Ed Janet Fife and Anne Lee. Published by DLT
Reviewed by Rev Dr Catherine Shelley, Member of General Synod, Leeds Diocese. Vicar of St Mary’s Todmorden, St Peter’s Walsden and St Michael’s Cornholme, Adviser for Women’s Ministry Huddersfield Episcopal Area and NADAWM Secretary.
Having been a target of bullying in more than one context in my church life and having also been advised of Anne Lee’s work during one of those times, I was looking forward to reading this book. It did not disappoint.
Anne Lee’s introduction lays out the context of bullying in the UK, framed by the fact that there is no legal definition of bullying and the consequent challenges of seeking redress, particularly in a church where clergy are office holders not employees. In a later Chapter Anne also compares provision in the UK with several other jurisdictions and a number of denominations, highlighting the relative lack of attention to bullying and harassment in faith communities.
Another of the later chapters, written by solicitors Richard Scorer and Cecilia Davies who specialise in claims for abuse and harassment, considers more fully the possible legal remedies for bullying for example, under the Protection from Harassment Act.
Of the twenty contributors there are five who write under a pseudonym, reflecting the impact of bullying and the challenges of sharing stories about bullying publicly. As well as personal stories from the perspective both of targets and their wider families or colleagues, there are more academic and therapeutic perspectives. These include reflections from a music therapist on the impact of silence and silencing and from theologians, spiritual directors and medical and psycho-therapeutic backgrounds.
Another piece, by Clive Billeness covers cyber-bullying, both the phenomenon and its impact. Clive was a long-term campaigner against bullying, seeking action through General Synod. The book is dedicated to him, following his sudden and untimely death on the way back from Synod in February 2025.
The personal accounts of bullying provide examples of bullying that are about the role, including that which can become endemic to a parish, and those bullied because of difference; including being LGBTQI and/or of Global Majority Heritage. The co-editor of the volume, Janet Fife, also writes from personal experience about belittling behaviour, silencing particularly of women and sexual assault. This chapter addresses powerfully the contribution made to bullying of church hierarchy, class and establishment and power dynamics. The roles of bystander and enabler are also clearly named as facilitators of bullying.
Inevitably, given the variety of contributors and perspectives there are different writing styles and some chapters are more readable than others but overall the book provides a comprehensive, informative and challenging overview of bullying in the life of the Churches. It is also, rightly, a call to join the campaign to tackle it.