Durham E-Theses Just Friendship: The Political and Societal Implications of the Practice of Relocation GRINNELL, ANDREW,DAVID How to cite: GRINNELL, ANDREW,DAVID (2019) Just Friendship: The Political and Societal Implications of the Practice of Relocation, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/13155/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 Just Friendship The Political and Societal Implications of the Practice of Relocation Andrew David Grinnell Doctorate of Theology and Ministry Department of Theology and Religion Durham University 1992 Just Friendship: The Political and Societal Implications of the Practice of Relocation. Andrew Grinnell Abstract: Throughout the world people motivated by their Christian faith are relocating into low- income neighbourhoods, slums and shanty towns as a response to poverty. These practitioners (I call them relocators) believe that close proximity with people who experience poverty enables missional, ecclesial and spiritual transformation. In Just Friendship I propose that there are also political and societal implications of this practice and construct a theological framework that challenges relocators to incorporate this into their practice. Initially I survey the literature written by relocators in the United Kingdom. I argue that their use of incarnational living to describe their practice is unhelpful as it oversimplifies the context and produces a reductionist theology. From this, I explore how the sociological frameworks of social citizenship, vulnerability and resilience provide a way of understanding the complexity of low-income neighbourhoods that ensures the theological framework relocators operate within addresses neighbourhoods appropriately. The main theological claim of my thesis is that Samuel Wells’ trope of ‘being with’ is orientating language for the relocators’ practice. However, I argue that it overlooks and over-rejects the structural deficits within a neighbourhood and, as such, could be considered passive in the face of dehumanising structures. By drawing upon the public theology of Elaine Graham and Duncan Forrester I argue that ‘being with’ may be expanded to respond to this claim and in doing so, I propose ‘being with(in)’ as appropriate theological language to describe the practice. Through incorporating collective social rights into a theological account of justice, relocators might be attentive to the ‘cries’ of neighbours and seek opportunities for neighbours to engage in the public square. Through this practice, new forms of economic and political relationships are formed. My conclusion is that relocators become part of a new generation of practical public theologians who may help reduce the gap between the churches’ public pronouncements and the experience of local people. Andrew Grinnell: Just Friendship 1 Just Friendship: The Political and Societal Implications of the Practice of Relocation Andrew David Grinnell A Thesis in one volume submitted for the degree of Doctorate of Theology and Ministry Department of Theology and Religion Durham University 2019 Word Count: 71,415 Andrew Grinnell: Just Friendship 2 Table of Contents Declaration 6 Statement of Copyright 6 Acknowledgements 7 1. Introduction 8 1.1 Maps of Relocation 10 1.1.1 The Theological Map of the Relocator 12 1.1.2 The Default Map of a Low-Income Neighbourhood 15 1.2 Theological Travelling Companions 17 1.2.1 Practical Theology 18 1.2.2 Post-liberal Theology 20 1.2.3 Public Theology 22 1.3 The Journey of Relocation – Orientation, Disorientation, Reorientation 24 1.3.1 (Re)locating Myself 26 1.3.1.1 Orientation 26 1.3.1.2 Disorientation 27 1.3.1.3 Reorientation 30 1.3.2 (Re)locating my Research 33 1.4 Mapping the Thesis 37 2. An Orientation to the Practice of Relocation 41 2.1 Literature about the Practice of Relocation 43 2.2 Motivations for Relocation 46 2.2.1 Missional Motivations 46 2.2.2 Ecclesial Motivations 49 2.2.3 Personal Discipleship Motivations 51 2.2.4 Societal Motivations 53 2.3 Incarnational Living: A Limiting Framework 56 2.3.1 Incarnational Living Unhelpfully Simplifies the Complexity of the Context 60 2.3.2 Incarnational Living Distorts the Relocator’s Understanding of their Role 64 2.3.3 Incarnational Living Develops a Reductionist Christology 70 2.4 Conclusion 73 Andrew Grinnell: Just Friendship 3 3. The Disorientation of Neighbourhood Poverty 75 3.1 Leeds: A Multi-Speed City 77 3.2 Critical Conversations with Social Capital 83 3.2.1 Social Capital in the Literature about Leeds 86 3.2.2 Is Social Capital a Helpful Lens for the Relocator? 92 3.3 Social Citizenship 96 3.3.1 Social Citizenship in the Literature about Leeds 98 3.3.2 Is Social Citizenship a Helpful Lens for the Relocator? 100 3.4 Vulnerability and Resilience 102 3.4.1 Vulnerability and Resilience in the Literature about Leeds 107 3.4.2 Are Vulnerability and Resilience Helpful Lenses for the Relocator? 109 3.5 Conclusion 112 4. Finding Orientation in the Language of ‘Being With(in)’ 114 4.1 Introducing Samuel Wells 116 4.2 Framing Poverty 120 4.2.1 Anthropological Framing: The Human Predicament 120 4.2.2 Theological Framing: God with Us 123 4.3 From ‘Working For’ to ‘Being With’ 125 4.3.1 ‘Being With’ as Orientating Language for Relocators 128 4.4 Is ‘Being With’ Enough? Overlooking, Over-rejecting and Over-accepting 133 4.4.1 Overlooking Deficits and Complexity 135 4.4.2 Over-rejection: The Problem of Binaries 139 4.4.2.1 Being or Working 139 4.4.2.2 Ecclesial or Societal Forms of Justice 142 4.4.2.3 Mortality or Isolation 145 4.4.2.4 Relocator and Neighbour 147 4.5 Conclusion – Being With(in) and Relocators 149 5. From the Disorientation of Dehumanising Structures to the Reorientation of ‘Cries’ 153 5.1 Why Public Theology? 154 5.2 How Might Theology Speak Publicly? 159 5.2.1 Theological Fragments: Duncan Forrester 160 5.2.2 Dialogical Speech: Elaine Graham 162 5.3 Poverty as Injustice 167 5.4 Towards an Account of Justice 170 5.5 How Public Theology Enhances ‘Being With(in)’. 177 Andrew Grinnell: Just Friendship 4 5.5.1 Presence and Partnership 177 5.5.2 Cries: Humanising Justice 181 5.6 Conclusion 185 6. From the Disorientation of Suffering to the Reorientation of ‘Gifts’ and ‘Wounds’ 187 6.1 Complexifying Society 190 6.2 The Participation Dimension of ‘Being With(in)’ 196 6.2.1 The Mystical Body of Christ 198 6.3 Participation Extended: Gifts and Wounds 201 6.3.1 Gifts 202 6.3.2 Wounds 207 6.4 Economic and Political Implications of ‘Gifts’ and ‘Wounds’ 214 6.4.1 Gifts: Alternative Economic Practice 215 6.4.2 Wounds: Alternative Political Practice 217 6.5 Conclusion 221 7. Conclusion 222 7.1 Summary of Conclusions 223 7.2 Limitations, implications and further research 227 7.2.1 Implications and Further Research for the Practice of Relocation 228 7.2.2 Implications and Further Research for Theology 230 7.2.3 Implications and Further Research for the Wider Church 231 7.2.4 Implications for Society 231 7.3 Just Friendships 232 Bibliography 234 Andrew Grinnell: Just Friendship 5 Declaration None of the material contained in this thesis has been previously submitted for a degree in this or any other institution. The thesis is my own work. Statement of Copyright The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without the author’s prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. Andrew Grinnell: Just Friendship 6 Acknowledgements It seems ironic that this page may be the most read one of my thesis given that it identifies some of the people that have enabled me to write the other two hundred and fifty. For me, writing a thesis has never been a solitary task. Rather, it has been a reflection on relationships with people who inspire, encourage and teach me. In the first place, there are the many relocators who I have had the privilege of walking alongside. I’m so grateful for the inspiration of friends who have been part of the Salvation Army’s 614 network, Urban Expression, Eden Network, the New Monastic and New Friar movements and those who relocated without any organisational support. I am particularly grateful for those who moved to ‘be with’ us, each other and our neighbours in East End Park. A wise friend told me many years ago to ensure that you spent time with brilliant people. The coffees that I have shared with people who have nurtured my inquisitiveness and quest to understand things more deeply have been great examples of this. I am so thankful for friendship with Mark Knight, Russ Rook, Martin Johnstone, Catherine and Pete Askew, Carmel Murphy, Anna Ruddick, Mike and Helen Pears, Sam Wells, Sandra Ryan, Karl Footitt, Mike Love, Gary and Hannah Bishop, Geoff Ryan, Sam Ewell, Mark Powley, Kathryn Fitzsimons, Tim Jones, Al Barrett, Louise McGechaen, Jon Dorsett, Stuart Murray-Williams, Jim and Juliet Kilpin, Phil Wall, Ian Mayhew and Mark Sampson.