12 Rules for Christian Activists: A Toolkit for Massive Change

By Ellen Louden

In 12 Rules for Christian Activists, Ellen Louden and a host of contributors present 12 accessible and practical principles to encourage a new generation to create a movement for positive social change.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Canterbury Press Norwich
• Release date: Apr 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9781786222466

Ellen Louden

Ellen Louden is Canon Chancellor of Liverpool Cathedral and Director of Social Justice for the Diocese of Liverpool.

Book preview

12 Rules for Christian Activists

12 Rules for Christian Activists

A Toolkit for Massive Change

Ellen Loudon

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© Ellen Loudon 2020

Published in 2020 by Canterbury Press

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Contents

Acknowledgements

Foreword by Bishop Paul Bayes

The 12 Rules

Introduction: Being a Christian Activist

1. People Before Programmes

2. Be Useful

3. Collaborate

4. Think BIG – Start Small

5. Find Your Level

6. Identify the Good Things and Give the Good Things Away

7. Diversify

8. Make it Count

9. Remember Where You Came From

10. Take Risks

11. Travel Light

12. Tell Stories

Conclusion: Taking Part in Massive Change

Bibliography

Biographies

Acknowledgement of sources

Acknowledgements

I am very grateful to everyone who has collaborated on this book and the generosity with which they have shared their practice and thinking. You are all remarkable Christian activists who are participating in massive change.

As well as those who have written contributions, there are many others who have spent time with me drinking tea, bouncing ideas about and offering encouragement. I am particularly grateful to Mark Loudon and Miranda Threlfall-Holmes, who have had my back and kept the pressure on. Also, thank you to members of the Tsedaqah community who have inspired and helped me – particularly Sam Rigby and Jen Williams for their research skills.

Thanks to David Shervington at Canterbury Press, who has kept the project on track, and Miranda Lever for her clarity and editing skills.

Finding time to write in the middle of the excitement of a full-time role in the Diocese and Cathedral of Liverpool has been a challenge only made possible because of the excellent colleagues with whom I share my working life. Together in the Diocese of Liverpool we are asking God for a ‘bigger church to make a bigger difference, so that we see more people knowing Jesus and more justice in the world’. This book is a small contribution to this vision.

Foreword

It’s a pleasure to work alongside Ellen Loudon in Liverpool and to learn from her about Jesus and justice. Now you too can share this pleasure by reading and absorbing her ideas, and those of her outstanding team of collaborators, in this book. You’ll read stories of planning, diversity, courage, focus, prayer, passion, holiness, grace, sheer hard work – because all these and more add up to the life of a Christian activist.

Here in Liverpool Diocese we aim to be a community of people committed to Jesus and justice. We sense God’s calling and sending in a twofold journey – the inner calling to pray, read and learn, and the outer sending to tell, serve and give. In these chapters, Ellen and her friends articulate in a whole range of different ways what all this might mean for those who are led to change the world by the grace and power of God.

But here at the beginning of the journey, let me warn you. If you decide to read further, look out! You will read about the need for massive change, and you will be asked to commit to massive change yourself. This is a book full of solidarity, lightness and joy – but it is very well aware of the strength needed to struggle for justice and humanity in the face of so much inequality, prejudice and hate. It will invite you, in the words of the American Jesuit and peace protestor Daniel Berrigan, to ‘know where you stand – AND STAND THERE’. And it will provide you with human, relational, spiritual and political resources as you follow that invitation and take that stand.

The times are urgent, as they have always been. People need God, and as they become dignified and beautiful children of God, people need help. The call of Jesus Christ remains compelling and radical. Ellen and her friends have responded to that call and they’re asking the rest of us to do so too. I’m humbled and privileged to be able to work with most of the people who write here, and to follow them on the road of Christian activism.

In short, this is a book for people who want to be resourced as they make a massive difference. I hope you want that too. And trust me – if you read and apply the teaching in this book, your life will become even more interesting. Indeed, you may even get into hot water – but as Ellen would probably say, ‘Hey! Come on in! Hot water’s fine!’

Paul Bayes

Anglican Bishop of Liverpool

The 12 Rules

People before programmes

Be useful

Collaborate

Think BIG – start small

Find your level

Identify the good things and give the good things away

Diversify

Make it count

Remember where you came from

Take risks

Travel light

Tell stories

Introduction: Being a Christian Activist

… what is good;

and what does the L

ord

require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God?

(Micah 6.8)

12 Rules for Christian Activists is an introduction to a way of ordering an active Christian life that makes positive change possible in a world that desperately needs difference-makers.

I have called it a Toolkit for Massive Change¹ because it is my contention that our small, deliberate, purposeful acts of social justice, done in the name of Jesus, will transform God’s world. My hope is that having read the stories of everyday Christian activism you will feel equipped to make a difference in your community, and along the way you will:

pick up tips about how to deepen your social engagement;

be inspired to be more purposeful and strategic about the work you are doing;

feel connected to other difference-making Christians;

be encouraged to tell your story and enable the stories of those around you to be told.

The inspiration for this book, and the work that emerges from it, came from my thinking and my practice. I am a social activist, and my motivation for this comes from my Christian faith.

The Office for Civil Society defines social action as follows:

Social action is about people coming together to help improve their lives and solve the problems that are important in their communities. It can broadly be defined as practical action in the service of others, which is (i) carried out by individuals or groups of people working together, (ii) not mandated and not for profit, (iii) done for the good of others – individuals, communities and/or society, and (iv) bringing about social change and or value.²

Not all social activists are Christians but I think all Christians should be activists. It is on this basis that I wanted to write these Rules.

The Rules are not new, they have been assembled from various places: the grounding of the Old Testament, the life of Jesus and his teachings, the inspiration of the early Church. In addition the rules are influenced by Paulo Freire,³ Liberation Theology⁴ (particularly the writing of Gustavo Gutiérrez),⁵ Catholic Social Teaching,⁶ the writing of St Ignatius⁷ and Julian of Norwich,⁸ social and community organizing⁹ and Asset Based Community Development.¹⁰ You will have your own influences and you will be inspired by writers, activists, politicians and historical figures. But the focus of this book will be the everyday activists who are putting theory into action.

The Rules have also emerged from my practice: as well as being Canon Chancellor at Liverpool Cathedral, I am Director for Social Justice in the Diocese of Liverpool and I have the privilege of hearing and sharing in the social action of many people and communities in the diocese. I am independent chair of the VS6,¹¹ which is able to represent the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Economy (VCFSE) in the Liverpool City Region; I am an advisor for the VCFSE to the Metro Mayor of the Combined Authority of the Liverpool City Region; and a trustee of Micah Liverpool,¹² Together Liverpool¹³ and The Liverpool Diocesan Council for Social Aid, which is responsible for running Adelaide House,¹⁴ one of just two independent female-approved premises in England.

What is a Christian activist?

Christian activists are as diverse as the actions we take. Some of us boldly take direct action; some prefer to act gently with a silent strength. We are people from many nations, of different classes, genders and sexuality. Some of us are physically active, others are not. We are extroverts and introverts – all wanting to see social change happen. Some of us get paid to be activists and many of us just want to share our free time. Christian activists are children, young people and old people, some with degrees and others with extraordinary life experience. There are some who feel they are on top of the world and others of us who, frankly, struggle to get through the day.

What we share in common is a heart for social justice. Together we want to see massive change in our communities, our churches and the world. We do these things in the name of Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit and by the grace of our creator God. Together we pray for God’s kingdom of justice and mercy to be on earth as it is in heaven.

We want to be God’s hands and feet in the world and see God’s kingdom grow in strength and numbers and deepen in love. We want this world to be a better place for all God’s creation. We want to see Christian activism draw people into knowing ‘what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God’ (Ephesians 3.18–19).

We can do this, and so much more than we can ever imagine, when we understand that ‘Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much’ (attributed to Helen Keller).

Christian activists don’t want to live or act alone, we want to live in communities, seeking the good of all and loving God.

What do Christian activists believe?

The Bible speaks of the boundless generosity of God and the call for the People of God to replicate this. God’s vision for the restored kingdom is one of justice and mercy and we are expected to participate in the kingdom plan by ensuring that none are excluded and all are welcomed.

The hard news is that this vision can often seem so far off: our world feels broken and fragile, and humanity appears to be at odds with itself and God. As a result our systems all too often operate unequally, in favour of those who hold power at the expense of the poor, the powerless and the marginalized. The Church has a biblical mandate to change this story and tell of the good news of God’s coming kingdom. We need to promote systems that empower, liberate and bring justice to all.

We see in Jesus the person of God who lived a fully human life and engaged in the struggle to bring about his Father’s purposes here on earth. As a result, Jesus gave up his life in order to break the old order and bring in the new kingdom. His resurrection and the outpouring of his Spirit enable us to continue his work of generous mercy in the world today.

Christian activists want to take an active role in participating in God’s kingdom and they look forward to the time when justice and mercy flow across all the earth. This participation and faith are based in our understanding of the nature of God:

God is radically generous and we are called to replicate this.

God longs for justice and mercy to be seen in all the earth and for all people and calls on God’s people to enact this.

Jesus’ ministry inspires us to ‘learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression and bring justice’ (Isaiah 1.17 ESV).

Jesus’ death and resurrection confronted the world order of desolation and isolation from God and initiated the coming kingdom of liberation and new life.

The Holy Spirit equips us to join in this new kingdom story, to follow Jesus’ example and to live courageous, liberated and just lives to the glory of God.

This way of thinking about God enables Christians to see their lives as inclusive, activist and participatory. We are joining in God’s kingdom plan for the earth and including and encouraging others to become part of this story. We are active in our engagement with justice for the earth and all who rely on her creativity to survive. We are willing to participate in the liberation plan and take risks for Christ’s sake.

In this sense, all Christians should be activists – though we accept that not all activists will be Christians. This is our calling, but we also know that if we don’t (or won’t) do this work God will use and transform the good work of people of all faiths and none. This stuff has to be done – and if we don’t do it, God will find a way to get it done without us. When we choose to join in God’s work of mercy it becomes a collective endeavour – no longer just ours but for everyone – and impacts the whole earth. What makes Christian activism extraordinary is that it is powered by a force beyond human expectation and experience.

I pray that the rest of this book will inspire your activism: in the following chapters you will read the stories of activists who have changed the world for the better and in their own unique ways have made massive change possible. This is the beginning of the collecting together of stories of our Christian activism and social justice. While there is a great deal of diversity here, and various approaches are taken in the collection of stories, there are some missing voices. For instance, though a number of contributors are disabled, we are missing the disability activist voice; there are contributions from black activists in South Africa, but not BAME lay UK activists; and we hear from young social leaders, but the activism of young people and children is not directly referenced. This book is the start of a conversation, the beginnings of the stirrings of a movement. Contributors will share their experience and knowledge with you and offer tips on how to be a Christian activist. These people are my friends and it is a privilege to introduce them to you

First up is Angus Ritchie from the Centre for Community and Theology, who focuses on the rule People before Programmes. This rule reminds us that the systems we operate, the ideas we have and the projects we devise must never be more important than the people who participate, serve or operate them. Our next rule, Be Useful, is a collaboration between two people who have a heart for displaced people: Nadine Daniel and Bonnie Evans-Hills reflect on how our activism needs to be useful not self-serving. Rule #3 is a reflection on the importance of collaboration; like many of these shared stories this rule was negotiated over a cup of tea in conversation with Jenny Sinclair of Together for the Common Good. Rule #4, Think BIG – Start Small, has been written in collaboration with Annie Merry of Faiths4Change. This rule is about how activists must have big ideas for massive change but need to start in a modest way and expect small changes to build into significant action. Rule #5, Find Your Level, focuses on how activists need to work at the most appropriate level in order to be effective. Exploring the principle of subsidiarity in practice, Henry and Jane Corbett reflect on their experience of community activism in a single community over a 30-year period. Rule #6, Identify the Good Things and Give the Good Things Away, explores how we can learn the practice of being generous activists. This rule has been written in collaboration with the Church Land Programme Co-op in South Africa.

Rule #7, Diversify, is a reflection on the significance of diversity and diversification in activism. This chapter is written in collaboration with Kieran Bohan, who is the Open Table network coordinator, and Warren Hartley, who is the LGBTQIA+ Ministry Facilitator at St Bride’s Liverpool. Rule #8, Make It Count, explores the importance of evaluating and measuring the impact of our activism. Naomi Maynard of the Church Army and Together Liverpool, Heather Buckingham of the Trussell Trust and I collaborate on this rule and share our working practice and ideas for making our social action count. In Rule #9, Remember Where You Came From, Malcolm Rogers, Canon for Reconciliation in the Diocese of Liverpool, explores the importance of historical perspectives and lived experience for current activism. Rule #10, Take Risks, is a reflection on the need to be courageous and step out with our activism. In this chapter I reflect on my own experience of risk-taking and what it feels like when risk-taking doesn’t work out so well. Rule