Malcolm Duncan

Response to 'Quality and Equality: Human rights, Public Services and Religious Organisations'

I have this evening posted a response to the British Humanist Association's report 'Quality and Equality: Human Rights, Public Services and Religious Organisations'. You can find it on our website - which is www.faithworks.info

Please take a few moments to read my response and let me know what you think. The role and and contribution of faith groups to the welfare and social needs of communities across the length and breadth of the UK is undeniable. The BHA report suggests that faith bodies are not fit or appropriate agencies to deliver these services. I fundamentally disagree and fear that the report of the BHA caricatures both humanists (which is unfortunate given the invaluable contribution of many humanists to society and communities across the UK) and Faith communities (for exactly the same reasons).

The BHA report smacks more of polemic than reasoned argument and I would value your views on two key questions.

1. Do you think faith groups can deliver good public services?
2. If they are removed from public service provision, what would you do with the immense gulf and financial crisis that would confront the UK Welfare system as a result?

Young people: opportunities and challenges

Yesterday a report from the Institute for Public Policy Research claimed that British teenagers are the worst behaved in Europe, being more likely to fight, drink and have under-age sex than their counterparts across the EU. We also heard the sad news that another teenager was murdered in London, the fifteenth young person to die as a result of stabbing or shooting in Britain this year.

At the same time the government announced more details of its plans to take money that is lying in dormant bank accounts, and use it to establish a network of youth centres across the country, aiming for a youth centre in every town.

I don't believe we can just stand by and watch all this happen. These announcements present huge opportunities - and challenges - to both local churches and government, to engage with disaffected and disengaged young people. The church already has a huge network across the country, with bases in every town and village. Our potential to reach these young people is enormous.

The government has indicated a bold step in using the money left in dormant accounts to fund some of this work, but we should also remember that Christians already give hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours, our premises, our passions and our time to serve young people. The church is the biggest provider of youth services beyond statutory agencies in the UK.

With this new initiative, the church needs to raise its game but the government also needs to partner with us and avoid an attitude of 'patronage'. The signs so far are really encouraging. Government is willing, but are we bold enough? Why can't churches be right at the heart of every new youth centre that was talked about yesterday? We have the premises, the people and the passion.

I want to encourage government to think more closely about working with churches and voluntary organisations, but also to encourage churches to be brave enough to rediscover their role at the heart of their local communities. Many are already doing this. For example, churches in Stroud in Gloucestershire are working together to run a youth centre called The Door for their local young people, which also offers education and training, run in partnership with the local authorities.

The possibilities are endless. But for more churches to do this will demand more partnership working. This will mean working with other churches, with whom we might disagree on certain points of theology, or with non-faith-based agencies, to whom we will need to be clear about our faith motivation while being committed to professional and inclusive engagement. It could even involve working with those of other faiths.

Do you think we can do this? And do you think that we should? Can we put our differences to one side to work towards the common good? What issues would we face along the way? I'd love to hear what you think.

A new Prime Minister - and a choice

Gordon Brown becomes our Prime Minister today. I believe he stands at a turning point in history. The last ten years of Labour government has created a healthier framework for a cohesive society, but the new PM must be careful not to allow the good work of the last decade to be unravelled.

There is still huge confusion over what it means to be a British citizen, and how we can have a culture of equality which also allows diversity to flourish. Gordon Brown faces a choice, which could make or break the citizenship agenda: will he continue to support the efforts by faith groups to develop and maintain a cohesive, healthy society that respects diversity, or will he bow to an increasingly aggressive secularist agenda that says we should cut faith out of the agenda altogether?

I call on Gordon Brown to show recognition that Christian faith is not just another service provider, but the most significant motivational factor in why millions of people do what they do in engaging with the poor and excluded in our communities.

The members of the Faithworks Movement and thousands of other agencies across the country are committed to unconditional service, the principles of working for genuine public benefit, and inclusive and compassionate community engagement. I am not calling for churches to have a place of unearned privilege in society, but for a recognition of the unstinting contribution to healthy communities being made by 48,000 expressions of Christian community across the UK.

In particular, I ask for Gordon Brown's premiership to be characterised by:
- A recognition of the local church's intrinsic commitment to and value in serving communities unconditionally.
- Development of partnerships that build on the successes of the last decade, and avoid the pitfalls of short-termism, particularly in funding agreements.
- A greater widespread understanding of faith as a motivator for volunteering and engaging with communities.
- A recognition of the vast resources the church has contributed and continues to contribute to the establishment of healthy communities.
- Ensuring that faith has a fair and equitable place in civil society and in dialogue over how we address deep-rooted issues.

There is still much to be achieved if Britain is to become a truly fair and equitable society, and efforts will ultimately be fruitless unless faith communities are at the heart of it. If the role of faith is tilted out, society will disintegrate.

I welcome Gordon Brown's appointment as Prime Minister. He has been outstanding in his commitment to the eradication of poverty on the international stage, and a key force in government policy on child deprivation and exclusion in the UK. The election of Harriet Harman as his deputy also brings a welcome male-female balance. They have my best wishes and prayers.

So, what are your hopes for our new PM? I'd love to hear what you think.

Asking the questions...

Last Tuesday, 22nd May, the Christian Socialist Movement (CSM), in association with Faithworks, hosted a hustings for the Deputy Leadership of the Labour Party election.  All six candidates addressed the audience of mainly CSM members at church.co.uk/waterloo and each answered six questions from the floor.

I have no vote in this election and Faithworks, of course, has no party political affiliation, but we were pleased to have the opportunity to be involved in challenging senior politicians to consider what the Christian faith and its followers contribute to our society.  Some of the candidates were very clearly engaged with that agenda and the phrase "the Labour party owes more to Methodism than Marxism" was perhaps the most used of the evening.  Harriet Harman and Hazel Blears both paid tribute to particular churches within their constituencies that are delivering effective solutions to local problems.

I found it refreshing to hear these members of parliament express the motivations behind their politics and to hear them passionately outline their views on the way forward on issues such as climate change, the second chamber, equality, immigration and poverty.

Perhaps my favourite question of the night was asked to, but not answered by, Jon Cruddas.  The question "is there any place in the Labour party for someone who is socially liberal but morally conservative?" would make an interesting discussion all by itself.

I will watch the results of the election with interest when they are declared on 24th June.

Dear Prime Minister...

Following the resignation of Tony Blair as Leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister last week, I felt it important to write to him, thanking him for his ten years in office.  Writing this letter gave me the opportunity to give thanks for some of the changes that have come about during Tony Blair's time in office, and also gave me the opportunity to be challenged for the future.  I'd like to share some of my thoughts with you, as I did with him, and include some of the parts of my letter...

"There is no doubt that the changes made by your government have changed the landscape for churches and other faith groups in the United Kingdom.  Many steps have been taken, but those that have affected us most can be listed as follows:
- The 2001 manifesto commitment to increase and encourage partnership with faith groups has brought many more faith groups to the partnership table, engaging them in public service delivery.
- The introduction of discrimination legislation in employment has recognised the need to protect the ethos of religious organisations.
- The introduction of religion and belief as a recognised category of difference into the equality and diversity framework has significantly progressed the discussion about religion and belief as a difference and an identity.
- The fact that the Commission for Equality and Human Rights has a responsibility for religion and belief as a category of diversity is not only a first, but will also continue the important discussion about how religion and belief relate to the everyday issues of equality and diversity.
- The continued development of a more strategic approach to the third sector including the creation of the OTS and the attempts made to move toward more sustainable funding, long-term partnerships and the establishment of clearer, more accessible protocols.
- The establishment of the Academies programme and the consequent engagement in secondary education provision by a number of faith communities strengthening the choice and diversity of educational provision in the UK.
- The recognition of a partnership approach to welfare provision and the significant steps that have been taken in ensuring services are aimed at local people, shaped by local people, and delivered by local people, has completely changed both the language and the direction of the debate when it comes to community cohesion.
Together with many other changes all of the above are beneficial for the development of a just and fair society.  They have helped to strengthen both the identity of faith groups and the ability of those faith groups to serve those who are marginalised and excluded.  When I compare the landscape of the voluntary sector and faith communities in 2007 to that of 1997, I am amazed by how far we have come."

"We believe that if education and understanding about how and why faith motivates people's lives is supported in communities, we can look foward to a time when the work of faith groups will be more welcome in society and when faith groups themselves will be concerned not only about a right to their own identities, but committed to behaving with responsibility in society.  The privilege of public service and care provision for faith groups must be matched by a commitment on the part of those faith communities to behave as faithful citizens, who uphold the basic tenets of both human dignity and citizenship to Britain.  Faith has the power to be a tremendously transformational part of our society, but for that to happen people of faith must be committed to unconditional service and collaboration with others, whilst retaining their own identity.  Government must also be committed to full and fair partnership with faith communities."

"As the new Labour Party Leader is elected and takes office, I trust and pray that he will take all the achievements in the last decade and build upon them.  Whichever political party holds office over the next ten years, faith communities will continue to play a vital role in urban renaissance, rural renewal, community cohesion, and societal transformation.  Without the help, support and partnership of local faith groups such ideals will only be aspirational, but with the help and support of faith groups, I believe that these ideals can become an experienced reality in the lives of millions of people.  Once againn, however, a new leadership must be connected to "local churches" rather than only the "institution" of the church.  A re-settled welfare state must become a welfare system that embraces the unique capabilities and perspective of faith groups; local churches and faith groups are part of a great armada of service delivery in the UK, and we have much to contribute to a healthy society.  The 20,000 members of Faithworks and the churches and projects they represent are a significant part of that armada."

In thinking back and looking forward there has been much to inspire and challenge me - what about you?

A cause for celebration: Faithworks Awards!

At Faithworks we're often approached for advice on funding applications for projects.  We do what we can to help people, but at last it's that time of year again - applications for our own awards programme are now being accepted!

This year we have a total pot of £20,000 to give away to four Christian projects that are effectively serving the needs of their local communities.

The awards are:
- The Improving the Lives of Children and Young People Award, sponsored by Spurgeons
- The Community Inclusion Award, sponsored by Oasis UK
- The Community Excellence Award, sponsored by Congregational and General Insurance
- The Faithworks Members Awards for Community Commitment, contributed to by members of the Faithworks Movement

For the first time this year you can also nominate people for the Faithworks Lifetime Achievement Award - do you know someone who has made a huge difference to the lives of others?  If so, this could be an ideal opportunity to get their dedication recognised.

As well as being a valuable funding opportunity, the Faithworks Awards also celebrate the contribution that Christians and churches are making to our communities across the UK.  I am consistently moved when I read your applications and hear your stories, and the awards are a great opportunity to remind the world that Christian faith works!  I look forward to receiving and reading your applications and beginning the stringent process of finalising our shortlists later this year.  For more information - click here.

Back to the local church

This weekend I am being inducted as the Pastor of Mortimer West End Chapel, a small semi-rural church situated between Reading and Basingstoke.

Having been active in local church leadership for 15 years, I'm excited about taking on this role.  As Leader of the Faithworks Movement I work with church leaders on a day-to-day basis, so I'm passionate about being able to grapple with the same issues and challenges that many of them face.

I believe strongly in the power of a local Christian community as being transforming, including, healing and loving.  I'm looking forward to serving the people of the area, and to discovering ways of developing a community of Christ's followers who are committed to serving others and loving those around them.

I will, of course, continue as Leader of the Faithworks Movement, but I hope this additional role will help me bring new insights to my team's work, as we seek to resource and support local churches and groups across the UK.

I would value your prayers for me and my family at this exciting and challenging time.

SORs become law

Today one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in the last couple of years, the Sexual Orientation Regulations, become law.

Having previously said that we are confident that the SORs do not pose a threat to Christians, Faithworks has continued to stand by our statements, and have been busy over the last month engaging with church leaders on how we can all work within the legislation.

On April 19th we held a meeting of denominational leaders to think about the way forward.  It was a very positive discussion.  From that we hope to soon be able to publish a resource to help churches and Christians provide services ina way that is non-discriminatory, while still maintaining their distinctive Christian ethos.

I continue to encourage all parties to show grace and respect in their tone, and not to fall into the trap of playing to people's fears and anxieties concerning diversity, as these issues are discussed.  We must continue to ensure that the church avoids sounding homophobic and be committed to a credible, relevant and biblically authentic expression of our faith.

While I recognise that there are Christians who have a different view, I am committed to dialogue and discussion that will support the church and harness the commitment that we all share to reflect Christ in a broken world.

Faithworks Magazine - coming soon!

Yesterday I had one of the first meetings of the editorial team for the new Faithworks Magazine, the first edition of which is due to be published this July.  Many of you will know Faithworks News, the newspaper which we currently produce twice a year to keep you in touch with the movement, and to bring you stories of hope and inspiration from projects around the UK.

Our partnership with CCP, the publishers of Christianity, Youthwork and Christian Marketplace in enabling us to produce this magazine is really exciting.  It means that the magazine can take what we have started in Faithworks News to new levels, and the magazine will also include comment and advice from experts in community engagement, reviews of important resources, and support on best practice in community development.  We have already got so many ideas for features and stories that we want to include in the magazine, and I'm really excited by the potential it has.  I really hope that Faithworks Magazine will become a leading publication that inspires and equips Christians up and down the country to engage with and serve their communities.

If you're a member of Faithworks, you will receive the first two issues of the magazine free.  If you're not a member, but would like to register for a free trial copy, click here.

And while we do have lots of ideas for the magazine, I would love to hear what you would like to see in it.  After all, it's your magazine!

Biblical Authority

How do we handle and use the Bible in our private and corporate lives? What do we do with the teaching and the authority of the Scripture in our personal conduct and in shaping our responses to the world? What does biblical authority mean and how do we deal with the inevitable tensions and questions around it?

These are just a few of the questions I want to ask in response to a number of posts on the blog around the SOR's. Having set out that our engagement and position on the SOR's is NOT a moral endorsement of sexuality but is an affirmation and recognition of human rights and the call on Christians to serve, that assertion has led to a number of interesting and helpful discussions around biblical authority itself.

So that's what I want to explore here. And I have a feeling this might be an interesting discussion, so please remember the usual requests - politeness, gracioiusness and Christlikeness in all we say on here. I want to beigin the discussion by responding in general to the issue of why we appear to get so hot under the collar about sexuality - but that is only an introduction, so could we have the discussion about biblical authority, NOT JUST ABOUT SEX.

Sex and the bible.

I have repeatedly made my position on human sexuality clear. It is shaped by the teaching of Scripture. I am conservative in my approach and believe that the best place (and God designed place for that matter)for sexual activity and sexual relationship is one of marriage as defined by the Scripture, which is a lifelong, monogomous relationship of fidelity, trust and commitment. This relationship is publicly witnessed and witnessed by God, and is for good or bad, well or ill, etc. Clearly that then leads to questions about sexual practise outside that context - not just homosexuality, but heterosexual relationships outside of marriage etc. I refuse to single out homosexuality as worse than other pratices outside the biblical imperative on marriage.

Grading Biblical Morals? I also refuse to elevate sexual behaviour and responsibility above the biblical teaching on other things, such as judgementalism, legalism, gluttony, greed, hypocrisy, lying etc not to mention the decalogue and the wide breadth of teaching and command contained within both Testaments of the Bible. I would be interested to know if you think that sexual practise is actually more important, than the teaching of Scripture on how to treat asylum seekers, foreigners, the poor, the hungry, those in need for example. Or indeed whether or not you think the Bible's commands around use of arms, or charging of interest on money, or cancellation of debt etc also carry moral and spiritual weight in the same way as the teaching of scripture on sexuality does. Indeed, there is also an argument that indebtedness itself is a sinful lifestyle choice, therefore we are faced with a decision about mortgages, loans, banks, pension funds etc. The plain truth is that far too often we pick and choose - is that a fair way to treat the bibke? Are we not just guilty of doing what Marcion did, only we do it by stealth?

Biblical Authority - how do we handle it?

The discussion about biblical authority is a very important one. What do you think? But I do not think that narrowing the dicussion of biblical authority to those things you agree with is a fair way to have the discussion. What do you think about the way we tend to highlight sexual sin over all others. What do you think about usury, indebtedness, foreign policy, taxation, how you treat the poor, how you feed the hungry, embrace the needy etc? Are these in the Bible? If they are, what weight are they given? For example, why does the New Testament (and the teaching of Jesus in particular) devote about 500 verses in the Gospels on how to use and treat money and possesions, yet way less to sexual practise (In fact Jesus says nothing about homosexuality at all - although I think there are very clear exegetical reasons for that and I think the whole teaching and trajectory of the bible needs to be taken into consideratgion - which brings much more clarity to the issue). If you think we should return to strict application of the Old Testament law for example (which I do not) should we then re-introduce stoning for adultery and the whole range of Old Testament punishment? I do not. If you think we should live within the literal context of the New Testament, should we demolish church buildings, re-introduce slavery, so that we can encourage slaves to obey their masters, consistently denmand that women remain silent in the church and start a campaign to remove all images of Mary riding into Bethlehem on a donkey (because it is not in Scripture)?

Are we all subjective?

Some of those questions may seem frivilous, but not one of them is. At what point do we each recognise that the question of the authority of the bible IS a key issue, not least because we are ALL subjective in choosing those bits that apply to us and those bits that do not. (The idea, for example that the ceremonial law and the moral law of the Old Testament can somehow be separated so we live by the second and ignore the first is a dichotomy that the people of Israel would never understand because TORAH is about all of those regulations, and the stories and accounts of creation and covenant and hope and eschatology etc.) We too often talk about the 'authority' of the bible whislt at the same time we ourselves ignore huge chunks of it. So we actually mean the authority of th bits of the bible that I think are important.

Towards an understanding

My own view of Scripture is that is has final authority in matters of faith, doctrine and practise because it carries the delegated authority of God himself. I also think that it must be understood in the light of tradition (although we need to be careful not to elevate tradition above the narrative)and we must examine the way scripture has been handled and understood by the great cloud of witnesses that have preceded us - we are not free to make it up as we go along. To treat scripture in the way and dignity it deserves, we must also use reason - not elevating reason to divinity though - and we must endeavour to understand the context, flow, constistency, language, nuance, lexical and epistemological implications of the words and stories and accounts and genres and idioms and metaphors of Scripture. Lastly, for scripture to have its impact on our world and our lives, it must be lived, encountered and experienced. We must liberate it from the ridiculous 'proof texting approach' of many and allow it to become the shaper of our lives, our worship, our witness and our practise. We must also see it as the unfolding story of God in which we ourselves have a part. (I like the idea of the great narrativer story of God and his dealings with the world as defined by Scripture in five Acts as discussed by Tom Wright, the Bishop of Durham - they are Creation, Fall, Israel, Jesus and the Church. In this approach all of the bible is vital to our understanding of our own lives and the future because we are also part of the last act - the church. This is not dispensationalism, but instead it is acknowledging the great sweep and ovcerarching purpose of God in the world, from creation to consummation. That consummation will not take place until the return of Christ, when he finalised the establishment of His Kingdom, which was begun with his birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension. We now live in the tension of the last act of history - begun by God through Christ. This is what the jews call the Messianic Age, and we Christians call the Kingdom. But the New Testament is the opening scene of this act and we must stay true to it, live within in and be shaped by it - we are not free to change it. Instead we must do the hard work of understanding and applying it - and all of its principles, not just the ones we like. And we cannot do that unless we understand how it relates to the Old Testament and how we relate to Jesus and through Jesus to Israel etc.

Faithworks Diversity

The Faithworks movement is made up of thousands (about 24000) churches, individuals, gropups, charities and projects. Across that range there will be widely diverse opinion on the Bible and how we use it. From the literalisits to the deconstructionists. Faithworks is a purpose driven movment, centred on Christ, a Jesus Movement, not a religious insitution. We are made up of evangelicals, catholics, pentecostals, charismaticvs, progressives, conservatives, social liberals etc. All of those who join the movement do so because they are, according to our charter (a non-negotiable in joining the movement) motivated by Christian faith.  So what do you all think?