Covenant Relationships for Radicals: Baptists, Community Organising and social justice

This dissertation examines the theory and practice of Broad-based Community Organising, establishing a critical dialogue between this approach to social change and Baptist social justice theology, ethics, and practice with impoverished and marginalised people. Community Organising is an approach that originated in the US in the 1940s, and which came to the UK in the late 1980s. It has been adopted by churches from many denominations, by other faith traditions, and by many civic society institutions because of its perceived effectiveness as a vehicle for leadership development and collective action for social justice and the common good. Despite much theological reflection and research by Baptists and others on social justice as a key area for Christian discipleship and action by churches, there is currently little practice of social justice by UK Baptist churches and Community Organising has not been well explored by them. This dissertation aims to close that gap. Baptists would benefit from a stronger theological ethic for social justice. Community Organising has informed other faith communities’ social justice work, particularly in Anglican and Roman Catholic churches. However, there is little UK Baptist literature on Community Organising. This dissertation brings the growing Community Organising literature into contact with Baptist church theology, ethics, and practice.