From lament to action and Lord Boateng’s speech

Earlier this year, Lord Paul Boateng addressed the Church of England’s General Synod as the newly appointed Chair of the Racial Justice Commission.

In that widely praised speech, he skilfully wove his lived experience and self-evident Christian principles into a rich oratorical tapestry that both encouraged and admonished in equal measure.

Memorably, he declared: ‘Racism is a gaping wound in the body of Christ’, repeating for emphasis that ‘Every time we succumb to it, we hurt Him’. Yet he tempered that with a gracious acknowledgement (with which I concur) that: ‘We’re trying to love Him. We’re seeking to love Him. We love Him imperfectly’.