ABSTRACT
Suburbs which were created by a transport revolution wither when transport economics change. It is significant that the geographical context for much of John Reader's Blurred Encounters is a part of England that is neither urban nor rural in any traditional sense. Since Faith in the City and Faith in the Countryside, the emphasis in contextual theology has drifted away from economics to focus more on culture. Urban theology exemplified contemporary plurality in ways which informed the study of Christian ethics as well as the disciplines of pastoral and contextual theology. Rural theology has done much to restore a consciousness of the church as a body with an effective narrative of community for today. Suburbs created by speculative builders allocated land to the highest bidders, and the churches were often relegated to rather insignificant locations away from the High Streets.
