The Council for World Mission (CWM), in partnership with The Centre for Black Theology of the University of Oxford, organised a workshop, “Atoning for the Sins of Our Past,” on 13 February.
The workshop, attended by more than 40 participants from CWM’s member churches and ecumenical partners based in the United Kingdom (UK) and the Netherlands, was held at The Centre for Black Theology at Regent’s Park College in Oxford, England.
The workshop furthered the outcomes from two previous CWM events, a Youth and Racism Workshop in 2022 and a Theology of Reparations Consultation in 2023, as well as materials from a CWM research project titled “Deconstructing Whiteness, Mission and Empire” published in 2023.
The workshop also paved the way for further collaborations between CWM and The Centre for Black Theology while reiterating the call for churches and mission organisations to continue to work together in organising future events and establishing reading groups in Black theology.
The event also served as a platform allowing faith communities in the UK and the Netherlands to discuss many facets of Black theology and reparatory justice including a deep dive into whiteness, the biblical theologies of Onesimus, the Empire instituted by the British and Dutch colonial powers, and the role of the present-day churches in the UK and the Netherlands.
Presentations by Dr Anthony George Reddie, Founder and Director of The Centre for Black Theology and Ms Thandi Soko de Jong, a CWM scholar, sparked discussions during a panel led by Richard Reddie, Social Justice Officer from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI), Rev. Dr Michael Jagessar from the United Reformed Church (URC), and Dr Jo Sadgrove from the United Society of the Propagation of the Gospel (USPG).
A theological case for reparations
A descendant of enslaved Africans, Reddie noted that his last name, while he was proud of it, was not an African name but a Scottish one adopted by his forefathers while they navigated their lives in a foreign land.
Reddie then further expounded upon the biblical theme of reconciliation, speaking on the differences between Jews and evangelical Protestants, and highlighting that the former views salvation to be a collective concept while the latter places more emphasis on individualistic redemption in Christ.
He also critiqued the West in having not done enough in actual reparations towards the descendants of enslaved Africans.
Was Onesimus truly restored?
Soko de Jong offered a deeper look into the account by the apostle Paul on Onesimus, a slave serving in the house of Philemon. Soko de Jong challenged the prevailing narrative surrounding the epistle with the argument that Onesimus remains a passive character without a real name besides the one given to him—a name that was simply a Greek adjective for “useful,” “profitable,” and “beneficial,” dehumanising the character.
Soko de Jong further questioned if Onesimus was really restored in the end beyond the fact that he was “forgiven” of his escape, and challenged the audience to think about whether Onesimus’ escape attempt and later conversion were in fact acts of self-emancipation from Philemon.
In her conclusion, while agreeing that reconciliation should include the acknowledgement of past wrongs, Soko de Jong also stressed that it must also be accompanied with appropriate and comprehensive reparations for the genuine repair of relationships.
