The Church of England is being under fire for advertising for a racial justice role at double the average salary of a priest. The description for Head of Racial Justice Priority’ in the Diocese of London has a salary of £66,646. In the same parish, priests receive £31,644. Rt Rev Canon Dr Anderson Jeremiah, the Lead Bishop on Racial Justice, said the Church is at “a pivotal moment to commit our resources into tangible action, prayerfully enabling the Church to become more racially just.”
A listing for the position describes it as “an exciting opportunity to lead the Diocese of London’s priority of a more racially-just Church and we are looking for a collaborative leader who has a vision to see change, tenacity to deliver, and the confidence to challenge and inspire.” However, some priests are angry with the lavish salary, especially when there are real needs in the church.
Ed Tomlinson, a Catholic priest, wrote “Salaries like this are an insult to hard-working and often under-valued clergy.” Another said the salary was ”an appalling waste of money (and a disgrace that the clergy – of all people – have to be treated in such a patronizing way).” One more suggested that money could be better spent “in London parishes, including those with large Black British populations.”
Many pointed out that this salary would cover the cost of a parish priest and their pension. They noted that the COE should prioritize parish pastoral provision. The rector of St Bartholomew, The Great Church in the City of London said the Diocese of London has a £ 5 million deficit. Rev Marcus Walker added that Dioceses can’t wave deficit-riddled accounts at parishes, demanding over £100,000 in parish share, and then pull this kind of salary out of nowhere.”
However, the woke activists refuse to see reason. Rt Rev Dr Jeremiah said the criticism isn’t fair. He noted that “issues of clergy pay and racial justice are entirely distinct… conflating these two issues undermines each of their importance to the Church, and detracts from the work underway to address them both as challenges.” He continued to say “The Diocese makes no apologies for making racial justice a priority. Racial injustice is part of the history of this Diocese and of the Church of England.”
The church of England has been crippled by progressive activists. As we reported, An Anglican activist group has published a paper claiming that the Bible supports transgender ideology. It suggests that “not everyone in the Bible is cisgender” and “affirms trans, intersex and queer people.” LGBT Faith UK produces several resources in its “The Bible Affirms” all of which claim to provide proof that the Bible encourages various pieces of leftist ideology.
The paper hosted on the website, reports that the Bible includes “some clear queer characters” and highlights eunuchs and women engaging in traditionally masculine roles as examples. The title reads; “The Bible affirms trans, intersex, and queer people.” It starts by saying “Not everyone in the Bible is cisgender. Nor is everyone in the Bible biologically or anatomically male or female.”
LGBT Faith UK makes the tenuous claim that eunuchs are “biblical ancestors” of trans-identified individuals, emphasizing their role in Scripture. They cite Acts 8, a passage where an angel directs the evangelist Philip to meet a eunuch reading Scripture. Philip baptizes the eunuch. This document asserts that the eunuch was accepted as “a full member [of the Church] without having to be totally male or female. God called him just as he was.”