Human Flourishing and the Common Good

625 Pages·2014·18.25 MB·English

HUMAN FLOURISHING AND
THE COMMON GOOD:
THE INTENTION AND SHAPE OF
FAITH-BASED YOUTH WORK IN
THE BIG SOCIETY

NIGEL PIMLOTT

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the
requirement of Staffordshire University for the
degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

In collaboration with Centre for Youth Ministry
and Oasis College

September 2013
Acknowledgements

Undertaking this thesis would not have been possible without the support of a
number of people.
I am most indebted to Staffordshire University, Centre for Youth Ministry and Oasis
College for their generous bursary support. The collective wisdom of my supervision
team has kept me on track and I am very grateful to Pete, Nick, David, Paul and Pam.
Without something to research, investigations of this nature are not possible. I am,
therefore, also indebted to the many youth workers who gave of their time so
generously to support my endeavours. I remain in awe of the passion and
commitment you show in the work you do.
My colleagues at Frontier Youth Trust have been continually supportive and
encouraging during my studies. They have allowed me to work flexibly and I wish to
acknowledge that I have very much appreciated this and value immensely all that
they are and do.
Thanks also to Leanne, Sally, mum and dad, Creative Communications Unit and other
academic colleagues for doing what you do best.
And finally, special thanks to Sue for putting up with me when my mind was
exclusively focused on academic matters, for allowing me to talk things over when
she would have preferred to have gone to sleep and, most of all, for just being there
and sharing the journey.
Shalom
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................. i
Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................ ii
Abstract ............................................................................................................................................... v
List of Tables ...................................................................................................................................... vi
List of Photographs ............................................................................................................................ vi
List of Figures .................................................................................................................................... vii
Chapter Summary .............................................................................................................................. ix
Chapter One ............................................................................................................................................ 1
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
1.1 The Place Faith-Based Youth Work Finds Itself In ..................................................................... 4
1.2 An Informed and Serious Debate: The Need for an Investigation ............................................ 7
1.3 The Current Context: Challenges on Many Fronts .................................................................... 8
1.4 Aim of the Investigation ............................................................................................................ 9
1.5 Objectives of the Project ......................................................................................................... 10
1.6 Elusive, Contested and Multicreedal Connotations ................................................................ 11
Chapter Two .......................................................................................................................................... 17
2. A Reflexive Investigation: My Perch and Perspective ............................................................... 17
2.1 My Investigation Motivation and Rationale ........................................................................... 17
2.2 The Influence of Self and Professional Experience upon my Research .................................. 19
2.3 My Theoretical Understanding of the Field ............................................................................ 20
2.4 A Personal Journey of Faith .................................................................................................... 22
2.5 The Impact of Christian Communitarianism on my Research ................................................ 24
2.6 The Significance of My Pragmatic Reflexivity ......................................................................... 26
2.7 Unique Territory and Theoretical Assertions .......................................................................... 28
Chapter Three ....................................................................................................................................... 30
3. Fluid, Multifaceted and Contested – A Literature and Contextual Review .............................. 30
3.1 Emerging Notions of Postsecularism ...................................................................................... 31
3.2 Sociology of Religion and Youth Spirituality: Contemporary Contextual Shifts ..................... 32
3.3 From Consensus to Committed Action: The Missio Dei and Politicised Forms of Engagement
...................................................................................................................................................... 35
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3.4 My Literature Review Themes ................................................................................................ 37
3.5 The Gap in Knowledge ............................................................................................................ 39
Chapter Three: Part A – Youth Work and Faith-Based Youth Work ................................................. 41
3a.1 The Significance of Youth Work Definitions .......................................................................... 41
3a.2 Faith-Based Youth Work: An Evolving Tradition ................................................................... 57
Chapter Three: Part B – The Common Good and The Big Society .................................................... 72
3b.1 The Common Good: A Unifying Telos that Promotes Human Flourishing ........................... 72
3b.2 The Big Society: A Smaller State to Mend Broken Britain? ................................................... 80
3.2 A Collective Discourse ........................................................................................................... 113
Chapter Four ....................................................................................................................................... 118
4. Interdependent, In All Directions and Multi-Purpose – A Robust Methodological Strategy ..... 118
4.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 118
4.2 Ideology, Approach and Dilemmatics ................................................................................... 121
4.3 An Investigation that is Trustworthy and Authentic ............................................................. 122
4.4 Ontology: The Reality of my Investigation Subject Matter ................................................... 125
4.5 Epistemology: Making Sense of Reality ................................................................................ 126
4.6 An Interdisciplinary Theoretical Perspective and Research Philosophy ............................... 130
4.7 An Abductive Strategic Methodology ................................................................................... 132
Chapter Five ........................................................................................................................................ 136
5. A Tripartite Mix-of-Methods Investigation ................................................................................. 136
5.1 Scoping Survey ...................................................................................................................... 136
5.2 Positioning Consultations...................................................................................................... 142
5.3 Case Studies .......................................................................................................................... 147
5.4 Ethical Considerations ........................................................................................................... 161
Chapter Six .......................................................................................................................................... 168
6. The Big View: Initial Findings from the Field ............................................................................... 168
6.1 Key Findings From: The Big Survey........................................................................................ 168
6.2 Emerging Themes From: The Big Consultations ................................................................... 171
6.3 The Big View: Summations .................................................................................................... 173
Chapter Seven ..................................................................................................................................... 174
7. Cross-Case Findings ..................................................................................................................... 174
7.1 Summary Overview and Perspective .................................................................................... 175
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7.2 The Place of Faith: Rethinking Understandings .................................................................... 179
7.3 The Relationship Between Faith-Based Youth Work and the Big Society ............................ 182
7.4 Reciprocal Shape: The Philosophy and Values of How Faith-Based Youth Work is Undertaken
.................................................................................................................................................... 186
7.5 Prospective Intentions: The Pedagogy of What Faith-Based Youth Work Does .................. 194
Chapter Eight ...................................................................................................................................... 199
8. A New Explanatory Model for Faith-Based Youth Work ............................................................. 199
8.1 Big Society: Another Government Spiel? .............................................................................. 199
8.2 The Place, Position and Characteristics of Faith ................................................................... 204
8.3 How Faith-Based Youth Work is Undertaken: An Emerging Hypothesis .............................. 221
8.4 What Faith-Based Youth Work Does: A Theoretical Framework .......................................... 240
Chapter Nine ....................................................................................................................................... 253
9. An Explanatory Model: Bringing the Floors Together ................................................................. 253
9.1 My Explanatory Model .......................................................................................................... 253
9.2 The Limitations of my Investigation ...................................................................................... 256
9.3 Future Work .......................................................................................................................... 258
Chapter Ten ......................................................................................................................................... 260
10. Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 260
10.1 Revisiting my original aims and objectives ......................................................................... 260
10.2 Investigation Findings: Summary Understandings and Implications .................................. 262
10.3 Thesis Evaluation................................................................................................................. 265
10.4 An Original Contribution to Knowledge .............................................................................. 268
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..270
Appendices

iv
Abstract
This thesis investigates faith-based youth work – establishing how it operates and
what it does – in the context of the Big Society political initiative popularised during
the period 2009-2013.
Religion, politics and young people are subjects that promote lively debate, yet
literature about faith-based youth work is limited. What is available does little to
reveal the complex factors that underpin and portray such work. Whilst a variety of
literature about youth work, young people, religion and social policy exists there is
no body of work that brings these considerations together.
Using a tripartite mix-of-methods approach, this study has developed an original
contribution to knowledge in the form of an explanatory model for faith-based
youth work: involving a scoping survey, focus group consultations and four case
studies, a contemporary portrayal of such work has been established. Data was
collected from faith-based youth workers from a variety of backgrounds and
practices to develop the model, which establishes the foundational ethos of faith-
based work, the grounding upon which it is developed, the philosophical shape of
how it operates and the pedagogical intentions of what it does as it supports
transformation in young people.
The findings indicate that faith-based youth work is focused on helping young people
flourish in pursuit to the common good; such work relates to the Big Society notion,
but this is because of an overlapping consensus regarding mutual aspirations rather
than any causal considerations. The place of faith within such work is motivationally
foundational, but often not explicitly identifiable, in day-to-day operations.
The investigation concludes that rather than perceiving young people as problems to
be fixed, faith-based youth work offers a means of helping young people flourish for
the collective good.

Key words: Faith; Youth Work; Big Society; Flourishing; Common Good.
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List of Tables

1. Typological characteristics of faith-based organisations page 64

2. The meanings of methodological terms used in my investigation 121

3. A timeline of my investigation 136

4. The Five ‘D’ Cycle – approach summary 144

5. Case study research method 156

6. Case study coding analysis framework 158

7. A contextual overview of my case studies 175

8. Case study faith typologies 180

9. Case-by-case emerging philosophical shape of faith-based
youth work 194

List of Photographs

1. Shangri-La’s lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender display 225

2. Nirvana – piece of reflective art in their offices 248

vi
Glossary

Prima facie definitions of some sector-specific terms used
in my thesis.

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This Glossary is included to aid understanding of some of the terms and sector-specific jargon used
within my thesis. Many of these terms and concepts are contested notions. Whilst a wide variety of
alternative, enhanced and more nuanced definitions might be considered, the ones set out here
reflect the prima facie meaning of how I perceive, interpret and contextually employ them within my
thesis and argument. No claim is made regarding exclusivity or that these are the most resounding
or comprehensive interpretations.

On occasions and where appropriate, some of the alternative and contested understandings are
given further critique and reflection within the body of my thesis.

Big Society - ‘… is widely thought of as a political programme. But it is more than that. It is a set of
interlocking ideas, even a philosophy; a concerted and wide ranging attempt to engage with the twin
challenges of social and economic decline, and to move us towards a more connected society. It
rests on a bold conjecture, that lying beneath the surface of British society today is a vast amount of
latent and untapped potential energy’ (Norman 2010:195).

Civil Society – ‘the sphere of institutions and individuals located between the family, the state and
the markets in which people associate voluntarily to advance common interests’ (Anheier 2004: 22)
and it comprises three key elements:
1. Civil Society as Associational Life – aiming for social, economic and political progress;
2. Civil Society as the Good Society – providing opportunities for people to act together,
developing values and skills;
3. Civil Society as the Public Sphere – a space for argument and deliberation that negotiates a
sense of the common good’ (Edwards 2009: viii).
Christendom –‘a geographical region in which almost everyone was at least nominally Christian; a
historical era resulting from the fourth-century conversion of Constantine and lasting into the late
twentieth century; a civilisation decisively shaped by the story, language, symbols and rhythms of
Christianity; a political arrangement in which the church and state provided mutual, if often uneasy,
support and legitimation, and an ideology, a mind-set, a way of thinking about God’s activity in the
world’ (Murray 2011: 51).
Common Good - that which is in the interest or well-being of the whole community:
‘The profoundly important belief, shared by people of all faiths and none, that every individual is
precious, that everyone has worth, and that the hunger, need and despair of any, should rightly pain
us all. A belief that in a good society we share the risks of our own vulnerability, can identify that
which makes us collectively strong, and can contribute to the flowering of everyone’s capabilities,
not just the achievement of the very few. A good society that recognises that what we hold in
common is both important and valuable, and that jeopardising the common good for individual gain,
diminishes us all’ (Unwin 2011).

Evangelical - a person exhibiting four beliefs and behaviours:
 Conversionism: the belief that lives of all humans need to be changed by way of a ‘born
again’ decision to repent of their sins and accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour;
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 Activism: the expression of the gospel in various ways, including missionary outreach and
social reform;
 Biblicism: a particular regard for the Bible as the Word of God and the ultimate authority for
religious belief and morality;
 Crucicentrism: a stress on the substitutionary atonement by Christ on the cross. (Bebbington
1989:3)
Golden Rule – the ethic of reciprocity – summed up by the statement ‘Do to others as you want
others to do to you’. See Wattles (1996).

Human Dignity - ‘Catholic social teaching believes that human beings, created in the image and
likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27), have by their very existence an inherent value, worth, and
distinction. This means that God is present in every person, regardless of his or her race, nation, sex,
origin, orientation, culture, or economic standing. Catholic social teaching asserts that all human
beings must see within every person both a reflection of God and a mirror of themselves, and must
honour and respect this dignity as a divine gift’ (Groody 2007:109).

Isomorphism – ‘a constraining process that forces one unit in a population to resemble other units
that face the same set of environmental conditions’ (Hawley 1968).

Neo-Liberalism – ‘a theory of political economic practices that proposes that human well-being can
be best advanced by liberating individual entrepreneurial freedom, characterized by strong private
property rights, free markets and free trade. The role of the state is to create and preserve an
institutional framework appropriate to such activities’ (Harvey 2005: 2).

Para-Church [mosque, temple, synagogue] Organisations – ‘any spiritual ministry whose
organization is not under the control or authority of a local congregation [church, mosque, temple,
synagogue]’ (White 1983:19).

Shalom – ‘the term shalom (like the Arabic term salaam) conveys a desire for wholeness, fulfilment,
completion, unity, and wellbeing, thereby encompassing both reconciliation and justice’ (Steele
2008:5).

Solidarity - ‘a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good, that is
the good of each individual, because we are all really responsible for each other’ (Pope John Paul II
1987);

Subsidiarity – ‘a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community
of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and
help to coordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the
common good’ (Pius XI 1931).

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