Restoring Community and Covenant in the 21st Century: The History and Potential Revival of Coventism in the Era of the ‘Global Village’

Abstract

This article offers a rationale for research and engagement on conceptions of ‘community’ in the twenty-first century in the context of changing conceptions of relationality through the impact of secularisation, social media, and online gaming. It highlights the growing concerns and healthcare outcomes of isolation in the context of shifting perceptions of ‘community’ as the basis for a re-examination of the value of ‘covenant’ as ‘communities of purpose’ in our interdependent world. In so doing, it proposes that covenant communities offer a route through which fundamental relationalities which engender belonging, security, and personal value can be restored at local, national or even trans-national levels.