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In an age of scepticism and suspicion it is so easy for cold water to be thrown on certain expressions, especially if they are not accompanied by supporting tangibles acceptable to the receivers. Without a doubt, there was more than a hint of that posture when we (Jamaica Baptist Union) learnt of the historic apology for slavery and the slave trade made by the Baptist Union of Great Britain at its 2007 November sitting of Council in Swanwick.
The decision to come in person and deliver the apology on soil which had soaked up so much of the blood, sweat and tears of our forebears did not go unnoticed and was deemed a positive gesture in the endeavour. For us the visit was a moment of great significance and we couldn’t help but be thankful that some who strongly encouraged an apology from as far back as 1994 were around to see it come to pass in their lifetime.
Our conversations were respectful and frank and it would be true to say that it seemed to us that the process leading up to, as well as the apology itself, may ultimately have its most lasting impact on the way British Baptists organize themselves for ongoing mission. In that regard we pledged our willingness to support them in any way possible.
The encounter also underscored the fact that we were not by any means at journey’s end. Much needs to be agreed concerning deepening and strengthening the bond we share. The future, we both concur, is pregnant with possibilities and it is important for those coming after us that these be concretized as one outworking of this kairos moment. One specific recommendation which was discussed is a request that the BMS consider repatriating documents related to Baptist work, not only in Jamaica, but in other places where their presence coexisted with slavery and the slave trade.
One component of this visit by our friends which ought not to be overlooked is the message it communicated to the wider society. It’s our view that it served as a positive model to our society that one is never too ‘big’ to apologize and it is never too late so to do. What a wonderful opportunity Christ afforded us to show to Jamaica, United Kingdom and the world another way of responding to
deep-seated hurts and pain. Indeed in the words of Neville Callam, BWA General Secretary, ‘we know the joy and the blessing of forgiveness. With this, true healing is possible and liberation becomes the common gain of everyone involved’.
Apology made and accepted. God be praised!
Karl B. Johnson
General Secretary
The Baptist Union of Great Britain
Statement from the Baptist Union Council of GB
An apology for the Transatlantic Slave Trade
The Baptist Union Council of GB met at The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick from the 12-14th Nov 07 and had the Transatlantic Slave Trade as the main focus of its Agenda. After many hours of worship, listening and careful conversation the Council unanimously agreed the historic statement below on the subject.
‘As a Council we have listened to one another, we have heard the pain of hurting sisters and brothers, and we have heard God speaking to us.
In a spirit of weakness, humility and vulnerability, we acknowledge that we are only at the start of a journey, but we are agreed that this must not prevent us speaking and acting at a kairos moment.
Therefore, we acknowledge our share in and benefit from our nation's participation in the transatlantic slave trade.
We acknowledge that we speak as those who have shared in and suffered from the legacy of slavery, and its appalling consequences for God's world.
We offer our apology to God and to our brothers and sisters for all that has created and still perpetuates the hurt which originated from the horror of slavery.
We repent of the hurt we have caused
the divisions we have created,our reluctance to face up to the sin of the past,
our unwillingness to listen to the pain of our black sisters and brothers,
and our silence in the face of racism and injustice today.
We commit ourselves, in a true spirit of repentance, to take what we have learned from God in the Council and to share it widely in our Baptist community and beyond, looking for gospel ways by which we can turn the words and feelings we have expressed today into concrete actions and contribute to the prophetic work of God's coming Kingdom.’
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We Accept…