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For Good: The Church and the Future of Welfare
It is often claimed that local churches provide a significant proportion of social care today. This important new study considers the reality of the church's involvement to offer compelling and concrete recommendations for the future. It proposes a transformational model of welfare that breaks free from the default approach of ‘eradicating the five giant evils – squalor, ignorance, want, idleness, and disease’. Instead the authors focus on fostering five assets – relationship, creativity, partnership, compassion, and joy – and empowering people to regain control of their lives. With bold and innovative practical recommendations for churches, civil society and public policy, and compelling theological reflection on welfare and poverty, this is essential reading for anyone interested in the church's contribution to society.
128 pages, Paperback
Published November 6, 2017
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About the author
Samuel Wells
137 books48 followersSamuel Wells (PhD, University of Durham) is vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican Church at Trafalgar Square in London. He previously served as dean of the chapel and research professor of Christian ethics at Duke University. Wells is the author of several books, including Be Not Afraid, Improvisation: The Drama of Christian Ethics, and Transforming Fate into Destiny: The Theological Ethics of Stanley Hauerwas. He also coedited, with Stanley Hauerwas, The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 25, 2018
This is a valuable book that seeks to establish a consensual way forward for the church to engage in social action. It is well constructed and clear in its aims and ambitions. However its short length means that it has significant limitations.
The key argument (set out in Chapter 1) is that the Beveridge Report established that the Welfare State would tackle five key deficits (Want, Idleness, Ignorance, Disease and Squalor) but that the Church's actions should be orientated to cultivating corresponding assets (flourishing, fulfilment, inspiration, being a blessing and hope). The distinctive goals or goods the Church should feature are relationships, creativity, partnership, compassion and joy.
Following chapters sketch the wider context of social action (New Labour expansion and Conservative austerity), and testimony of how churches responded. There are three case studies of 'good practice' and an illustrated model of how churches might relate to state provision.
This book is important and may prove to be influential and deserves to be read and discussed. However it has number of weaknesses
1. Vision has displaced theology. Although the authors note that churches have been socially active without 'theological underpinning', there is little theology here. Other than a casual mention of the Kingdom and tangential references to human flourishing and the potential of everyone there is next to nothing to root our social action in God and his Work.
2. Similarly there are neglible references to Jesus and Scripture, or theologians (other than William Temple twice).
3. Without wishing to be particularly moralistic, I find it remarkable that there are no references to Sin, corporate, structural or personal etc...
4. I wonder whether those employed by the state in social work, health or education are quite as limited in their ambition as the language of reducing a deficit suggests.
5. Two of the three case studies tell of how notable projects began outside a local church, surely simpler more organic illustrations might have been found?
6. Schools are mentioned only en passant in the case studies and elsewhere. Surely Church Schools represent the Church's (Anglican, Catholic, Methodist and others) greatest ongoing investment of time and money into social capital?
7. The three case studies are all located in areas of manifest deprivation and start with meeting obvious needs. But what of the suburban church, where the starting place is not so clear?
I am worried that in spite of the ambition of the first chapter the authors have only partially bridged the gap between 'personal faith and spirituality' and social engagement. There is more to be said about what actually happens and of course more to be done.
The key argument (set out in Chapter 1) is that the Beveridge Report established that the Welfare State would tackle five key deficits (Want, Idleness, Ignorance, Disease and Squalor) but that the Church's actions should be orientated to cultivating corresponding assets (flourishing, fulfilment, inspiration, being a blessing and hope). The distinctive goals or goods the Church should feature are relationships, creativity, partnership, compassion and joy.
Following chapters sketch the wider context of social action (New Labour expansion and Conservative austerity), and testimony of how churches responded. There are three case studies of 'good practice' and an illustrated model of how churches might relate to state provision.
This book is important and may prove to be influential and deserves to be read and discussed. However it has number of weaknesses
1. Vision has displaced theology. Although the authors note that churches have been socially active without 'theological underpinning', there is little theology here. Other than a casual mention of the Kingdom and tangential references to human flourishing and the potential of everyone there is next to nothing to root our social action in God and his Work.
2. Similarly there are neglible references to Jesus and Scripture, or theologians (other than William Temple twice).
3. Without wishing to be particularly moralistic, I find it remarkable that there are no references to Sin, corporate, structural or personal etc...
4. I wonder whether those employed by the state in social work, health or education are quite as limited in their ambition as the language of reducing a deficit suggests.
5. Two of the three case studies tell of how notable projects began outside a local church, surely simpler more organic illustrations might have been found?
6. Schools are mentioned only en passant in the case studies and elsewhere. Surely Church Schools represent the Church's (Anglican, Catholic, Methodist and others) greatest ongoing investment of time and money into social capital?
7. The three case studies are all located in areas of manifest deprivation and start with meeting obvious needs. But what of the suburban church, where the starting place is not so clear?
I am worried that in spite of the ambition of the first chapter the authors have only partially bridged the gap between 'personal faith and spirituality' and social engagement. There is more to be said about what actually happens and of course more to be done.
July 7, 2021
A interesting and thoughtful introduction to a large and complex subject.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews