A Church of England diocese has introduced a new prayer guide stating that Christianity was historically propagated through “racist European ideologies.”
The "anti-racist toolkit," developed by the Diocese of Norwich's Racial Justice Action Group, and which advises clergy to move away from Eurocentric prayers, includes suggestions for addressing racial justice in church services, and is designed to align local parishes with the Church of England’s efforts to combat racism.
The guidance says parishes need to prepare for demographic shifts, particularly in rural East Anglia, where Norfolk remains about 94% white, according to The Telegraph.
Despite the region’s prevailing homogeneity, the toolkit talks about increasing diversity in schools and local communities, advising clergy to be more inclusive in their prayers, incorporating diverse languages and topics to reflect the changing population.
One specific recommendation encourages priests to create a “Collect for Racial Justice Sunday,” which includes prayers asking for repentance for historical wrongdoings and celebrating diversity.
The toolkit also provides an example prayer that refers to congregants as “a holy family, a rainbow people,” and directs clergy to external resources, such as the website PrayerCast, for ideas on prayers related to global issues.
Further, the guide suggests displaying images that represent diversity, even in parishes with little or no ethnic diversity.
The Rt. Rev. Jane Steen, Bishop of Lynn, supported the initiative, writing in the foreword that the toolkit’s measures are essential to ensure inclusion in an increasingly diverse society. She wrote that Norfolk’s hospitals, agriculture and other industries are strengthened by individuals whose origins lie outside the UK.
The initiative follows recommendations from the denomination’s anti-racist task force established after the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. In 2021, the Church’s General Synod endorsed the “From Lament to Action” report, which included steps to combat racism, including revisiting historical ties to the slave trade and removing monuments linked to colonialism and slavery.
The Rev. Ian Paul, associate minister at St. Nic’s, Nottingham, questioned the allocation of resources toward such efforts in an area that is overwhelmingly white. He referred to the shortage of clergy in many parishes, arguing that funds might be better spent addressing these immediate needs, as reported by the Telegraph.
