A statement from the en Board following the decision in the Clergy Disciplinary Measure against Stephen Sizer:
‘The Evangelicals Now Board want to again state that we abhor racism in all its forms, including anti-Semitism, as being profoundly anti-gospel; the gospel which is not simply about what we believe, but also how we live.
‘We also want to affirm our wholehearted support for the Editor, David Baker and the careful way he has approached this subject. We agree with, and are happy to affirm, David’s editorial in the January 2023 issue, including his reflection that there are times when we have not got things right in this area.
‘Under our current Editor, the newspaper has sought to clarify the distinction between the reporting of news and comment upon it. The Editor explained this clearly in his November 2022 editorial.
‘Whilst the Editor must retain the right to make decisions about what, or what not, to publish, we are particularly heartened that there is a determined approach to represent the breadth of evangelicalism in the paper. The Editor seeks to reflect this commitment in the letters that we publish (subject to space constraints).
‘We are thankful for the careful and thorough December 2022 findings of the Clergy Disciplinary Measure against Stephen Sizer which we believe the newspaper has reported faithfully and fairly in the January 2023 issue. It is right to have external, independent and competent bodies to investigate such matters and on whose judgement we can rely.
‘The judgement is also a stark reminder that Christians must be clear on what they believe and live out their faith in a godly way. We must all be concerned to build others up, and this means en must be careful both in what we report and how we report it, and we happily recommit ourselves to this call to godliness.
‘Our attention has rightly been drawn to correspondence with the board in 2011 regarding the reporting of this matter. On reflection, we accept that the wording in that correspondence, and the sense it conveyed, was neither helpful nor expressed rightly. We are sorry. Any implication that matters of primary importance can be reduced to doctrinal truths alone and ignore how these are applied was incorrect.’
