The Church of England announced a series of measures this week in an effort to “compensate” for its links to the Transatlantic slave trade.
QUICK FACTS:
- The Anglican church in England announced that it has committed £100 million (roughly $1.2 million) in reparations-type payments to apologize for its historic roots in slavery.
- As part of the effort, the Church Commissioners’ board will set up the fund to deliver a program of investment, research, and engagement over the next nine years.
- The church will not be using the term “reparations,” as the money will not go to individuals but will support projects “focused on improving opportunities for communities adversely impacted by historic slavery.”
- The Archbishop of Canterbury and chair of the Church Commissioners, Justin Welby, said the move “lays bare the links of the Church Commissioners’ predecessor fund with transatlantic chattel slavery. I am deeply sorry for these links. It is now time to take action to address our shameful past.”
- “The transatlantic slave economy played a significant role in shaping who we are as a society, a country and a Church, and we needed to understand it,” the board wrote in their report titled ‘Church Commissioners’ Research Into Historic Links To Transatlantic Chattel Slavery.
- “Nothing we do, hundreds of years later, will give the enslaved people back their lives. But we can and will recognise and acknowledge the horror and shame of the Church’s role in historic transatlantic chattel slavery and, through our response, seek to begin to address the injustices caused as a result,” the church continued.
THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND ON “RACIAL JUSTICE” BEING ADDRESSED IN THE BIBLE:
“New Testament teaching is focussed on God’s desire for human beings to live in harmony. Justice, in this case racial justice, must be part of, not distinct from, biblical theology and, hence, the Church Commissioners’ work,” the board claimed.
BACKGROUND:
- In July 2022, the Church of England was questioned by a parishioner when it refused to define what a woman was, saying at the time that there is “additional care” that needs to be used in defining the word.
- The group said that the definition of “woman” used to be “self-evident,” particularly in the context of marriage.
- “There is no official definition, which reflects the fact that until fairly recently definitions of this kind were thought to be self-evident, as reflected in the marriage liturgy,” Senior Bishop Rt. Rev Robert Innes said when asked to define the word, according to a recent report.
- Last month, a group of parents and members of the General Synod submitted a petition containing over 15,000 signatures to the Church of England, calling for the removal of guidelines promoting transgenderism in elementary schools.
- School policy within the church stated that students must accept and respect “their own gender identity or sexual orientation and that of others,” and that the curriculum should include exploration of “difference” and mention of “transgender issues” as a fact of life for some people.
- The petition, organized by Christian Concern, argued that the guidelines, known as “Valuing All God’s Children” (VAGC), have no place in Church of England schools and have been used to justify silencing and dismissing those who disagree with transgender ideology on the grounds of their religious beliefs.
