Dear Friends,
Welcome to this edition of the T4CG Newsletter, with a special greeting to our new subscribers. As always, we’ve included lots of great content below which we hope will inform and inspire. To start, I want to reflect on the events of the past week in the UK—events that have left me, and I suspect many of you, deeply troubled.
Last Thursday evening, I found myself in Leeds railway station. In the main concourse, a Pro-Palestine demonstration was underway—a scene now familiar around the world. But on this occasion, protestors were masked and seemed emboldened; their chanting was aggressive, and the language of death was prominent. The timing and the tone framed the brutal murder of Jews in Manchester that very morning not as a tragedy, but as a grim “achievement” of war.
I was horrified. This was not mere insensitivity or indifference to the outrage earlier that day. The protesters’ behaviour was intentionally menacing. None of at least forty police officers did anything. The three officers I spoke to all said they were powerless to act. One even asked me to file a formal complaint with British Transport Police, which I did.
The intimidation tactics I witnessed, it later became clear, were part of a nationwide, coordinated campaign. In the media, the talk was of managing rights in a diverse society. But the issue at hand is not only one of free speech, nor only about the Middle East. And is it not a concern only for the Jewish community.
Both the attack and the menace that followed demonstrate a rupture of our common good. This dishonours us all. We are left with a deep sense of shame at what our country has become. Many people have been asking, “What happened to our humanity?” This question may seem naive or idealistic, but is exactly right.
Every era is shaped by a particular philosophy. The theological tradition of Catholic Social Thought helps us see that the animating idea of our collapsing era is liberalism—specifically, the extreme form known as neoliberalism.
This philosophy is built on the idea of “the unencumbered self,” a person reduced to an isolated, desiccated, soulless individual. This false anthropology has generated a false idea of freedom, which then demands a culture of personal preference where choice displaces meaning.
How different is this sad world of rights-bearing consumers from the vision of Christian anthropology—where, anchored in the Trinity, the truth of a human person is as a relational being created in the image of God.
The hyper-liberal spirit proclaims freedom, but is anti-human. Over the last few decades, its cult of self has infected our entire culture. The liberals of the political right endorse an economy that relies on cheap, mobile labour, degrading workers’ lives both at home and abroad. Those on the left promote identitarian dogma which distorts human identity, tempting people to self-sort into mutually hostile identity groups. Both forms have marketised society, producing a dehumanising estrangement—now, even to the point of murder.
The crisis here is real, and it is felt at every level. We may even be witnessing the collapse of trust in the British state. The stakes are high, but the future is not determined. We can—and must—be part of the antidote.
This is a time for kindness and friendship, but empathy and joint statements are not enough. What is required are acts of solidarity. Christians must build local relationships across class and opinion, across culture, faith and ethnicity. For believers, this vocation—this life of solidarity—is not optional; it is fundamental.
We need a new Christian humanism, one where our view of the world and society is grounded in an anthropology aligned with—not against—the nature of humanity. This means bringing a relational lens to rehumanise every decision. We have strayed far; the road back to reality will be long.
What is also required is the reform of our political economy. The answer to the question “What happened to our humanity?” must guide us. A new settlement is needed, at the heart of which must be a hard reckoning with power and economy—especially as the AI industrial revolution accelerates.
We must renew institutional life at every level. This will require a national story of solidarity—balancing rights and responsibilities—encompassed within a meaningful citizenship. It will mean distributing and decentralising power according to the principle of subsidiarity, and harnessing the power of capital to benefit family and community life. It will mean building an industrial strategy centred on the dignity of human labour.
But the root of the problem is spiritual, and so the solutions must be rooted in spirituality. As long as the flawed hyper-liberal anthropology maintains its hold on our society and politics, the crisis will persist. Some speak of a “quiet revival” of Christianity, but a faith-life focused only on individual salvation cannot resist the menace of totalitarian tendencies, nor the rise of ethno-nationalism, which itself springs from an identitarian worldview.
What is needed now is a relational spirituality, grounded in Christian anthropology, to guide our moral, social, cultural and economic life. A spirituality that orients us outward—to our neighbour and to God.
Every blessing
Jenny Sinclair and all the team at Together for the Common Good
In this edition
We are dedicated to civic and spiritual renewal. Here are some of our latest resources - which we hope will help you play your part in this time of profound change:
Tony Uddin Disunited kingdom: peace-making in a time of polarisation
John Clifton I was angry and you called me Gammon
Edward Hadas I stand with my Jewish people
Maurice Glasman and Jon Cruddas Statecraft for the Common Good
Jenny Sinclair on Faith in the City: Forty Years On
Leaving Egypt podcast latest episodes
Signs of the Times and Recommended Books latest selection
Dates for your Diary: our Staying Human series of ONLINE public lectures continues. For full details and to book your place, see below or click HERE
This work happens thanks to a small number of wonderful supporters. To continue, we need to grow that number. If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, could you consider upgrading to a paid subscription and give us a hand? From only £5 a month you can play an important role in enabling this work to continue and grow.
Being a Person in the Age of AI
Our next online public lecture is on Tuesday 21st October with Susannah Black Roberts, editor of Plough Quarterly, who will speak on Being a Person in the Age of AI. Susannah will look at what it means to be human, identifying practical ways in which we can preserve and cultivate our humanity in a world that threatens to make us obsolete. Drawing on the wisdom of Aquinas, Aristotle, CS Lewis and Catholic Social Thought, Susannah proposes a creative Christian asceticism to challenge the dopamine rush of an AI-flooded world. To register, click the button below.
The last in this current series is on Friday 21st November with Dan Hitchens, editor of First Things, who will speak on Useful Lives? addressing the cultural shift signalled by assisted suicide, marking a transition from the era of Cecily Saunders and the hospice movement to a new age where choosing death is presented as a solution. Drawing on the Catholic Social Thought tradition, Dan considers how we should respond to this hinge moment for British society. Booking opens soon.
Disunited Kingdom: peace-making in a time of polarisation
Amid the UK’s deepening divides over immigration, Tony Uddin speaks from experience about how churches can become genuine peacemakers. As a pastor in Tower Hamlets, he rejects both naive idealism and partisan posturing. Instead, he champions politically astute, grassroots leadership—rooted in courage and humility—that enables honest and balanced conversations on integration, ethnicity, and class.
I was angry and you called me Gammon
Gary from Blackpool, Charlie Kirk, and all these flags
In this sober and moving story, John Clifton examines the the discontent now being expressed across the country. A Salvation Army Officer who has lived alongside our poorest communities describes how anger, left unheard, hardens into wrath. Reflecting on three different scenarios, he on meditates on how Christ would respond.
Leaving Egypt podcast – latest episodes
Our Leaving Egypt podcast features co-hosts Jenny Sinclair and Al Roxburgh who explore what it means to be God’s people in an age of unravelling. Along with fascinating guests from across the Christian traditions they read the signs of the times and tell stories of hope from the grassroots.
Check out our latest episodes:
Luke Bretherton Made to be with and for each other
Jide Ehizele Local, Sacramental, Relational
+Philip North Deeply Local, Rooted in Listening
Coming soon: Sarah Small, Anne Snyder, John Clifton, Andrew Willard Jones, Luigino Bruni and many more! It’s easy to join the Leaving Egypt community - subscribe here for free.
I stand with my Jewish People
In the wake of the horrific terrorist attack on the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester, we felt it important to re-share this outstanding essay by Edward Hadas. A scholar of Catholic Social Teaching, and a Jewish convert to Christianity, Edward argues that, given the history of antisemitism, Christians have a special obligation to stand in solidarity with the Jewish community. For Christians, judgements of Israeli policy and Zionism should be of far less importance than the obligation to show solidarity with Jews and all people of goodwill in rejecting all forms of antisemitism.
Statecraft for the Common Good
The recording of our latest Staying Human event is now available. We were fortunate to have two complementary lectures. Jon Cruddas and Maurice Glasman each addressed how statecraft must be approached to tackle our current crises, and in light of the realities posed by AI. Both rooted in the Catholic Social Thought tradition, with deep experience in the mechanics of government, grassroots and parliamentary politics, and as people of faith, they set the territory for a frank conversation about the new era.
Download lecture texts here:
From Tragedy to Restoration - Shaping the New Era - Maurice Glasman
From Crisis to Meaning – Renewal and the Spirit of Justice - Jon Cruddas
Common Good Schools - Autumn Update
Kicking off the new academic year, Jo Stow, Common Good Schools Project Leader, anticipates a dynamic term ahead. She reflects on the success of Phase One of the pilot for our new primary school resource, previewing Phase Two and the upcoming launch in early 2025. Jo also outlines her plans with our partner secondary schools this term and highlights forthcoming speaking engagements across the country. Discover how you can get involved and join in praying for this vital work.
Faith in the City 40 Years On: What Now?
This year sees the 40th anniversary of Faith in the City, the influential report that influenced decades of Christian charitable activity. But, asks Jenny Sinclair, was its analysis correct and is it right for the new era? Jenny has raised this question around the anniversary. Here, we share news about a chapter for a book of essays, a video from a panel event at Chester Cathedral, a recording of her lecture at Liverpool Cathedral, and an interview in Proximity magazine.
Signs of the Times and Recommended Books
Explore our latest collection of articles from new and legacy media to help you navigate the new era. You’ll also find our latest selection of recommended books.
Thank you
Header image: Icon of the New Testament Trinity (1450, Byzantium, Constantinople)