Welcoming the stranger among us? : The Church of England, immigration and race, 1955-79

Abstract

This article explores the early responses of the Church of England to questions of immigration and race, focusing on the response of the church to immigration legislation, wider church attitudes, and attempts to come to terms with racism within church and society during the 1970s. It draws on material from the church archives and contemporary church press to explain why the church leadership was slow to grasp the nature of the issue, though over time it became suspicious of government approaches to immigration. Increasingly concerned about government and public attitudes towards these questions, and under pressure from minorities and more activist clergy, some within the church leadership began to understand the structural nature of racial prejudice and discrimination. In consequence, they found that even quite modest public interventions put them at odds with politicians, certain newspaper editors and the general public, whether Anglican or not.