21 Controversies of ‘public faith’ TWO Controversies of ‘public faith’ Robert Furbey Introduction This chapter explores some fundamental philosophical, scientific, socio- political and theological controversies that underlie the place of faith in the public realm. The quality of these debates has been variable and often inflamed. The two guiding questions of the chapter combine the normative and the empirical: • Should religious faith have an organised presence in the public realm? • What are, and what might be, the consequences of a faith presence
1 Faith and the public realm ONE Faith and the public realm Adam Dinham and Vivien Lowndes Introduction Academics, policy makers and practitioners are grappling with the emphatic return of faith to the public table, and seeking to make sense of its implications. Many have observed a surprising ‘political revitalization of religion at the heart of Western society’ (Habermas, 2007, p 2) and some have expressed concern about the renewed ‘turn to faith’. This book is an attempt to unpack at least some of the ‘grappling’, and to surface the many questions
Based on primary research, this book explores the controversies, policies and practices of ‘public faith’, questioning perceptions of a fixed divide between religious and secular participants in public life and challenging prevailing concepts of a monolithic ‘neutral’ public realm. It takes an in-depth look at the distinctiveness of faith groups’ contribution, but also probes the conflicts and dilemmas that arise, assessing the role and capacity of faith groups within specific public policy contexts, including education, regeneration, housing and community cohesion.
‘Faith in the public realm’ will be of interest to students, academics, policy-makers and practitioners in the public and voluntary sectors, and in faith communities themselves.
This original book makes a timely and potentially controversial contribution both to the teaching of social policy and the wider debates surrounding it in Britain today. It offers a critical and theoretically sensitive overview of the role of religious values, actors and institutions in the development of state and non-state social welfare provision in Britain, combining historical discussion of the relationship between religion and social policy in Britain with a comparative theoretical discussion that covers continental Europe and North America.
Grounded in new empirical research on religious welfare organisations from the nine major faiths in the UK, the book brings together all of these perspectives to argue for an analytical shift in the definition of wellbeing through a new concept called ‘ways of being’. This reflects the moral, ideational and cultural underpinnings of social welfare. Written in a readable style, the book will appeal to students and tutors of social policy, as well as policy-makers seeking to inform themselves about the key issues surrounding faith-based welfare in modern Britain.
119 SIX Beyond ‘social glue’? ‘Faith’ and community cohesion Robert Furbey introduction Religion has been conspicuous in the recent development of social and community cohesion discourse in the UK and other nation states. Religion is seen simultaneously as problem and solution, a cause of social division and bloody conflict, but also a resource in building civic ‘partnership’, inclusive local governance, ‘strong communities’ and a vibrant civil society. This public prominence of ‘faith’ and ‘faith communities’ is a relatively recent development, a cause
59 FOUR Ageing and faith: trajectories across the lifespan Peter G. Coleman, Marie A. Mills and John H. Spreadbury Stability and change of spiritual belief in later life Traditionally older people are expected to be more religious than younger people, and there are good social and psychological reasons for this. Religious leadership is seen as an appropriate role for an older person, and advancing years are associated with increasing spirituality rather than materiality of goals. Discussion of this subject within the social science literature dates back at
135 EIGHT Citizens of faith in governance: opportunities, rationales and challenges Rachael Chapman introduction Debates about the role and place of faith in the public realm are re- emerging in light of contestation surrounding the decline of religion predicted by secularisation theses. Indeed there is evidence suggesting that the interface between the state and citizens of faith and their communities is changing and that faith groups are gaining increased influence and prominence in the public domain within, what has been termed, the post-secular society
83 Faith, multiculturalism and community cohesion: a policy conversation FIVE Faith, multiculturalism and community cohesion: a policy conversation Maqsood Ahmed, Ted Cantle and Dilwar Hussain. Edited by Vivien Lowndes Introduction This chapter considers whether the rise of faith identities poses a challenge to multiculturalism as a settlement within the public realm. It also looks at the relationship between faith and the policy agenda for ‘community cohesion’, which has emerged from a critical engagement with multiculturalism. The chapter hosts a ‘policy
At a time of heightened neoliberal globalisation and crisis, welfare state retrenchment and desecularisation of society, amid uniquely European controversies over immigration, integration and religious-based radicalism, this timely book explores the role played by faith-based organisations (FBOs), which are growing in importance in the provision of social services in the European context.
Taking a multidisciplinary approach, the contributions to the volume present original research examples and a pan-European perspective to assess the role of FBOs in combating poverty and various expressions of exclusion and social distress in cities across Europe.
This significant and highly topical volume should become a vital reference source for the burgeoning number of studies that are likely follow and will make essential reading for students and academics in social policy, sociology, geography, politics, urban studies and theology/ religious studies.
29 Voluntary Sector Review • vol 5 • no 1 • 29–45 • © Policy Press 2014 • #VSR Print ISSN 2040 8056 • Online ISSN 2040 8064 • http://dx.doi.org/10.1332/204080514X13921367481010 research Faith-based social action below the radar: a study of the UK charismatic-evangelical urban church Andy Wier, Independent researcher info@andywierconsulting.com This article presents the findings of a study of an under-researched type of faith group whose activities in socially and economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods have often fallen ‘below the radar’ in previous
