Nothing to do with me, of course. Project Spire, that is. It's not as if Baptists are being asked to chip in to a £100 million fund to provide redress for the evils of slavery. The Church of England is going to do that all by itself. Aw, bless.
Although I'm not exactly sure why they are bothering. True, some Church of England clergy profited from the slave trade. On the other hand, Evangelical Anglicans were at the forefront of the campaign to abolish slavery. Including the preacher and former slave-ship captain John Newton and the politician William Wilberforce.
Plus, there are a number of problems with this conscience-salving project. As historians point out, Africans weren't simply victims of the abominable slave trade. Some were willing participants. They rounded up men, women and children from different tribes and sold them to European slave traders. Will the descendants of African participants in the slave trade be having a whip-round for the benefit of the descendants of those who were transported to the sugar plantations? We'll see.
After all, where does it end when it comes to reparations? If you are all in favour of Project Spire, I'll have you know that I am Welsh. The Anglo-Saxons drove my Celtic ancestors out of nice places such as Bath and forced us to relocate to the likes of Blaenau Ffestiniog. I mean, have you ever been there? It's so grey and desolate, it's like you've taken a wrong turn off the A470 and ended up on the Moon. Visit, and you'll be sure to agree that if ever reparations were in order, the Welsh should have their cut. I accept cash, cheques or BACS payments.
More importantly—and this may still count for something—there is scant support for the idea that one generation must atone for the faults of another in the Bible. Take a look at Ezekiel 18, which explicitly states that we are responsible for our own actions, not for those who have gone before us. We had best avoid repeating the sins of our forefathers, but we can't be expected to repent of them.
The £100 million committed to Project Spire is a tidy sum. But atonement for sin can't be bought with money: "you were ransomed... not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:18–19).
Here's an idea. Why not use the £100 million to fund Christian mission at home and abroad? Where Anglican congregations are growing, they tend to be of an Evangelical stamp. Invest the dosh in those kinds of fellowships. I'm sure they'll know what to do with it. Like training an up-and-coming generation of preachers, planting new churches in places where they are needed, or revitalising churches that are in danger of fizzling out. Not to mention investing in the spread of the good news of Jesus overseas. Money on its own can do none of those things, but none of them can be done without financial support.
But, as I say, nothing to do with me. Forget I even mentioned it.
