William Temple Foundation is delighted to present our inaugural annual lecture, delivered by the Most Reverend & Right Honourable Dr. John Sentamu, Archbishop of York. This event is the first of its kind for the Foundation, yet it represents a continuation of our work supporting important voices to reach wider audiences. The lecture will be held at Leeds Civic Hall on Wednesday 18th March at 5.30pm. All are welcome to this free public event.
Following the recent publication of his edited volume ‘On Rock or Sand’ Archbishop Sentamu will share insights into how we might build firm foundations for Britain’s future. In particular, the Archbishop will discuss social movements and activism in light of continuing economic pressures. He will argue for the right and duty of the Church to speak out in the face of injustice. The lecture titled, ‘Air, Light, Land and Water: Reclaiming public assets for the common profit’ will also explore notions of citizenship and common ownership.
Professor Chris Baker, Director of William Temple Foundation said, ‘We are extremely pleased that Archbishop Sentamu will deliver our inaugural annual lecture. Rooted in the Temple tradition, Archbishop Sentamu’s concern for inequality and issues of poverty resonates well beyond Anglican circles. In the run-up to the general election, the Church offers an important voice on these issues. As such, we invite those who share similar concerns, from all faiths, as well as those from secular backgrounds, to come and hear the Archbishop’s address.’
For full information and to book free tickets click here.
The launch today of On Rock or Sand a series of essays edited by Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York, ‘on the moral principles that undergird the way Britain is governed’ has generated much debate since it was trailed last Thursday, including a direct rebuttal of its basic assertions by David Cameron himself. Amidst the welter of comment, both in favour but also in fierce condemnation, it is hard to ascertain the lasting impact of this ‘pre-election’ volume. Despite the clear marketing strategy to revive stirring memories of the Faith in the City report in the mid-80s, and its repudiation at the hands of Mrs Thatcher’s government, only time will tell whether this volume is one to which we will return in 30 years, or whether, like so many other well-intentioned efforts, it will gather both real and virtual dust.
But what is of little doubt is that the thinking and vision of William Temple, former Archbishop of both York and Canterbury, who died 70 years ago, lies at the heart of this latest attempt to re-position the Church of England in the political life of this country. The volume (on the basis of pre-released extracts) appears to rely explicitly on three ideas central to Temple’s thought, as expounded in his book Christianity and Social Order published in 1942.
The first is the right of the church to intervene when it perceives that the current social order is deficient. Temple is unequivocal in this assertion. ‘The Church must announce Christian principles and point out where the existing order at any time is in conflict with them.’
Second, is the core theological belief in the innate dignity of every person, derived from their being created imago dei – i.e. made in the image of God. For Temple, this becomes the basis of ethics and politics; to bestow ‘respect for every person simply as a person’ and so, ‘to give the fullest possible scope to the exercise of powers and qualities that are distinctly personal …and the widest extension of personal responsibility’.
Finally, there’s the importance of generating solidarity. Temple believed in the importance of the family as well as what he called intermediate groupings (voluntary groups, neighbourhood associations) that help develop a sense of belonging and reciprocity: ‘We feel as though we count for something and that others depend on us’. The state should, in Temple’s view, safeguard ‘the liberty that fosters such groupings’.
A danger for a book like this, which relies on Temple for its core ideas, is that it will be seen as nostalgic for an age that has past. Does it suggest a church that has stopped generating new ideas? Some of this might explain the very ambivalent attitude towards Temple and his legacy that exists in certain Anglican circles and which we, as the Foundation which bears his name, sometimes find ourselves embroiled in.
On the one hand a recent book entitled Anglican Social Theology unambiguously states that the Church has moved beyond the Temple tradition. It has been overwhelmed, say the authors, by the pluralism of current society (i.e. claims to consensus are untenable) and been superseded by the fashionable turn to post-liberal theologies which are sceptical of worldly ideologies, empirical research and necessity of a public state to regulate against the worst excesses of human pride and violence.
And yet the irony of that book is that in spending so much time talking about Temple and how we have moved on, it raises the lack of a viable alternative. One alternative is the current focus on the business/management approach to church mission and engagement (see for example the Green report). Whilst having much to offer, this approach will never have the depth of analysis or indeed vision which will help resource the many hard-pressed clergy and lay people working at the front-line of an increasingly needy and confused society.
Perhaps this is why, when the chips appear to be down, and the Church needs to remind itself and others that it has a public and political relevance, the Temple tradition proves its worth yet again.
Of course one must guard against complacency and a one-dimensional response in the way that Temple’s ideas are applied to the diversity, complexity and fluidity of the current age. The Foundation is acutely aware of this fact. Which is why our publications, research and public events are about how we incarnate a progressive, inclusive, rigorously-researched view of the Christian faith in particular, and religion in general, in the public sphere.
For example John Atherton’s latest bookreminds the Church (perhaps unfashionably) of the immense benefits, empirically proven, to humankind brought about in the last 200 years of human history by economics and technological advances. The paradox of this growth against the backdrop of also growing inequality cannot be resolved by simplistic moralistic sloganeering but the progressive, careful and empirical engagement of religious insights and traditions to ensure that religion and economics are once again re-connected for the good of all.
Out latest research project Reimaging Religion and Belief for Public Policy and Practice (with Goldsmiths, University of London) maps current theories and empirical research into the global re-emergence of religion across several disciplines such a sociology, anthropology, critical human geography, theology, public and social policy. It will share this mapping with central and local government as a contribution to a more enlightened and nuanced understanding of how religion is lived in the public sphere and how governments can better engage with faith communities.
These are just two examples of the many ways in which the Foundation attempts to break open the still powerful, resonant vision of a just and humane social order outlined by William Temple, within the complexity and uncertainty of our modern age.
Professor Craig Calhoun, Director of the London School of Economics, who gave a keynote lecture at our recent conference reminded us that reality is only partly expressed in material things. So much of what constitutes truth, he said, is what we give ourselves permission to think and believe; in other words our social imaginary.
Calhoun suggests that part of Temple’s enduring impact is that he reminded us we cannot derive what we need from interpersonal relationships alone (like our family). Rather, we also need large and complex institutions to help us have good relationships with one another, and we cannot simply act on our short-term and narrow impulses, and choose who we love and care for. In other words we need an enabling and capacious state; we need to make it work for us but ultimately it is there to remind us and embody for us the basic command to love God and our neighbour, and thus to fulfil the political and economic destiny for which we were born.
Chris Baker is Director of Research at William Temple Foundation
Archbishop John Sentamu will deliver the 2015 William Temple Foundation Annual Lecture, on Wednesday 18th March. Tickets are free – book now!
William Temple Foundation has been blessed with an exciting and successful year. We would like to extend a big thank you to everyone who has helped to make this year special, from our Associate Research Fellows, to all of our guest bloggers, and to everyone we’ve worked with this year.
I joined the Foundation in November 2013, so at the start of this year, my role was still a work in progress! We spent the first few months of the year reflecting on the Foundation’s history whilst working out a vision of our future. As a growing staff team of two, Director Chris Baker and I worked to refocus and rebrand the William Temple Foundation.
April
In April we were very excited to launch our new brand and most excitingly, our new website. After years in the World Wide Web wilderness, we’re very proud of how well received the site has been, not to mention the wonderful followers we’ve gained on Twitter and Facebook.
One of the most popular blog posts our website has ever had, happened to be one of the first. Associate Research Fellow Greg Smith’s post ‘Blurred Encounters in a Messy Church’ is still pulling in readers, seven months later.
May – June
In late spring, our staff and Fellows were busy at events up and down the country. As part of our commitment to creating spaces for reflection on life’s most challenging issues, we co-organised numerous events from our hub at the Centre for Faiths and Public Policy at the University of Chester. This included the conference ‘Philosophy, Religion & Public Policy’ which Associate Research Fellow John Reader reflects on here. Chris Baker gave the keynote lecture at the Church of England’s ‘Faith in Research Conference’, whilst I was delighted to present at the Dialogue Society, previewing the book chapter I’ve written for their forthcoming publication Dialogue Theories II.
Meanwhile, finding time to put pen to paper in amongst numerous speaking engagements, Chris’s provocatively titled blog post ‘The Welfare State, Like Christendom, is Over!’ caused debate amongst our Tweeps.
July
In July we announced our part in a major new AHRC funded project, Re-Imagining Religion and Belief for Public Policy and Practice. Since July, Chris Baker, together with Goldsmiths’ Adam Dinham, has interviewed some of the world’s leading thinkers on religion and public life as part of this exciting two year project, including David Martin, Steve Bruce, Linda Woodhead, Craig Calhoun and Tariq Madood.
August
The blog section of our website is just one way in which we aim to give others the opportunity to contribute and to share in the debate on religion and public life. Whilst August can be a quiet month, we managed to host two of our most popular guest-blogs to date. Cardiff PhD student Abdul-Azim Ahmed shared some of his research in,‘Eat, Pray, Learn: The Many Roles of Mosques in Britain’. Then a few weeks later ‘The Modern Welfare State: Temple’s Challenging for the Church’ by Simon Duffy from the Centre for Welfare Reform, was equally well-received.
September
If I were to pick a favourite blog post from my own contributions this year, it would be the one which came about first as an angry reaction to the media, but became whole when I combined my rant with empirical research on religious identity. The blog post which emerged is called, ‘Stigmatisation of Young Muslims Plays into the Hands of Terrorists’.
October
Autumn was a busy time at the Foundation. We were extremely pleased to appoint two new Associate Research Fellows – Eve Poole and Tina Hearn – who bring new ideas and energy to our small team.
Reflecting on the enduring legacy of our Foundation’s namesake Archbishop William Temple, I wrote a piece for OnReligion Magazine, titled ‘Towards a Progressive Political Public Voice’.
And suddenly we find ourselves in December. We’re excited to be looking ahead to 2015 and have already announced a major event which we’re organising in the run-up to the election — Building a Politics of Hope: Exploring the role and impact of faith-based leadership in local communities. We look forward to seeing you there, or connecting with you at other events and through other projects throughout next year.
So looking back over 2014, I’m pleased to say that we’ve achieved a great deal, especially for such a small team. We operate on a very small budget and so we ask, if you believe in our mission to continue and develop Temple’s legacy of social, economic and political justice, would you consider supporting our important work? We rely on the support of donors to continue to organise reflective, inclusive events, and to develop cutting-edge empirical research. Plus, when you join our group of supporters you will receive discounted books and much more.
This very special day, nearly a year in the planning, was an opportunity to publically re-launch the re-branded William Temple Foundation, as well as to reflect on the enduring legacy of our namesake.
