The Church of England is in the process of hiring a "deconstructing whiteness" officer as part of an 11-person "racial justice unit," aimed at addressing racial injustice across the West Midlands. The role, which comes with an annual salary of £36,000, is a response to a motion passed by the General Synod, the Church's legislative body, urging all parishes to develop "race action plans."

This move follows a statement from the Rt Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the Bishop of Dover, during the Synod on February 25, emphasizing the need for Anglicans to "further embed racial justice" and not shy away from being labeled "woke."

However, critics of the newly proposed racial justice unit, which will operate across the dioceses of Birmingham, Coventry, Gloucester, Hereford, Lichfield, and Worcester, have accused the Church of "drinking the critical race Kool Aid" and engaging in what they perceive as "student politics."

“The irony of many of these projects is they are importing American perspectives and overlaying them on a country that is incredibly tolerant,” the Rev Daniel French, vicar of Salcombe, Cornwall, and co-host of the Irreverend podcast, told The Telegraph.

“No less than 80 per cent of the worldwide Anglican Communion is black, and their black theology is very conservative. But you never see the Church paying any attention to that.”

Advocates for "deconstructing whiteness" contend that white individuals experience more societal privileges than those from other ethnic backgrounds, arguing that certain characteristics and habits are stereotypically labeled as "white," setting them as the societal norm, and assert that dismantling these notions is crucial for eradicating racism.

The recently advertised position, is one of 11 roles funded by this initiative. The unit operates under the Archbishops' Council, an executive body led by the archbishops of Canterbury and York. Notably, the Most Rev Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has previously acknowledged the Church's institutional racism during his leadership since 2013.

The Rev Marcus Walker, chairman of the Save the Parish campaign group and rector of St Bartholomew the Great in the City of London, expressed profound astonishment, stating, "It's hard to overestimate how shocking this is."

“This is the Church, whose scripture tells us ‘there is neither Jew nor Greek but all are one in Christ Jesus’, telling a whole category of person that one of their intrinsic characteristics – their ethnicity – needs to be deconstructed.”

He added: “When yet another round of figures show that yet again the CofE has lost an even greater portion of the population, I wonder if any of those in charge will ask themselves what part they played in telling so many Anglicans that they are no longer welcome in their church.”