Ghost Ship: Institutional Racism and the Church of England

by A.D.A. France-Williams

The Church is very good at saying all the right things about racial equality. But the reality is that the institution has utterly failed to back up these good intentions with demonstrable efforts to reform. It is a long way from being a place of black flourishing.  
Through conversation with clergy, lay people and campaigners in the Church of England, A.D.A France-Williams issues a stark warning to the church, demonstrating how black and brown ministers are left to drown in a sea of complacency and collusion. While sticking plaster remedies abound, France-Williams argues that what is needed is a wholesale change in structure and mindset. 
Unflinching in its critique of the church, Ghost Ship explores the harrowing stories of institutional racism experienced then and now, within the Church of England. Far from being an issue which can be solved by simply recruiting more black and brown clergy, says France-Williams, structural racism requires a wholesale dismantling and reassembling of the ship - before it is too late.

Genres: Nonfiction, Theology

214 pages, Paperback

Published July 10, 2020

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s not very often, if ever, that I read a theology book like a novel but for this book I did. In fact It was so compelling I could not put it down. An astonishing work, both in terms of the author’s experience and the way it is so beautifully and poetically written. On finishing the book, I was both horrified by what has gone before (and is still happening) and determined to be part of a better future. Everyone in church leadership, lay and ordained, should read this and be challenged by it.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghost Ship takes the reader on a journey through different mediums of prose, poetry, reflection, narrative, interviews, history and scriptural study, to enable the painful reality of institutional racism to be starkly mapped out. In this eminently readable book, the author pulls no punches, presents the issues with intelligence and perceptiveness, and challenges assumptions that have been embedded within the Anglican Church. The trauma that racism, exclusion and ‘othering’ has upon black and brown clergy and lay members is laid bare, as well as the impact of tokenism and the denial of experience and defensiveness that arises when the status quo of the ‘Club’ is challenged. The significance of history and its ongoing impact is astutely highlighted as is the decades-long, stuttered journey, that the Church of England has taken to attempt to address these fundamental truths.

The combination of different genres help to articulate realities with gravity. For example, the poems by ‘BraveSlave’ (whom the author neither confirms nor denies is an alter-ego), often convey the multiple emotions of experience with heartbreaking candour. The quotations from interviews that France-Williams conducted, again, bring clear and valuable perspective. There was much in this book I related to and much in this book that brought new insight for me.

Ghost Ship speaks with a prophetic voice which urgently calls the Church, and all within it, to a dismantling of the ship in its current form, and a radical transformation. Its importance simply cannot be underestimated.

[Gerard Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this moving and powerful. Partly for its subject matter but more, to be honest, for its writing style. Azariah is a genuinely gifted writer, and he has taken a potentially awkward subject (especially for his white readers) and turned it into a winsome, fast-paced, thoroughly readable memoir. The book essentially falls into the category of oral history, and that's where its true value lies. Those of us who are white European in churches shaped for our privilege need to hear more than statistics. We need to hear stories - the lived experience of our brothers and sisters whose skin-tone deeply impacts their journey of faith. If you don't believe that our churches need the full participation of all cultures, you've been asleep for the last century or so. It's time for change, and Azariah has brought to the conversation a compelling and resonant voice.

[John Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific read - it must have been hard to write. France- Williams is a vicar in the church of England and he charts the institutional racism which the church wilfully or ignorantly persists in making the lives of BAME clergy precarious and making it more likely that black Christians will retreat to their own churches because the indigenous church won't make room and cannot see there is a problem. What makes the book a particularly inspiring read is the way that it layers stories, and poetry - if it selected an idiom - like polemic it would be a hard book to get through. But through different facets it builds a case that the church has to answer even if it would rather it didn't. Highly recommended.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written both poetically and also very plainly, highlighting the ongoing institutional racism that exists in the Church of England. I found the chapter on reimagining reimagining Britain particularly interesting/shocking. The book is easy to read and accessible for those who are new to the topic.

[Andy Sheppard · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a church and as a country we all need to think again about slavery

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books was wonderfully written and compiles many different perspectives of the topic it discusses: Institutional racism and the church of England.

It reads like an award winning documentary, containing interviews, surverys, lengthy evidence and calls to action in a modern world.

As a white British Christian, I feel like this book is extremy important to read for everyone who can (especially white people). I have been trying to unpack the workings of British society and this book helps explain prevalent concepts such as whiteness and how it is different from simply having white skin colour.

I did not feel personally attacked even though I identify as CofE. I believe the entire church can learn from this book and every member pf the clergy should have it on their shelf. Even though it was painful to read and learn about the constant injustice that BAME people face daily, it is incredibly important for Great Britain to grow as a nation.

Sources are listed extensively for those looking for such things.

[Symon Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is great. A really powerful, helpful and deeply felt indictment on the Church of England for its racism, and particularly the relatively subtle but ever-present ways in which this racism manifests itself.

It is a mixture of various sorts of writing - historial narrative, biblical reflection, poetry, personal memoir, theology and more. It feels like this mixture shouldn't work but on the whole it works remarkably well.

The only real downside for me is that it focuses very much on the treatment of clergy. This is important - and the evidence presented is shocking - but it is surely only one aspect of the Church of England's institutional racism, albeit one of the most imporant ones.

This is a powerful, readable and important book.

[Shakeel Nurmahi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s raw and moving. It challenges the Church and the individual in ways that I didn’t know I needed to be challenged, even as a person of colour. There were questions I was asking of my own experiences for the first time. France-Williams does an incredible job of taking the church on a painstaking journey, pointing out the window to stops along the way, allowing passengers to gaze at the ruins of war from a safe distance. I’m left not fully knowing how to take a next step forward, for the task is so huge, bigger than I could ever comprehend it to be. But what I do know is that we must faithfully act, step forward, never pretend not to see, and continual sing without ceasing until we discover the songs of the true kingdom.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The church always does its best confessional work when it is critiqued from within.

Employing a theopoetic of story, poetry and prose, Anglican priest France-Williams powerfully draws attention to the systems and processes of institutional racism that he and others have experienced in The Church of England.

I listened to the (abridged) audiobook version, and hearing the stories and voices is important I think. There's an immediacy, and it's less easy to turn the page and turn away.

The Church of England is a particular creature, tied up with the establishment as it is. As a New Zealander (albeit one with a leaning towards Anglicanism) I can only witness from afar. But it's ours to do more than just witness in the contexts we are in. That's the challenge and necessary work.

[Melanie Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read for all Church of England members. That said, I would recommend it to anyone. This is a book to read, to reflect upon (this should include some honest self-reflection), and it should encourage you to take appropriate action to help combat racism and its damaging effects. A.D.A. France-Williams has given us a book that is informative, whilst using a range of writing skills (such as poetry and storytelling), to aid communication.

My daughter is a descendant of the enslaved in Nevis, so it was especially pleasing for me to read such a brilliant book from a writer likewise descended from enslaved black Africans in Nevis. A small island with a lot to teach us....

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A difficult and challenging read, but rightly so. About to train as an ordinand in the Church of England, this book is undoubtably essential to the reading list I’ve created before I go to college.

I took quite a while to dip in and out of this book, everything was brilliantly put and challenging and honest. I did find some of the writing quite difficult to get through in parts- possibly too bulky with CofE talk that I’m not knowledgable about yet!

A must read for anyone a part of the CofE.

[Ms Fiona Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. So well written. A D A France-Williams communicates the issues of unconscious bias in relation to race and racism within the CofE. What struck me most was the fact that, until white people are offended by racism, instead of just feeling bad for black and brown people, nothing will ever change. I highly recommend this book.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An uncomfortable and challenging read...as it should be. An honest and heart-rending glimpse into the racism present in the Church of England. A must read for all in the CofE and wider, whatever our role and ministry. A book to read bravely, repent honestly and act courageously.

[Laura Bucke · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I predict we will have many pleading innocence, others bleeding in silence, but none who can now claim ignorance.” - page 209

An amazing, refreshing, challenging voice that the Church of England should pay close attention to.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revd. Azariah tells the story of the people of colour and the Church of England, drawing on scripture, story, poetry, truth and the heart. He gives an accurate account of thirty years of missed opportunity, and sets out a vision of a just church, if only this nation could let her flourish.

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This powerful book should be read by every Anglican, if not every British Christian.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Ghost Ship' opens with a quote from Psalm 137. 'How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?' I think a musical image for this book is very apt. France-Williams presents a variety of voices - there are poems, interviews, personal experiences, historical narratives, important studies and statistics, allegorical stories - which I initially found disorientating. I began to think about the book as a scrapbook, then a patchwork quilt. However, the further I read, the more I began to hear the book as a kind of symphony. The variety of voices create a polyphonic effect, voices and images weaving in and out, repeating, developing and layering up, to form a powerful and impressive song. At it's heart this book is a love song, but one that the powerful within the CofE may find hard to hear. It voices an strong indictment of the Church of England's inability to be a safe, supportive family for black people (particularly black clergy which is the main thrust of the book). In allying itself with power, the CofE is thoroughly compromised. This is an important book.