Responding to the financial crisis

The Centre and the Church Urban Fund (CUF) have launched call to change - a call to prayer, reflection and action on issues of social justice. This includes

- an action pack for local churches - developed with the support of St Paul's Cathedral and members of Occupy LSX, and endorsed by Archbishop Rowan Williams and Jim Wallis

- prayer requests for Centre and CUF projects, and

- a weekly blog on the lectionary readings.

The action pack equips local churches to hold community assemblies - engaging local people with the issues raised by Occupy, and asking what action they might take with and through the Church. It includes a briefing on Christian responses to the financial crisis (summarising recent interventions by the Church of England, the Vatican, and Biblically-inspired Nehemiah 5 Challenge, launched by Citizens UK and CTC last year); a guide to leading a community conversation; a set of questions for discussion, and a feedback form so the Centre can collate the findings and co-ordinate further action.

St Paul's Cathedral Chapter said: "Justice is the social form of love and is therefore at the heart of Christian belief and practice. Crucial issues have been raised over the last weeks and it is essential that debate on them moves beyond headlines and sound-bites, that both diminish their complex gravity, and in a spirit of learning and transformation. This guide is a very helpful contribution to that debate amongst people of faith for whom indifference is not an option."

Tanya Paton, who is a member of the faith liaison group in Occupy LSX, said: "This initiative is the start of bringing together the narrative of Christ that the church teaches together with the issues Occupy LSX as a movement raises, so that the ethics and morality of society can be discussed."

Jim Wallis (founder of Sojourners, and spiritual adviser to President Obama), said: "Bless you for doing this pack. It looks terrific... The protestors are creating space for conversation, so why don't we enter that space and have that conversation with them? ... Let's not be afraid. Let's have a dialogue and play our prophetic role in the issues they're raising."

Archbishop Rowan Williams said: "I have spoken recently about the frustration many people share at what they see as the disastrous effects of global capitalism. It is never easy to say what we should do differently, but I remain convinced that it is time we tried to be more specific. This guide offers a way for churches to contribute to building that response from the grassroots up.”

Additional resources from CTC on faith and the financial crisis

Jim Wallis interview by Andy Walton (Podcast)

Articles by Angus Ritchie for The Guardian, Church Times, Fulcrum, Church of England Newspaper and ResPublica

Roundup of reflections on Occupy LSX (November 2011)

Briefing by Luke Bretherton on Scripture, debt and usury (April 2011)

Essay collection with Luke Bretherton, John Milbank and Vincent Rougeau (April 2010)

Grants fund opens

The Contextual Theology Centre is one of four hubs of a £5 million programme to promote cross-community engagement and social action in some of England's most diverse inner-city neighbourhoods.

The Revd Timothy Clapton is the Co-ordinator of London project at CTC. It is focussed on nine eastern London boroughs: Greenwich, Hackney, Islington, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.

Near Neighbours Small Grants Fund is now open - offering funding of between £250 and £5000 to projects in the most diverse neighbourhoods of eastern London which promote association between people of different faiths. You can find out more about the criteria and geographical areas of the fund here.

Near Neighbours is an initiative of the Church of England and Church Urban Fund, and the programme is funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Will the First be Last?

The Centre has begun a year-long project with The Children's Societ y. Entitled Will the First be Last? it asks how the growing cross-party concern about inequality might yield effective action for change - and what role Christians are called to play in this process. Participants in the project include Giles Fraser and Michael Northcott, Bishops Tim Thornton and David Walker, CTC Fellows Michael Ipgrave, John Milbank and Ann Morisy and CTC's Senior Tutor Adam Atkinson.

This is part of a growing programme of reflection by CTC on the role of faith in civil society. Centre Fellow Dr Luke Bretherton and Research Co-ordinator Joshua Harris have written on the challenges and opportunities of the Government's 'Big Society' vision, in papers available from the Centre office.

On 22 June, John Milbank joined CTC Fellow Lord Glasman at a Jellicoe Seminar in Oxford on How Faith can Restore Community. This is now available on podcast.

Responding to the financial crisis

Grants fund opens

Will the First be Last?

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