Reflections on ubuntu theology in a British urban context: Christian koinonia, kenosis and the ummah

Abstract

]In a super-diverse city such as Birmingham in the United Kingdom, inner-city Anglican churches are frequently situated within a range of communities, holding different worldviews both within and without the church walls, impacting any subsequent understanding of relational life, or koinonia. This paper seeks to reflect on aspects of relational life in my own context, using Desmond Tutu’s ubuntu theology as a lens through which to critique shared, lived experience. I conclude that ubuntu theology may facilitate a rediscovery of ancient ways of thinking, that extends an invitation to the Anglican church in Western contexts to re-envision Trinitarian ecclesiologies.