Mann, Sally (2023) The Church, the Precariat and those in “bullshit jobs”. In: Larner, Luke, (ed.) Confounding the Mighty: Stories of Church, Social Class and Solidarity. Theology engaging Church and Society . SCM Press, London. ISBN 978-0334063575

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Abstract

As people who hope for the Church’s relevance in British culture, I invite you to consider two recent shifts within our class system. One is the emergence of a new class, the Precariat. The other is what is happening to middle-class employment and the increase of “bullshit jobs”. I believe it’s vital to understand some of the shifting patterns of class. I intend to bring these into a conversation with some of the ways we think about Church life and leadership, and then, after some chastening thoughts, to end on a hopeful note. I write as a sociologist, activist and ordained minister. I will be putting my own experiences and ministerial context into conversation with sociology and theology. I’m from an East End working-class background; the fourth of six generations to live in the same four streets in East Ham, Newham. Class matters to me: academically, experientially, vocationally, and even spiritually. I am convinced that if we don’t pay attention to changes in the structures and realities of class, we risk speaking in tropes and stoking social resentment. But if we know what is happening, we may identify opportunities for our churches to become “contrast communities” embodying hope to those caught in the worst repercussions of the changing class landscape in Britain today.

Item Type:	Book Section
Additional Information:	Chapter 6 The Church, the Precariat and those in “Bullshit Jobs” in edited book Confounding the Mighty: Stories of Church, Social Class and Solidarity. Chapter commissioned for Luke Larner (ed.).
Uncontrolled Keywords:	class; theology; justice; precariat
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BR Christianity B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BV Practical Theology H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences > School of Humanities & Social Sciences (HSS)
Related URLs:	Publisher
Last Modified:	07 Dec 2023 15:19
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/38366

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