Faith and England's national identities

The project seeks to generate new theological and religious insights into the current crises and opportunities facing English - and British - national identity and disseminate them among religious communities, the wider public and the academy. It is based on the conviction that England's religious communities need not be passive bystanders as England’s national identity develops in the future. Such communities have untapped potential to shape that identity in creative, constructive, critical but also reconciling ways.

Christian churches and other faith communities have lacked adequate resources and resolve to make effective contributions to debates about the development of English identity. The project seeks to bring Christian and other faith-based voices, hitherto often unheard, to this critical debate over national identity. It thus seeks to fill a discursive 'faith-gap' in what is a difficult and often elusive national conversation. At a time of mounting uncertainty on the question of what it means to be 'English' and ‘British’, faith communities have important offerings to make, alongside and in dialogue with other civil society voices.

The project will commission, coordinate and disseminate a range of original, rigorous and accessible resources and convene online and in person events. Contributors will primarily come from England but will include others from the rest of the UK.  

Steering group

The project is over seen by a steering group whose members are:

• Prof Andrew Bradstock, Emeritus Professor, Department of Philosophy, Religions and Liberal Arts, University of Winchester
• Dr Jonathan Chaplin, Fellow of Wesley House, Cambridge
• Prof John Denham, Director, CEIP
• Dr Jagbir Jhutti-Johal, Reader in Sikh Studies, Department of Theology and Religion, University of Birmingham
• Dr Jenny Leith, Centre for World Christianity, University of Cambridge
• Ibrahim Mogra - Leicester-based Imam, former Assistant Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain
• Krish Raval OBE, Visiting Research Fellow in Leadership Development, St Benet's Hall, Oxford and Director of ‘Faith in Leadership’
• Dr George Wilkes, Director, Project on Religion and Ethics in the Making of War and Peace, University of Birmingham, and Hon Fellow, Edward Cadbury Centre

Faith and England’s National Identity has received a grant for administrative costs from the Sir Halley Stewart Trust. 

Posts from the faith and national identities project

Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger DBE

Title of paper: Englishness and national identity - what does it mean to me

The author writes their own personal reflection on English national identity.

Greg Smith

Title of paper: Will there always be an England?

The author draws upon England's geography, national identity, and political representation and governance.

Alec Ryrie

Title of paper: Faith and England’s National Identities: ‘The many meanings of “the Church of England"

The author draws upon the theme of ‘The myth of the Church of England’ by reflecting critically on the imperialism that the title conveys.

Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP

Title of paper: Faith and Being English

The author welcomes the affirmation by this project of the potential for faith groups in England to contribute to a new understanding of our national identity.

Faith and England’s national identities project Steering Group