One British magazine recently obtained a leak report indicating that the Church of England is considering a quota for Black and minority ethnic clergy while also pushing for anti-racism training, The Christian Post reports.
On Saturday, The Spectator caught wind of the report that will be submitted to the Archbishops’ Council next week by the Church of England’s anti-racism task force, which was formed after the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby issued an apology for the denomination’s racist history last year.
The report, titled, “From Lament to Action: Report of the Archbishops’ Anti-Racism Taskforce” is currently scheduled to be released to the public on April 22.
According to Premier Christian News, the task force was established last October as a means to come up with recommendations and a timetable of implementing over 160 recommendations that have been made to the Church of England since 1985.
“As Archbishops, we commissioned this report because the time for talking about tackling systemic racism has long since passed: this is a moment for decisive action,” the Archbishops of Canterbury and York said in a statement. “The heart of the new life brought about by Christ means that we are changed by God into a new people, being built together into a holy temple. In this new life we are told in the Bible that we are one, united by God.”
“This draft report by an independent working group challenges that sin in practical and applied terms, and we welcome it for that reason,” they added.
Both archbishops noted that the task force is “also laying important foundations for the forthcoming Racial Justice Commission, which will identify ways in which the Church can work towards full and equal participation by all God’s people in our shared life in Christ. Such work is obedience to Christ. A church can do no other”.
A Racial Justice Unit will be assigned to oversee the implemented recommendations over the course of five years, which will be made in April.
At the present time, there are five serving bishops in the Church of England who are from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds while only one of 42 diocesan bishops across the country is from a Black and ethnic minority background.
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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
