URBLOG

Welcome to the EcoMosque

Ziauddin Sardar in New Statesman

The hope is that the first ecomosque will act as an inspiration and model for future mosques

...there are Muslims, most of them young, who recognise that mosques must evolve. If the Muslim community is to regenerate itself, its mosques will have to become much more than simply places of worship, devoted to particular sects to the exclusion of all others.

This is a tall order, but it is the basic philosophy behind EcoMosque. Developed by Regenesis², a Muslim social enterprise based in Manchester, the EcoMosque concept aims to transform British masjids into dynamic and effective vehicles for social change.

Moral, But No Compass

Government, Church and the Future of Welfare
This new major study  draws on hundreds of interviews and survey questionnaires, describes the modern setting in which the government's welfare and related voluntary sector policies often are experienced as “discriminatory”, inadequately rooted in evidence and at risk of failing the faith communities.

produced by the von Hugel Centre for the Study of Faith in Society

Francis Davis in The Tablet

Interaction, partrcipation & belonging

Immigration, faith and cohesion

A report from the Jospeh Rowntree Foundation considers issues of identitry, belonging and integration among British muslims.

‘Evidence suggests that it is discrimination and the perception of being unwelcome, rather than attachment to their country of origin, that reduces migrants’ sense of belonging in Britain.’

Expanding urban learning

The latest newsletter from the Ecologies of Urban Learning program at NYTS.

Gentrification, depression, Harlem and more.

Download eol_newsletter_volume_2_issue_2_hot_off_the_press.htm

God is a Londoner!

Religious London

  London has more religious groups than any other city in the world and together they weave a wonderfully rich tapestry, producing communities teeming with diversity. This extraordinary mix of faiths in London is a phenomenon and which listings magazine Time Out explores and celebrates.

Urban studies pioneer dies

Lowell Livezey 1943-2007

We are sorry report the death of Prof. Lowell Livezey, Professor of Urban and Religious Studies and Director of the Ecologies of Learning Project at the New York Theological Seminary.  Prof. Livezey pioneered ethnographic approaches to understanding the impact of urban religious life and was a leader and collaborator in researching the growing confidence of urban congregations in their communities. His work on Chicago Public Religion and Urban Transformation: Faith in the City provides a key model of this approach.

FAITHS FOR THE CITY

What makes a 'Good City'? Faith perspectives from Birmingham

  As Birmingham continues to evolve as a Multi Faith city, the need becomes greater for the different Faith communities to relate to each other and to the city at a variety of levels. As well as developing friendships and working together on common issues, it is important that the religious communities are able to contribute with substance to the pressing debates about the future of the city.

Six  theologians were asked to write on the subject of What makes a good city? These papers are based on respective scriptural texts, taking into account the history of their interpretation.

On looking for a transfigured city...

URBLOG REVIEW

Download global_cities_review_davey.doc

Andrew Davey visits the Tate Modern Global Cities exhibition

Initiating urban ways of being church

Church Planting in the Inner City (Grove Books, 2007) by Juliet Kilpin and Stuart Murray explores distinctive features of church planting in inner-city communities, recognising that this is a demanding task, but arguing that it is crucial in light of the changing dynamics of contemporary culture. The book earths its reflections in the story of Urban Expression  a mission agency that has been planting inner-city churches during the past 10 years and now operates in London, Manchester and Glasgow.

Urban Expression deploys small self-funding teams to help catalyse the emergence of contextually appropriate churches. It also co-sponsors the Crucible training course,which provides training each year in Birmingham on church planting, urban mission and emerging church. For further information visit the websites or email enquiries@urbanexpression.org.uk

Latinos and the Transformation of American Religion

Changing Faiths

Hispanics are transforming the US religious landscape, especially the Catholic Church, not only because of their growing numbers but also because they are practicing a distinctive form of Christianity. Latest research from the Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

"...most Latinos view the pulpit as an appropriate place to address social and political issues. "

"Latino Catholics...are much more likely than Latino evangelicals to identify with the Democratic Party."

Download the complete report