Church of the Empire

Canon Dr Sanjee Perera is a cognitive psychologist and theologian and currently lecturer in Mission and Evangelism at Cranmer Hall Durham. She is also an Honorary Canon of Liverpool Cathedral and holds fellowships in Theology and Religion at the University of Durham and the University of Chester. She was previously the Archbishops’ Adviser for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns in the Church of England.

As a fellow pilgrim rooted in the rich, complex soil of Sri Lankan Anglicanism, I find Dr Perera’s Church of the Empire to be an invaluable gift to the global communion. From our shared heritage in the Church of Ceylon, we know deeply what it means to navigate the intersections of identity, faith and colonial legacy. Dr Perera and her collaborators dissect these multi-layered realities with masterful precision, theological depth and profound psychological insight. This book does not merely look backward at historical structures; it bravely challenges us to dismantle systemic inequality and build a more just, inclusive future for the Church. A vital, transformative read for everyone committed to true reconciliation and gospel justice.

• AcknowledgementsAbout the ContributorsPrefaceForeword IntroductionSanjee PereraPart One1. A New Humanity in ChristStephen Cottrell2. Re-Stating the Centrality of a Gospel of Liberation: The Case for Black TheologyAnthony G. Reddie3. Listening Closely: The Emergence of a Gypsy Voice Steven Horne, Martin Burrell and Sue Butler4. A Post-Pandemic Theology within the Church and with the Poor Mario I. AguilarPart Two – The Tangled Narratives of Historical Impressionism5. A Civilizing Church: Christian Mission and the European Scramble for AfricaHarvey Kwiyani6. A Cup of Cold Water: Global Mission and Culture Blindness Rachele Vernon O’Brien7. Dialectics Across Empires: Echoes of Sixteenth Century Othering in Today’s North Atlantic Anglicanism Carla E. Roland Guzmán8. Emigrants of the Empire: Fragmented Legacies that Pluck Up and Destroy Lauren Banks9. From the Diocese of Victoria to the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui: A historical survey of Anglicanism in Hong Kong (1841-2025) David Ho Young10 Émigrés of Empire and Colonial Homophobia: The Racialized Logics of Exclusion from Past Laws to Present LegaciesAudrey Quay11. Ambiguities in Anglican Liturgy Phillip ToveyPart Three – The Pragmatics of Racial Justice Strategy in the Church of England12. The Wicked Problem of Racism in the Church of England Sanjee Perera13. Voices in the Wilderness: Racial Justice and the Structures of the Church of England in the Twenty-first Century Malcolm Brown14. The Hare and the Tortoise: Diversifying Theological Education Keith Gruneberg and Mike Higton