Grinding Slow

A mere thirty-odd years after setting up a Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns, the Church of England is starting to make noises about combating institutional racism. Being the strong moral force that it is, the Church reacted to immigrants half a century ago by politely pointing them to churches where they might "feel more comfortable". This has led to healthy growth in Pentecostal congregations, while the Anglicans are suffering an economic decline since Peak Blue-Rinser occurred some decades ago. Less than three per cent of their clergy are from ethnic minorities; which puts them, embarrassingly enough, somewhat behind the Conservative front bench and only slightly ahead of the parliamentary presence of the Farage Falange. Nevertheless, as one vicar pointed out, there are no theological reasons why clergy from minorities should not hold senior positions; it is merely a matter of time until the hierarchy notices that many non-white Britons are neither gay nor female.