by Julian Mann, Christian Today
If anyone has doubts whether church safeguarding is firmly rooted in Scripture, today’s Epistle reading from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer can dispel them.
The passage is from the Apostle’s Paul New Testament letter to the Christians in 1st century Philippi:
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:5-11 NIV).
Shortly after the publication of her strongly critical report into Church of England safeguarding practices in February 2024, the former chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse, Professor Alexis Jay, addressed the General Synod by video.
She said: “Safeguarding in the Church today falls below the standard expected and set in secular organisations, which are required to follow statutory guidance.”
She called on the Church to “challenge erroneous beliefs about safeguarding which continue to be held.
“For example, we heard from a number of people that safeguarding should be rooted in Scripture and that being a practising Christian should be a prerequisite to holding a safeguarding role,” she said.
Regardless of the debate over whether churches should insist that their safeguarding officers be practising Christians, the fact is that safeguarding is rooted in Scripture as the biblical passage above clearly demonstrates.