On 24th October 2018, Chris Shannahan and Stephanie Denning led the autumn session of the ‘Faith and Peaceful Relations Forum‘. The forum included the Coventry launch of the Life on the Breadline project, as well as group discussions on the themes of poverty, austerity, and Christianity.
To listen to recordings from the forum and to view the slides used, visit our Resources section of the website.
First Stephanie spoke about austerity and poverty. She questioned what is meant by the term ‘austerity’ and how this can be in economic, personal, and historical contexts. After discussing some of the key austerity measures in the UK since 2010, Stephanie moved to share how poverty has continued to rise in the UK since 2010, and how this can be linked to the austerity measures which have been implemented.
Chris then introduced the Life on the Breadline project and spoke about faith and poverty as an ‘ambivalent story’. He shared overviews of different theological perspectives on responding to poverty, from caring and campaigning foci, through to an understanding that wealth is a sign of blessing. Chris then posed questions to challenge how we each understand austerity and faith responses.
The forum ended with animated group discussions on how different people understand austerity, and the role that faith groups could or should play in responding to austerity.
If you are interested in attending future Faith and Peaceful Forum events (which usually take place in Coventry), please contact Chris Shannahan and christopher.shannahan@coventry.ac.uk
