Justin Welby resigned as Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday, following the release of a damning independent review led by Keith Makin. The Makin Report details the long-term suppression by multiple, including high-ranking, members of the Church of England following allegations of violent abuse by John Smyth, now deceased before ever facing a court of law. John Smyth abused many boys and young men, first in the UK and later in southern Africa. He was enabled over years both through active cover-ups and long- term inertia, as religious persons and institutions failed to acknowledge, let alone address, ameliorate, or help to repair, the suffering of Smyth’s victims. The resignation was right but very late in coming.
The Shiloh Project has in a previous post raised up the work of Andrew Graystone. His book Bleeding for Jesus: John Smyth and the cult of Iwerne camps (Darton, Longman & Todd, 2021) includes the harrowing testimony of multiple victim-survivors, and details the persistent suppression of Smyth’s crimes. (There is a recorded discussion with Graystone and others about the book here.)
Of course, if abuse like that of Smyth can happen – over many years, with many in positions of responsibility and authority knowing about it, without acting on survivors’ disclosures – it is not isolated. This has emerged over and over again in the large AHRC-funded grant, led by Gordon Lynch, which has just concluded (2022-2024). Our findings, co-produced with survivors and academics, are in preparation and will add to the growing literature about the extent and impact of abuse in religious contexts.
Another survivor-centred publication is in our Shiloh book series. It is by Miryam Clough and speaks to the topics of vocation and violence, with particular focus on women’s vocation in the Anglican church.
Miryam is also a contributor to a toolkit for churches, edited by Emily Colgan and Caroline Blyth. The toolkit is designed to accompany survivors of sexual harm. This toolkit is downloadable for free and includes practical strategies and exercises for doing the difficult and sensitive work that needs to be done. Its necessity is all too evident.
