Are pro-Christian statements from the correct wing real? Christian Concern’s Communications Manager Paul Huxley comments on the claims and counter-claims.
Is the political right co-opting Christianity?
A Guardian editorial thinks so. It says:
“At last Saturday’s rally the striking proliferation of wood crosses and flags bearing Christian slogans suggest an ominous and rising influence on the British far right. From the speakers’ platform in Whitehall, crowds were led in chants of “Christ is King” and took part in public prayer recitals, while being urged to defend “God, faith, family, homeland”.
Unite the Kingdom will not be the primary movement on the political right to push this manner in recent times. Ten years ago, Nigel Farage called for a “more muscular defence” of Christian heritage. Protests outside asylum hotels have likewise recently seen crowds saying the Lord’s Prayer.
And Danny Kruger, now a member of Reform, recently gave the clearest and most compelling argument for a Christian society the House of Commons has seen in a few years.
Many Christians are encouraged by this.
It’s nice to be wanted. We’re used to culture ignoring us, if not treating us with outright contempt.
No matter what number of good reasons we give for opposing abortion and assisted suicide we’re written off as ‘religious’, so none of our views are price anything. Covid restrictions allowed churches to act as food banks and vaccination centres but needlessly banned us from worshipping God together. Trans ideology is taught to our youngsters in school and we’re made out to be the issue if we object. Pride flags are pushed into every public space, making faithful Christians feel thoroughly unwelcome. Pro-life witnesses are criminalised, street preachers arrested and Christians are at threat of losing their job in the event that they say anything on social media to protest any of the above.
Trevor Phillips, the previous head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, explained among the appeal of Unite the Kingdom:
“The overwhelming majority of the crowds waving flags and carrying crosses weren’t there for a fight. But they do have a cause. The offended protests outside asylum hotels are actually metastasising into a less complicated, broader message: stop immigration, defend free speech, revive Christianity. It is a compelling trinity for a rustic that feels offended and unmoored.”
Christians could have different views on immigration policy. However, our long history of Christian freedoms cases on the Christian Legal Centre alone shows the clear need without spending a dime speech and for Jesus Christ at the guts of society.
These politicians and activists genuinely appear to want Christians to be around. For a long time, the political establishment has largely related to Christians by occasionally inviting them to a multi-faith drinks reception where they’re thanked for running food banks, helping people out of debt and helping with all the opposite social problems. But this ‘right wing’ bunch actually want Christians around. There are real, faithful Christians of their friendship circles. They value free speech. They recognise the danger of Islam.
Why shouldn’t Christians be excited?
Two sceptical groups of Christians
Some Christians have a really different take. Like the Guardian editorial, they see this crowd as thugs and fascists using nods to Christianity as fig leaves to cover their hatred and violence.
They could be nervous about Jesus Christ ever being cited in political debates – to them, the nation can never be Christian. National institutions ought to be neutral to Jesus Christ at most and, if pushed, they may say that the Church is best off in everlasting exile, downtrodden and oppressed until Jesus returns. I don’t see this expectation within the Bible, where kings and rulers are continually called to undergo the King of King’s authority. Rulers that suppress God’s persons are routinely punished and there will not be the slightest hint that a Christian ruler should leave their faith on the door when legislating or judging.
Other Christians might agree that Jesus calls even political leaders to obey him but have very different ideas to those groups about integration and immigration. After all, the Bible has many verses calling Israel to be hospitable to sojourners (Leviticus 19:33-34, for instance). There is an excellent Christian instinct to guard the vulnerable, which no less than some immigrants clearly are.
These points can’t simply be dismissed as unimportant. Nevertheless, they need context. Sojourners in Israel were very much to be held to Israel’s standards. Even on seemingly religious matters just like the Sabbath, there was one law for all. Israel’s law didn’t make multicultural allowances for Baal-worshippers to establish parallel worship and legal systems. They didn’t turn a blind eye to grooming gangs because they feared being accused of Philistine-ophobia. And there may be some Biblical precedent for being sceptical in regards to the identity of even Israelites looking for to go through borders (Judges 12:1-6).
The UK’s current immigration and integration issues are complex. They deserve more Biblical attention than the generalised instruction for Israel to be kind to sojourners. Those same laws disallowed sojourners from having allotted land, unless they became fully integrated into Israel through circumcision. Would those citing these verses also require migrants to undergo Christian baptism in the event that they need to own land within the UK?
These two groups of Christians dismiss either the thought of a Christian nation or the concerns of those leading or attending protests and rallies. For them, any claims of those involved to be Christian should be disingenuous.
If you claim Christ, Christ claims you
Christians attending the rally were less negative. Figures like our friends and clients Dominic Muir and Christian Hacking haven’t praised every element of those movements but see an actual mission field of people who find themselves open to hearing the gospel.
They are warm to the thought of a Christian nation – one ordered by the Biblical God’s patterns quite than Islam or atheistic secularism. And this draws them to think about Christ himself.
Can all of us no less than agree that it’s price sharing the gospel with these people? Some Christians only appear to want either to distance themselves or to oppose them directly. I need to say a giant ‘yes’ to the Lord’s prayer, to “Christ is King” after which help them see what meaning.
It doesn’t mean deliberately intimidating people based purely on their immigration status or skin color. It doesn’t mean filthy or aggressive language that stirs up hatred. It doesn’t mean any sort of hooliganism.
These concerns about right-wing gatherings are overstated by some. But they’re features inside this movement and it might be improper for any Christian to overlook them.
If you claim the name Christian, Christ has claims on you. Saying the Lord’s Prayer or using another Christian words or imagery should be greater than a type of virtue signalling.
If this right-wing revival is real, we’d like to see a growth in holiness and maturity over time. I cannot see the hearts of this movements’ leaders but when there may be a real seed of Christianity, it must grow.
We should expect to see people keen on Biblical law and Christian political theory. There are many treasures of wisdom to be unearthed. We should see humility, with leaders settling into faithful churches where they’re discipled and looking for to learn from those that have gone before them.
And it’s not only those that are drawn to Tommy Robinson-led rallies who must hear this. It’s true of those that are involved in Alliance for Responsible Citizenship and anyone else drawn to the concept a Christian-ish society is best than another option. Christianity will not be just clever, it’s true. Christ actually is King, and following his pattern for our lives will generally, over time, see him bless our efforts.
Co-opting Christ?
We are all in peril of co-opting Christ to our pet causes.
The Guardian, which calls for Church leaders to counter what it calls “the far right’s pseudo-Christian postering”, is totally comfortable when LGBTQ groups co-opt Jesus Christ for their very own movements.
Jesus Christ should be taken seriously.
That starts with us and all those that name him. We must seek his ways, the holiness and happiness he brings, his wisdom and blessing and his Spirit to empower us day by day.
Let’s leave those around us in little doubt that we’re his followers and see what God does.
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