Theologians and economists on Christian responses to the Recession
On Saturday, 12th December, St Mellitus College, in partnership with King's College and the Contextual Theology Centre, hosted a day conference entitled 'Back to Bacics or Business as Usual?' on a Christian response to the economic recession, with Professor John Milbank, Andrew Dilnot and Philip Blond as keynote speakers.
The keynote speakers were Prof John Milbank of Nottingham University, one of the UK's top theologians, and Andrew Dilnot , Principal of St Hugh's College Oxford, and one of the UK's formost economists.
These talks were followed by a panel of commentators from the worlds of Finance, Politics, Theology and the Church to continue the discussion. The Church Times commented "In a keynote lecture, Professor John Milbank from Notingham University, said that... economics was gripped by a fundamentally mistaken view of the human person, as if it were wholly driven by self-interest. The truth, he claimed was more complex: "We are created good, we are sinful and we are capable of being perfected by the grace of Jesus Christ." Mr Dilnot echoes this claim and provided epiricial evidence to challenge the assumption that people act only to maximise their own welfare."
You can download John Milbank's talk here.
The Bishop of London Richard Chartres
“At a time when fragmentation and partisanship can appear to threaten the credibility and effectiveness of our ministry, St Mellitus represents a bold step of faith and trust. We believe that as we pursue the harder path of unity in diversity, the College will prove to be an instrument of the Spirit in equipping the whole people of God to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Bishop of Chelmsford John Gladwin
“The establishment of St Mellitus College is an exciting development for Chelmsford Diocese. It offers us new opportunities to develop theological and ministerial education to assist us in the mission of the Gospel in our time.”
The Dean Revd Dr Graham Tomlin
“St Mellitus College is a very exciting place to work. It brings together students from across the spectrum of the church to learn about and prepare for mission in the contemporary world, in a way that tries to be open to the Spirit of God and learning from each other. We have a fantastic group of students, a great staff team and it is a privilege to be part of it.”
Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge University, David Ford
"One of the most important experiments to have happened in British theology and church theological education for a long time. The way it is bringing together academy and church, including church at the grass roots - that collaboration is just full of potential for the future and I feel everyone should watch this space. What it can do is something that really no other theological institution in the country can achieve at the moment."