Necessary Interdisciplinary Reflections? How Can Psychological Research Enhance the Church of England’s Theological Conversation and Praxis around Racism? - Carlton Turner

Summary:

It seems that the theological conversations about racism and its effects on UKME and GMH persons in the Church of England (CofE) are concerned with the flourishing of such individuals in the context of the wider Church, and practical steps are being made toward this end. However, this project explores the degree to which such conversations are psychologically informed. The overriding research question is this: while racism is being used as a concept or a framework for naming harmful dynamics within the life of the Church of England, how psychologically informed is the concept? With this in mind, the following questions seem necessary to guide the research: 

• Is there space for a deeper understanding of ‘racism’ in both its individual and collective forms that theological conversations in the Church of England might learn from?  
• What might research on racism in the psychological sciences add to the conversation?  
• Using a practical theological approach, how might this science engaged theological research into the experiences and dynamics of racism help strengthen or even transform the theology and praxis of the Church of England in this area? 

This will be a mainly text based research in the theological and ecclesiological literature in the CofE on racism, including reports, theological books, diocesan policies, and perhaps even formal minutes. Equally, literature research will be done in the field of clinical and social psychology, using Minority Stress Theory and Social Threat Theory as key concepts to begin the exploration. The research will also involve some stakeholder interviews and documentary research in selected dioceses within the CofE. The interviews and documentary exploration are not part of a qualitative research, but rather a scoping exercise to source the kinds of literature that might be present and possibly overlooked and research such as this.   

As outputs this research intends the publication of an article in a peer reviewed theological journal (Practical Theology, Ecclesiology, etc.); blogpost (possibly on the Cross-Training website); a podcast interview on the research (eg, Sunday School for Misfits); and the presentation of the research at least two academic conferences (IAPT, Canada, June 2005; BIAPT, UK, June 2025).  

Overall outcomes are that the theological conversation on racism within the Church of England become less two dimensional and is intentionally rooted psychological research. This interdisciplinary shift in thinking, to my mind, is key to sharper practices and policies that ensure racial and ethnic inclusion, sense of belonging, and overall flourishing.   Finally, as part of the research process I will attempt to engage the Racial Justice of the Church of England (RJU) about a further possible two years of funding to do some deeper qualitative and quantitative research into specific questions that might arise from this Cross-Training project’s results. I see this year’s research as foundational literature research that is crucial for further science engaged theological research in this area.