URBLOG

Let's do theology

Continuum are publishing a greatly revised second edition of the classic pratical theology text Let's do theology. Written by Laurie Green the book comes from out of a working life dedicated to urban ministry and making theology an activity accessible to everyone.  The first edition proved a key resource for those engaged in grassroots urban theological practice.  FLYER 

"I am very pleased because, as a Latin American liberation theologian, I find myself fully agreeing with Bishop Laurie Green's book. It is a book of authentic liberation theology set within the English-speaking context, utilising the same methodology both in theory and practice, in that it takes instances of human experience, analyses them, reflects theologically and proposes practical ideas for transformation. It is a book that invites you to do theology, without disparaging the great tradition. Additionally it provides a good summary of conventional theology and an excellent bibliography. I enthusiastically recommend this significant little book."

Leonardo Boff, Liberation Theologian, Brazil

 

How not to prevent violent extremism

Spooked: a report published  by the Institute of Race Relations finds that the government's Prevent programme for tackling extremism fosters division, mistrust and alienation.

"The atmosphere promoted by Prevent is one in which to make radical criticisms of the government is to risk losing funding and facing isolation as an 'extremist', while those organisations which support the government are rewarded. "

Landscape of neglect is fertile breeding ground for far right extremism

Fact and fiction blur as Heartland novelist Anthony Cartwright take Chris Arnot on a tour through estates of despair

'But the ground was shifting under the working class and sinking, like an old cricket pitch falling into the limestone workings that once fed the iron and steel-making process in the workshop of the world.'

Work does not guarantee a route out of poverty

 
Work and worklessness in deprived neighbourhoods

The study   challenges official policy that training or education can act as a spring board to get people into the job market or help career progression. While government has focused on the important objective of raising skills, aptitude and motivation, people's experience showed that there was often little opportunity to progress in their current job, even when they had acquired new skills or qualifications.

"There needs to be a stronger focus on the quality of work on offer. Government and employers should work together to improve terms and conditions so that work can break the cycle of poverty and support family life. Policy-makers also need to take into account the reality of how difficult it is to find work in areas that were struggling even before the recession hit."

Poorest communities remain forgotten

Communities in recession: the impact on deprived neighbourhoods

Joseph Rowntree Foundation reserach asks: What impact is the current recession having on disadvantaged communities and what can we learn from evidence from previous recessions?

"Talk is already focusing on the UK's emergence from the current recession, but this report illustrates how the poorest communities struggle to recover from economic downturns even in periods of wider prosperity.

"We face tough decisions over the next few months. It is essential that these decisions do not further disadvantage the very poorest communities which have already suffered the most. We need to emerge from this recession with an economy that is both just and sustainable."

Lynsey Hanley Equality, not education, is the key to individual transformation

Karen Day When economic depression is a constant

AFRICA CALLING

 Africa's mobile phone usage sees record rise after huge investment

Mobile subscriptions in Africa rose from 54m to almost 350m between 2003 and 2008, the quickest growth in the world. The global total reached 4bn at the end of last year and, although growth was down on the previous year, it remained close to 20%.

Government responds to forgotten Britain

Communities Secretary John Denham has outlined a £12m plan to reinvigorate and connect with those communities (many of which have seen strong BNP support) that are feeling the pressure from recession most acutely and ensure they are well placed to share fully in future prosperity and emerge stronger and more cohesive.

'The communities involved vary considerably and the challenges are different from place to place. But there are a number of key issues that cut to the core of local concerns. These include;

• a decline in traditional jobs in predominantly white areas and worries about young people's future;
• recent migration is perceived as having changed communities and created competition for jobs and resources like social housing; and
• anti-social behaviour - although fallen across the country - remains a real challenge and can create tensions between the majority of hard working families and the troublesome minority.

For some, the pace of change has led to a sense of resentment and a rise in insecurity and threatens to corrode the cohesion of these communities and create tensions. In some places support for the far right has risen. There could be a rise in migration and resentment at the perception that others are getting a better deal. Some people are left feeling that 'no one is speaking up for us'.

To support this programme CLG is publishing new guidance Building Cohesive Communities - what frontline staff and community activists need to know.

Reviving cities in Europe and the USA

Learning from city recovery in Europe and the United States

A new study from Joseph Rowntree Foundation  investigates why cities decline, how they recover and how low-income communities within them fare under the impact of dramatic changes.

The study focuses on the fortunes of seven European cities – Sheffield and Belfast in the UK; Bremen and Leipzig in Germany; Torino, Italy; Saint-Étienne, France; and Bilbao, Spain.

'Although cities in Europe and the US face urgent pressures – including  the need to reduce radically their reliance on fossil fuels – their underused spaces, existing infrastructure, knowledge and skills base, and diverse populations open up new opportunities for urban progress and environmental protection.'

The Impact of the Recession on Northern City-Regions

This paper, from IPPR, looks at the geographical effect of the recession across the United Kingdom and, in particular, at how it has affected deprived communities in the city-regions in the North of England and the people who live in them. It also offers some thoughts about the challenges these communities will face in the next few years.

Urban Theology in Birmingham

Who is my Neighbour? Faith and Difference in the 21st century City.

Birmingham Urban Theology Forum on Wednesday 2nd December (2-4.30pm) at Elmfield House on the Selly Oak campus of the University of Birmingham.

Sajida Madni,garss-roots worker with Birmingham Citizens organisation
Laura Zahra McDonald,lecturer in the Sociology Department at Birmngham University
Chris Baker, William Temple Foundation and author of 'The Hybrid Church in the City'

Download Urban Theology Forum Dec09 FLYER