Jürgen Moltmann suggests that where liberal market welfare policies are introduced people with learning disabilities are disadvantaged, whereas Christian communities provide a more favourable environment. This hypothesis is investigated by assessing the social capital available to two groups of people with a learning disability. The members of one group are being supported to live independent lives as ‘citizen consumers.’ The second group are members of a Roman Catholic parish community supported by their families. The results suggest that both groups have few resources of bridging or linking capital. The second group have larger and richer resources of bonding capital which comes largely through family networks. They also had significant resources of spiritual capital but not religious capital. In the light of the results, a theological critique is undertaken of some aspects of contemporary social policy and consumer culture. A distinction is made between human relationships as transactions and as gifts. Insights from the theology of gift relationships are offered. The question is raised whether it is appropriate to consider gift relationships as a form of capital and Churches as a form of social capital. Liturgy is considered as a form of liberative praxis.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:569710 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Crisp, Anthony Gerard |
| Publisher | University of Birmingham |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/4058/ |
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