The Church of England has been accused of promulgating “explicitly politically partisan” school lessons to children who are being taught Critical Race Theory-style ideologies such as “white privilege”.
Last week it emerged that Church of England school pupils in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich are being indoctrinated in leftist theories surrounding race, including how a “white supremacy pyramid” of bias, prejudice and stereotypes “can lead to racist words and actions, leading to physical harm and death”.
CoE Teaching guidance, exposed by the campaign group Don’t Divide Us, went on to tell children that in order “to combat white privilege, keep learning about what it is, amplify the voices of People of Colour, be more than just ‘not racist’ but actively ‘anti-racist’ and confront racial injustices even when it feels uncomfortable.”
White children have also been told that they benefit from being “the dominant representation on all media”, “no one questions your citizenship”, “you may have inherited power and wealth”, and that “your actions aren’t perceived to be those of your entire race”.
The introduction of far-left ideologies in the Diocese, which oversees 87 schools, has been criticised as “explicitly politically partisan”.
The author of the Don’t Divide Us report, Dr Alka Sehgal-Cuthbert, said per The Telegraph: “The Church of England diocesan board of education, if you look on their education website, you will see an image of guidance to Church of England teachers which is really, frankly, the most explicitly politically partisan guidance that we’ve come across.
“There are images of upraised fists, there’s directions to amplify black voices in the classroom, which frankly I think is really unthinking, because that could be really patronising. I would really hate to think people listen to me because of my skin colour, rather than the efforts and the work that I put into my work and profession.”
In response to the outcry, Revd Canon Nigel Genders wrote on the Church of England’s website that it “has never been more important” to teach “racial justice” theories to children.
“In Church of England schools we are committed to addressing the issue. Not by building up some people at the expense of others or by suggesting children are personally responsible for past injustices; rather we must face our past and by doing so build a more just society for all,” he wrote.
“This includes learning about the enduring impact of slavery and the reality of institutional and systemic racism.”
“The wider Church’s work on racial justice is not an attempt to reflect demographic trends in society, to be politically correct, or to engage in a culture war but rather is fundamental to what we believe as Christians.”
The controversy is just the latest example of leftism being installed within the Church of England, with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby frequently espousing left-wing views and inserting himself in national political debates including on issues such as illegal immigration, climate change, to even vaccination during the Chinese coronavirus crisis.
The Chruch has also increasingly adopted radical views on gender, with the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell earlier this month branding the Lord’s Prayer as “oppressively patriarchal” for referring to God as “Our Father”.