Alison Milbank on Why Small and Local Might be the Church's Way Forward

Future Christian

In this conversation, Professor Alison Milbank discusses the concept of the parish and its importance in the life of faith. She shares her experiences growing up in the Church of England and the changes she has witnessed due to secularization. Milbank emphasizes the significance of the parish as a local community that brings together people of different ages and cultures. She also explores the threats to the parish, including the influence of secularization and the rise of bureaucratic managerialism in the Church. Milbank argues for a return to the core activities of the church and a focus on mission and evangelism. They also discuss the significance of parish buildings as spaces for community engagement and the potential for the parish to address issues such as mental health, social justice, and environmental sustainability. Despite the challenges, she expresses hope for the future of Christianity and the resurgence of faithfulness.

Alison Milbank is Professor of Theology and Literature at the University of Nottingham, where she works in the field of religion and the arts. She has had a particular interest in horror fiction from Daughters of the House: Modes of the Gothic in Victorian Fiction in 1992 to God and the Gothic: Religion, Romance and Reality in the English Literary Tradition (2018). She has also published on Dante reception (Dante and the Victorians, 1998) and on fantasy and religion (Chesterton and Tolkien as Theologians: The Fantasy of the Real, 2007). She is also an Anglican priest, currently Canon Theologian and Priest Vicar at Southwell Minster, a cathedral and parish church in a small town near Sherwood Forest. In 2010, with Andrew Davison she wrote For the Parish: A Critique of Fresh Expressions and in 2023, The Once and Future Parish, with six lectures on the book available on you tube at https://www.youtube.com/@sshoxford5856/videos Associated with the Radical Orthodoxy movement, she co-edited Preaching Radical and Orthodox, with John Hughes and Arabella Milbank Robinson.

Presenting Sponsor:

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Supporting Sponsors:

Torn Curtain Arts is a non-profit ministry that works with worship leaders, creatives, and churches to help avoid burnout, love their work, and realize their full creative potential.

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Future Christian Team:

Loren Richmond Jr. – Host & Executive Producer

Martha Tatarnic – Guest Host / Co-Host

Paul Romig–Leavitt – Associate Producer

Danny Burton - Producer

Dennis Sanders – Producer