Faith in the City: 40 Years On
How should Christian charity respond to poverty today?
Regarded by many as the high-water mark of Christian social action in the UK, Faith in the City raised important questions and made substantial recommendations for church and society. Published in 1985, it influenced a whole generation of Christian charitable activity and inspired numerous church leaders to commit to ministry in the inner city and outer estates. However, was its approach right? What is appropriate for the new era? What are the causes of poverty in the 2020s, and how should Christian charity respond?
Forty years on, there were many initiatives around the report’s 40th anniversary. Here we mention four that featured T4CG’s Jenny Sinclair: a panel event at Chester Cathedral, a book of essays, a lecture for Liverpool Cathedral, and an article for Proximity magazine.
Chester Cathedral - panel event
A panel discussion, Faith in the City: Forty Years On, was hosted by Chester Cathedral featuring Bishop Rob Wickham (Group CEO, Church Urban Fund), Bishop Tim Stevens (former Bishop of Leicester), and Jenny Sinclair (Founder Director, Together for the Common Good). The event took place in September and was moderated by Dean Tim Stratford.
To watch the video, click the image above. The discussion starts at 17’40”.
Book of essays
A book of essays, Celebrating Forty Years of Faith in the City, edited by Terry Drummond and Joseph Forde, was published in July by Sacristy Press. Contributors along with Forde and Drummond include Alan Billings, Ian Duffield, John Perumbalath, David Walker, Susan Lucas, Sophie Valentine Cowan, Angus Ritchie and Averil Pooten Watan, and Jenny Sinclair.
Reflecting on the intervening forty years, the writers not only celebrate the achievements of social action but also observe how the Church and its urban mission, ministry and welfare activities have changed. Chapters discuss how the C of E’s primary concerns shift from deprivation and economic justice to growth, internal conflict and managerialism.
Jenny’s chapter opens with a personal reflection on her upbringing as the daughter of Bishop David Sheppard, the report’s main instigator. In “Whose side is the church on?” she argues that Faith in the City failed to grasp the true scope of the neoliberal project, and that this resulted in a flawed response. Drawing on the Catholic Social Thought tradition, she urges the church to abandon outdated approaches and adopt a new framework—one grounded in solidarity, subsidiarity, and the dignity of labour. She cautions against reverting to 1980s strategies, advocating instead for a more rigorous engagement with political economy and a commitment to reconnect with places and communities abandoned by globalisation.
To order the book, click here
Liverpool Cathedral - lecture
To mark the 40th anniversary of the Faith in the City report, Liverpool Cathedral commissioned Jenny Sinclair to give the 12th Annual Micah Lecture. Drawing on the Catholic Social Thought tradition, Jenny makes an examination of the prevailing assumptions of Christian charity and social action. In From Charity to Solidarity - A Radical Return to True Christian Justice she advocates for an approach centred around work rather than welfare, and calls for an honest conversation among church leaders and congregations, Christian charities and volunteers.
To listen to a recording and download the lecture text, click here
Proximity - article
In Faith in the City: 40th Anniversary, an article for Proximity Magazine, Abi Thomas reflects on the approach of the church in 1985 and asks Jenny Sinclair what is different today: she comments,
“The position of the church now needs to be in solidarity with those communities, calling for decent jobs and investment. We need a restoration of those communities, not just lip service. Some nice local infrastructure won’t help and it needs to go further than food pantries, we need to help people find agency again.”
To read the article click here