Black Theology in Urban Shadow: Combating Racism in the Church of England

Abstract

Church reports, Faith in the City (1985), Seeds of Hope (1991), Staying in the City (1995), and The Passing Winter (1996) are examined and assessed as being not so much about challenging racism as about exoneration for senior office holders who abdicate any individual responsibility. It is argued that the term ‘institutionalized racism’ is used by those who embrace a self-conscious Englishness to avoid the very issues upon which such a concept should be constructed. Fullblown racism involves structures and institutions with real power to discriminate in jobs, housing, policing, educational provision and includes the treatment of Black people in the Church of England. It is argued that Church of England reports associate race-related issues with urban deprivation and this reinforces the cycle of Black exclusion. However, academic credibility is maintained in this article by allowing Faith in the City, Seeds of Hope and Staying in the City to speak for themselves before conclusions are drawn, thus focusing upon both the positive and negative aspects of these reports. In conclusion the article find grounds for criticism and serious comment, but also finds the germ of a way forward, taking into account the implications of African Diasporan identity. The article looks forward to discovering how a new understanding of English ethnicity can revolutionize the Church of England into a biblical, prophetic and inclusive community. If salvation is valid at the personal and at the institutional level, then the Church of England has nothing to fear from discovering its identity afresh.