Faithful Presence in a Fractured World

'How do we respond when people assume our Christian faith and its symbols to support attitudes and behaviours that are anything but Christlike? This timely and much needed book goes beyond theory and arguments to offer practical ways in which to help churches and individual Christians navigate the challenges of the far right. With a whole section on young people and the challenges they face, it provides a vital resource for families as well as those working with youth groups and in schools.'

-- The Most Reverend Cherry Vann

'How do we respond when Scripture is used as a tool for power, fear or exclusion or when religious language is used to degrade, dehumanise, or incite hatred? How should the church react to a crisis that is simultaneously theological, pastoral and political? How can we stay faithful to Scripture without twisting it or weaponising it ourselves?

The excellent Dr Helen Paynter has assembled an impressive and urgently needed toolkit to help us answer these questions. Faithful Presence in a Fractured World is calm, courageous and theologically serious. It resists the temptations both of anxious hand-wringing and of mirroring the aggression of those it critiques. Instead it points us back to the mustard seed - small, quiet, kingdom acts that change the world precisely because they do not try to seize it.'

-- Dr Krish Kandiah, OBE

'This toolkit offers much practical wisdom for churches seeking to navigate the challenges presented by an increasingly polarised political context, rising tensions in communities, and an emboldened far right. Helen Paynter has assembled a considered cast of experienced contributors, each with a powerful story to tell or point to make. Together, it makes for a timely resource that is accessible and yet nuanced, deeply theological and also immediately applicable in local contexts. I highly recommend it for any church leader wanting to dig into what loving our neighbours looks like amid the complexities of contemporary Britain.'

-- Simeon Mitchell

'This is a timely and valuable contirbution to an urgent issue for all seeking to respond to social fracture and division promoted by the extreme right. 

This colletion does not seek to offer easy solutions or prescriptions but rather a contextual tool kit produced expertly by Helen Paynter together with a wide range of practioners, ministers and citizens joined together in the common endeavour of responding well to the deep unease of troubled times in which the far right rises. This book highlights both the need and the actions required to resist that rise.'

-- The Right Reverend Arun A