Bishop Jenny Andison is the Diversity Officer for the Diocese of Toronto – I’m certain there was fierce competition for this position – and, as such, has been given the job of purging racism from the empty pews of the diocesan sanctuaries. As Bishop Kevin Robinson points out, “what about the storm of systemic racism that continues to beat down on our Church and society” What about it indeed. No doubt during the heyday of South African apartheid, racism was as a gossamer web floating on a light summer breeze compared to the remorseless pummeling we are currently experiencing in Canada.
Jenny Andison to the rescue:
In December, Bishop Jenny Andison, the diocese’s Diversity Officer, announced that the diocese would be embarking on anti-racism and anti-bias training for all clergy and staff in the diocese. “We are starting this journey” she says, “so we can build up capacity in the Church to begin to dismantle the barriers that are preventing us from reaching all people with the good news of Jesus Christ.”
[….]
The training will address issues of racism and bias at both a parish level and at the structural level of the diocese. It will help promote gender, racial, sexual and ability diversity and inclusion in parishes and in the leadership of the diocese. It will do so using an intersectional lens and biblically inspired approaches.
If you have time, whip out your intersectional lens to view Bishop Anna Greenwood-Lee’s opinion on the subject. Personally, I am very grateful to Bishop Anna for her tireless efforts to make me laugh until I cry. No systemic dismantling for this bishop; she is dismantling systematic racism instead:
