to the report is the notion of “faithful capital” coined after the more
familiar concept of “social
capital”. The latter means that not just money and the means of production
matter, but social relationships and participation in community life as well.
In the same vein, faith communities (churches and other types of religious
congregations) have a resource that is capable of contributing significantly to
the wellbeing of society.
That
resource is its faith, seen not just as a set of teachings but as a dynamism
that can transform personal and collective lives. It is faith in a creator God,
the source of all life, who made all creatures equal in the gift of life they
have received; the God also who has shown (in Jesus Christ according to the
Christian religion) a desire for an intimate relationship with all human
beings.
This
faith brings forth a moral sense acceptable by believers and (many) non-believers alike. It includes human dignity and social
justice, love for neighbour and care for the stranger. It is more than
tolerance, a form of disconnectedness, rather it is
lived out in hospitality and solidarity. It embraces diversity and is capable
of celebrating it.
Since
1985 considerable change took place in the cities of the United Kingdom. The
composition of its population being predominantly white before changed to a
mixed population of various ethnic origin. The ethnic change brought with it a
change in religious adherence as well. In the meantime government has been
given more attention to the so-called regeneration of the inner cities and much
funding has been made available. The faith communities have done their part
too. Nevertheless, in spite of the efforts that were made, inequality has not
been substantially reduced and people, in particular the young, do not
experience greater wellbeing than before.
Wellbeing
and happiness transcend the values promoted by the market economy: wealth,
power and status. They have rather to do with secure relations, with good
community life, with good health, foremost mental health, with freedom to participate
in decision-making and finally with a philosophy of life that goes beyond
serving one’s individual needs. It is here that the faithful capital of the
faith communities can have its distinct contribution to a better society.
Government
has increasingly recognised the parts played by the faith communities and has
expressed its willingness to cooperate in partnership. For this to succeed it
has to overcome religious illiteracy among its civil servants and to understand
basic differences between faith communities. It has also to allow faith
communities to critique the government on the basis of their own religious
beliefs. Concretely, asylum seekers should not be condemned to destitution and the process of gentrification needs to be
closely watched. Gentrification means that the poor are removed from the inner cities, that have
become fashionable for the middle classes once more.
Not
all faith communities make good use of their faithful capital. The decrease in
numbers and the values of secular society may tempt them to withdraw into
themselves and live in isolation from society at large. There is no room for
complacency here. Nevertheless, examples abound in which faith communities
engage creatively with the present-day challenges. Strong points of faith
communities are that they have an enduring presence within inner city
neighbourhoods beyond the often short-term projects of civil society. They have
buildings that are more than a liability and can be put to good use for
community purposes. They have their network of contacts, not just within their
own faith communities but increasingly involving members of other religions and
those of none. Most of all, faith communities have their faith, hope and love,
in response to the God who made a covenant with humankind. In short they have
their faithful capital.
Click
here for an official
summary of the report “Faithful Cities” in Adobe pdf format..