Over the past few months, I have found myself considering the knotty issues of integration, citizenship and cohesion. Life in lockdown acts as a pressure cooker for the issues already present in society. Tensions have been bubbling up between communities, social classes, blue and white collar, young and old, and even within families and households […]
faith
How many times have you wished you had known then what you know now?
How many times have you reflected on your reactions or decisions and wished you had known then what you know now? It’s now September 2020. Schools have reopened, there are suddenly more of us out and about, and yet we are still supposed to remain socially distant. For those commuters who have been enjoying a […]
Making a difference in uncertain times
There is a certain pride I feel when I see the way that those who work in the voluntary sector and in faith organisations respond to a crisis like that which we are facing. It is not a wrong, boastful pride but a ‘settled rightness’ that makes me want to tell others the good news […]
Common sense just isn’t that common
Just so you know this piece will end with an ask, a call to action. It won’t be hard, complicated, or academic. It’s an ordinary ask… but just make sure you don’t miss it! Logical, simple answers to problems and obvious observations are always worth making. You see, it is really easy to make sophisticated […]
Widows and Orphans: a philosophy for action
I often hear asked, “As a person of faith, how do you approach working with people of other faiths?” People generally understand the interest in dialoguing together about faith (aka ‘interfaith’) and they understand that having a faith motivates people to act, to do good, and make a positive difference. But if people hold different […]
Mind the gap! The FaithAction Manifesto 2019
Many of us will be familiar with the signs and announcements on the underground in London, to ‘Mind the gap!’. You can even buy t-shirts with the slogan, as a souvenir of London. When we hear something frequently, we can stop paying attention. In the same way, we are in danger of not paying attention […]
5 million people in the UK – are you next?
There are now 13 local authorities who have adopted the Faith Covenant created by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Faith and Society (of which FaithAction is the secretariat). That means 5 million people are covered by the faith covenant in; Birmingham Leeds Northampshire Barnet Solihull Calderale Southampton Blackpool Essex Brent Wolverhamton Preston Brighton […]
It’s right in front of your nose! Faith-based activity in society
At FaithAction, we have an important role in getting behind what you – our members – are doing out in the streets and byways of our nation. This means we offer support by giving advice, channelling funding when we can, providing training and representing you to the public sector, government and politicians. As we are […]
When your project burns you out
Are you tired of doing good things? Does it seem like your efforts are never quite enough? Are you worn out by what’s in front of you? I was talking to a friend of mine, trying to suggest to him some different ways of working, when he reacted with, “If I don’t help those kids, […]
There isn’t a problem between faiths – people who think faith is a problem are the problem!
Sometimes being on the outside of a situation gives us a better perspective; there can be real wisdom in hearing alternative voices and gaining insight. But when an outside philosophy or world-view is imposed by one group on another without any semblance of adaptation or integration, then that external perspective would be better termed ‘prejudice’. […]