Right-wing Extremism and the Church

Right-wing Extremism and the Church: Creative conversations about the possibilities of Englishness

Join us at Hodge Hill United Reformed Church, Birmingham for an insightful day on the impact of right-wing extremism and the response of the church.

Don't miss this opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue and learn how we can work together to promote tolerance and unity.

Hosted by the (CSBV), Executive Director Helen Paynter will set the scene for the day, in relation to the recent publication '' edited by Helen Paynter and Maria Power. The book was compiled following a with an international, ecumenical and inter-faith, and interdisciplinary group consindering how the church should respond to the radical right. (This work was funded by the generous sponsorship of the .)

This event is for you if you are clergy (cross-denominational), lay leaders, voluntary sector workers, community leaders, or anyone interested in how the two intersect.

More contributors to be announced.

The event has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of the .

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Guest Speakers include:

Contextual Perspectives

• David Gould
• Alex Cameron
• Simon Jay

Keynote

• Anne Hollinghurst
• Steve Hollinghurst

Creativity and Criticism

• Al Barrett
• John Cotton
• Maria Power
• Mahmooda Qureshi

More information and bios to follow.

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Helen Paynter is Executive Director of the CSBV. She is a Baptist minister, and Director of Theological Education and tutor at . Helen's PhD thesis was on seriocomic humour in the book of Kings, and her current research interests focus mainly around the narrative hermeneutics of Old Testament texts of violence. Helen is the author of a number of books, including , , . She has edited collections including and .

Simon Jay is a pioneer Baptist minister who has been working in a multi-ethnic neighbourhood in Birmingham for the last 24 years. Although he was born in Oxfordshire, Simon spent the whole of his childhood growing up with his adopted parents in a small town in Somerset, where his brother and he were the only Black children in the entire community. Aged 21 he left to study community and youth work at Birmingham university, and later in life completed an MA in theology. He currently sits on several steering groups that deliver training and awareness around racial justice and supports Black young people and children who are in the care system.

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Al Barrett has been Church of England parish priest in Hodge Hill (east Birmingham) since 2010, and during that time has been engaged in long-term journeys of inter-generational, inter-faith community-building and pursuing racial justice, with congregation members and neighbours. With Ruth Harley he co-wrote Being Interrupted: Reimagining the Church's Mission from the Outside, In (SCM, 2020). He continues to practise theology in context and in writing, particularly in the intersections of political theology, church, race, class, gender and ecology.

Maria Power is a Fellow of Blackfriars Hall, Oxford where she is the at the Las Casas Institute for Social Justice. Maria’s academic research focuses on the role that religions can play in ameliorating violence and ethnic conflict. Her research on conflict and peace seeks to understand how religious organisations should behave in conflict and post-conflict situations to have a positive impact. Maria has expertise in intra- and inter-faith dialogue and peace-building practices. She is part of the CSBV and is author of books such as .

Alex Cameron is the Director of , a peacemaking organisation dedicated to fostering peace and reconciliation in communities affected by conflict. CHIPS currently focuses on projects in Northern Ghana, addressing tribal conflicts, and in Brixton, London, working to reduce serious violence. Alex brings extensive experience in humanitarian emergency response, having worked across the globe with communities impacted by conflict. This background drives her commitment to tackling the root causes of division and building sustainable, peaceful futures.

Revd David Gould is the Vicar of Holy Trinity Smethwick and Asst Chaplain of West Midlands Order of St John. David has lived in Smethwick since 2008 when he came to work as Vicar of Holy Trinity Church. Holy Trinity is home to the Smethwick Church Action Network a charity that manages the Smethwick Foodbank based in the church, the Smethwick Pantry based in the Smethwick library, as well as a lively and international congregation.

He has developed a particular interest in interfaith relations and community cohesion building on his previous experience in senior management and the development of specialist supported and sheltered housing. He co-ordinates the work of Faithful Friends, a group of faith leaders who have travelled extensively in the UK and internationally promoting the need for strong relations between faiths as a major key to social cohesion. Faithful Friends and Sandwell Council were honoured with the first ever Together for Hope award by Coventry Cathedral in recognition of this work.

The Rt Revd Anne Hollinghurst - Principal of The Queen’s Foundation

Steve Hollinghurst - Research, Training & Consultancy: Evangelism, Contemporary Culture and New Christian Communities

Councillor John Cotton - Birmingham City Council

Mahmooda Qureshi is the Programmes Coordinator for . She has been involved in many initiatives in the city and some beyond, to enhance our relationship with people of all faiths and backgrounds. She was involved in setting up a local with the Jo Cox Foundation. She is a member of the , was a member of the with the WMCA and a Trustee of . She worked for for 4 years and is currently working one day a week with . Mahmooda, through her work and voluntary commitments, inspired by her faith, aspires to work towards a just and caring society for all.