Be pro-active in recruiting to the group: Think carefully about who would contribute well to, and benefit from, discussi
Together for the Common Good Towards a National Conversation Study Guide When there’s so much we disagree about, how are we going to work together? This book comes out of the wider Together for the Common Good project which seeks to encourage and equip people to come together across their differences to respect each other, to learn alongside each other and to work as agents of change for the common good. Bringing together some of the leading thinkers from across the Christian denominations, Jewish, Muslim and secular traditions, this book is intended as a conversation opener to prompt fruitful discussion that leads to transformation as more and more people take responsibility for the common good. These questions are written both for individuals and groups who might wish to study the book. If you are running a group, here are a few thoughts about what could help it go well… •K eep it punctual: 60 or 90 minutes is a good length for a session. Don’t let it over-run. If you are looking at several chapters in one session, be mindful of how much time is needed for each. • I dentify a good chair: Find someone who is good at chairing – who will draw everyone into the conversation, stop any one voice dominating, and move through the various questions and topics at an appropriate pace. This may or may not be the person who has drawn the group together. •B e pro-active in recruiting to the group: Think carefully about who would contribute well to, and benefit from, discussion of the book – and in particular, whether the group can include people from different traditions. This will enrich discussion of the different chapters, and may make it easier to move from conversation to common action. • I nclude everyone from the start: At each session, the chair should ask everyone to make an initial contribution – responding briefly to one or two opening sessions, before getting into a more free-flowing discussion. Making sure every voice is heard is vital. •E ncourage people to be honest if they haven’t understood some of what they have read: Usually, when people are brave enough to admit confusion, other more reticent members of the group will be relieved! It is important to help people to feel comfortable expressing such uncertainty. •K eep it grounded: In the Introduction, the book’s editors say that ‘We want to give impetus to a “wide-ranging conversation”’ in which ‘the ultimate objective is change, change not talk’. It is important to link the conversations, where possible, to action that people might realistically take. We suggest that you begin your first session asking everyone to answer two simple questions, before you get into any discussion of the book itself. These are: What has motivated you to read this book? and What, in your community and in the wider society, do you think needs to change? What is your immediate reaction to the phrase ‘common good’? What do you understand by it? What positive and negative associations does it have?
The Foreword – Julia Neuberger Neuberger writes that ‘The common good, differently expressed, can be found in all our faiths. But the question remains of how it should be made real, who needs to take ownership of it, and how easy it is to make a difference when public attitudes seem to be shying away from any such concept.’ Do you agree that the idea is found in your faith or worldview? If so, what do you understand it to mean? Do you agree that public attitudes are shying away from the idea? If so, why do think that is? The Introduction – Peter McGrail and Nicholas Sagovsky In a city with a history of sectarian division, Bishop David Sheppard and Archbishop Derek Worlock worked across their denominational and theological differences for the benefit of the people of Liverpool. How does the story of their partnership, as retold here, help you to understand the idea of the ‘common good’ – and the ways in which we can work together for the common good today?
Part One: The Language of the Common Good Chapter 1: The Language of the Common Good – Anna Rowlands Rowlands begins with a particular example of common action across diversity – the work of Citizens UK. What has been your experience of acting for the common good with others? What is your response to the way Rowlands applies ‘common good’ principles to the issue of immigration? What other issue would you most like to see them applied to? What difference do you think they would make. Chapter 2: The Unexamined Society: Public Reasoning, Social Justice and the Common Good – Andrew Bradstock Bradstock writes that the Scottish independence referendum enlivened political discussion at a grassroots level. Think of an example of a lively and constructive political discussion you have been part of. What made it work? What can we learn from that? This chapter deals with a wide range of thinkers. Which did you find most helpful in considering how diverse communities can live well together? Why?
Part Two: Traditions of the Common Good What (if any) religious or secular tradition do you see yourself as part of, or as inspired by? Does it help you to understand the idea of ‘common good’? If so, how? Chapter 3: Aristotle and the Politics of the Common Good Today – Patrick Riordan SJ In this chapter, Riordan argues for a ‘faith-based’ perspective on politics, but not one that is ‘theocratic’. Does that distinction make sense to you? What do you think it implies about what is, and is not, an appropriate role for religion in public life? Have you seen faith making a positive contribution to politics – without seeking to impose itself on non-believers? Chapter 4: Wealth and Common Good – Esther D. Reed How did you respond to Reed’s account of Christian teaching on wealth? What challenged or inspired you? What difference will it make?
What responsibilities do you think come with wealth today? To what extent should that question be left to the individual conscience – and to what extent should the state enforce these responsibilities? Chapter 5: ‘A Disposition to Preserve, and an Ability to Improve’: Edmund Burke and the Common Good in a Revolutionary Age – Samuel Burgess Burke’s vision of a diverse society was one in which ‘a variety of parts’ contributed to ‘one shared culture’. Does that vision seem realistic in today’s society? What do you think this chapter has to teach us about how we might live together in an increasingly diverse nation? What do you do – and what could you do – to work with people who are different from you for the common good? Chapter 6: The Common Good after the Death of God – Jon E. Wilson Wilson writes that ‘The common good is not a utopia, nor even a future state to be aspired to. Instead, it is a way of working which can be experienced in practice.’ What practical experiences have you had that reflect this? If you have a faith, are there ways your faith community could work more with non-believers for the common good? If you do not, do you see faiths as important partners in working for the common good? Why (or why not)? Chapter 7: Evangelicalism and the Language(s) of the Common Good – Jonathan Chaplin Whether or not you are an evangelical Christian, did you find Chaplin’s ‘fivefold typology’ helpful? Which of the five ways of looking at the common good are you most drawn to, and why? Chaplin tells us that evangelicals are keen to interrogate ‘accounts of the common good that seem to sidle up too comfortably to conventional secular wisdom (whether of left, right or centre)’. Do you think this is a danger for the ‘common good’ approach? If so, how can it best be avoided? Chapter 8: Social Action that Crosses Boundaries and Overcomes Barriers: A Muslim Perspective on the Common Good – Tehmina Kazi Before reading this chapter, were you aware that ‘Many scholars deem states like the United Kingdom to be better at upholding these public goals [of Islamic teaching] than majority-Muslim countries.’? How do you react to that argument? Have you experience of the kind of ‘empathetic advocacy work’ which Kazi describes at the end of the chapter? If not, are there opportunities you, or communities of which you are a part, might have to engage in such work? Chapter 9: The Church of England and the Common Good – Malcolm Brown Brown writes that ‘differing modes of liberalism in political and cultural life have conspired together, over many decades, to create a public consciousness which elevates the notion of the autonomous individual over conceptions of the common good’. Do you agree with this analysis? Does it make good sense of your experience of politics, both locally and nationally? How should churches (and other groups) balance the meeting of needs (e.g. through foodbanks and night shelters) with campaigning to challenge the structures that leave people hungry and homeless?
Part Three: The Market and the Common Good Chapter 10: Markets and the Common Good – Brian Griffiths Griffiths presents a case for markets making a vital contribution to the common good. What surprised and challenged you in the case he made? Did you find the argument convincing? Do you agree with Griffiths about the appropriate limits of markets? Where do you see the market failing today – and do
you think government or civil society is best placed to take a lead in tackling this failure? Chapter 11: Pluralism and the Common Good in a Market Economy – Philip Booth Booth suggests a number of ways in which civil society (religious and other voluntary institutions) can help to create a moral framework in which the market economy is more likely to promote the common good. Are there ways in which you (and the organizations of which you are part) could be more involved in such activities? What is your reaction to the specific proposals Booth makes with respect to education policy? How do you think they might, or might not, promote the common good? Chapter 12: Politics, Employment Policies and the Young Generation – Maurice Glasman Glasman presents a rather different analysis of the market economy from the previous chapters, arguing in particular that the German model, which differs in significant respects from the UK model, has been particularly successful. Do you find that argument convincing? He also makes an important distinction between ‘solidarity’ and ‘collectivism’, and calls on civil society to build solidarity across the generations. How might that happen in practice in the community in which you live? Chapter 13: Market Economics, Catholic Social Teaching and the Common Good – Clifford Longley Longley writes that ‘There is much talk of ‘remoralizing’ economics, arguing that 2008 would not have happened if people had behaved better, been less greedy. But this hardly scratches the surface. The core problem is ideological, and bankers behaving better won’t solve it.’ Do you agree? Do you find the idea of ‘structural’ as well as personal sin compelling? Griffiths and Booth focused more on how civil society might complement the free market with virtuous agents and voluntary action – whereas Glasman and Longley also think the market needs a different statutory framework. Which position are you more persuaded by, and why? What will we take away from the book? Let’s return to the initial remark by the editors – ‘We want to give impetus to a “wide-ranging conversation”’ in which ‘the ultimate objective is change, change not talk.’ How have your views been changed by the book, and by the conversations it has provoked? How will this change your actions – immediately and/or in the longer term? Think about the different groups and communities who live in your area. Who are you in conversation with already, and who would you like to engage with? How might you do this? Further resources Here are three websites with a wide range of resources and further links, to help you move from discussion to action… • The Together for the Common Good website has a wide range of stories, case studies and resources – and details of events across the country. www.togetherforthecommongood.co.uk • The Centre for Theology and Community equips churches to transform their communities. It has produced the Seeing Change video course on how Christian congregations can act with others for social justice, and its website has a range of other practical projects and resources. www.theology-centre.org •C itizens UK is mentioned in a number of essays in the book. This community organizing alliance brings together religious and civic institutions to act for the common good – and is best known for campaigns on the Living Wage, just treatment for those seeking sanctuary in the UK, and an end to exploitative lending. www.citizensuk.org
