Politics, Poverty and the Church in an ‘Age of Austerity’

The ‘Age of Austerity’ has ruptured the social fabric contemporary Britain. Arising from our three-year Life on Breadline project, this article represents first fieldwork-led analysis multidimensional nature austerity-age poverty by academic theologians in UK. analyses impact that austerity had Christian responses to and inequality We draw six ethnographic case studies interview over 120 national regional Church leaders exemplify four approaches engagement with we identified during research: ‘caring’, ‘campaigning advocacy’, ‘enterprise’ ‘community building’. argue needs grasp systemic, violent order realise potential embedded its extensive capital fulfil goal ‘transforming structural injustice’. paper shows remains nervous moving beyond welfare-based suggests none existing can force into retreat until re-imagines itself as a liberative movement embodies God’s preferential option for poor every aspect life practice.