On Saturday 13 December the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ movement is having a carol service in Whitehall Central London entitled “Putting Christ back into Christmas”. It is billed as “believers from across the nation gather to honour the true meaning of Christmas- the birth of Jesus Christ. Bible readings, worship, testimonies, and the start of a latest Christian revival within the UK. This event just isn’t about politics, immigration or other groups. It is about Jesus Christ, fully and completely.”
The organisers say it’s going to include Bible readings and reflections led by priests, pastors, ministers, and a bishop, in addition to live music and worship, a gospel band and opera singers, and private testimonies from Christians about their faith journeys.
So far so good. So why have so many church leaders and denominations come out against it? Because the event is being organised by Tommy Robinson, who’s, to say the least, controversial. Often described as ‘Far Right’ – a term which has grow to be increasingly meaningless – Robinson is seen as an unlikely standard bearer for Christianity. Despite his professed conversion to evangelical Christianity last yr, that is being treated as if it were an event run by the Anti-Christ requiring a right away and emergency response.
The media have reported that a coalition of denominations including the Church of England, Baptist Union of Great Britain, Methodist Church, and United Reformed Church have released a “rapid response” resource pack for local churches, encouraging prayers, sermons, and actions on December 14 (the day after the event) to handle Christian nationalism and the “co-option of Christmas for a nationalist agenda”.
The Leeds Diocese has unveiled a series of billboards saying “Outsiders welcome” that it plans to put in in bus stops over the festive period. Churches Together in England, which represents 54 member denominations, said the posters with their slogan “Christ has all the time been in Christmas”, would send “a transparent message of affection for all our neighbours, resisting agendas of division and hostility”.
They issued a press release declaring, “We must confront and resist the capture of Christian language and symbols by populist forces looking for to take advantage of the religion for their very own political ends.”
As Giles Fraser wrote in Unherd, “At Christmas, our churches resound with angels singing ‘Fear not’. In contrast, Robinson spreads fear. That is his political currency. But that just isn’t the Christian message. And we are going to sing that in my church with gusto: ‘O hush the noise, ye men of strife, And hear the angels sing.’”
So what can we make of this? Is this just one other version of the so-called ‘culture wars’ with two tribes shouting past each other? Are we reduced to a straightforward binary selection – either you support the Christian celebration being organised by Robinson, otherwise you reject it as an inexpensive stunt which uses Christian symbols for political purposes?
I believe that those that query the motivation of the organisers have some good reasons for doing so. In reading the publicity for the event, it is obvious that the claim of the organisers, that it just isn’t about politics or immigration, is at best disingenuous. The e-mail sent out to Robinson’s supporters states that they “envision a vibrant assembly of dedicated patriots, coming together to lift our spirits with beloved carols that proclaim our enduring devotion to faith and homeland”. They go on to say, “excess of a straightforward performance, this can be a rallying cry for our core principles – a shining light within the midst of turmoil attributable to unchecked immigration and the fading of our cultural identity”.
But does this justify the outpouring of scorn and opposition that a number of the churches have poured out? Why the fierceness of the opposition? It seems to me that the stench of hypocrisy is within the air.
The Beam and the Speck
Consider the next. We are told that the objection is to “the capture of Christian language and symbols by populist forces looking for to take advantage of the religion for their very own political ends”. But we’re being told this by leaders who themselves continually use captured Christian language and symbols to take advantage of the religion for their very own political ends. Leaders who cannot tell us what God says about salvation can tell us what God says concerning the EU, immigration, climate change and Donald Trump! It was said that the Church of England was the Tory party at prayer. Now it seems more accurate to explain it because the Green/Labour/Progressive party at politics.
READ MORE: Disuniting the Kingdom – an open letter to evangelical signatories of the anti ‘Unite the Kingdom’ letter
These leaders complain of spreading fear but they themselves are experts in phobiaism – “Oh look, Tommy Robinson is having a Christmas Carol service. Fascism is on the rise. Be Afraid. Be very Afraid! We must create an emergency pack to take care of this imminent threat to the nation. Issue a press release to the Guardian!” All while spreading the fear of supposed Islamophobia, within the name of the Christ – whom Muslims deny. What a perverse world we live in. Such leaders who complain about using Christianity to advertise political beliefs should take the beam out of their very own eyes before they take the speck out of their brothers’ eyes.
A Kingdom Divided
Then there’s the entire query of division. The contrast they put is easy, and surprisingly for such educated people, simplistic. Ironically within the name of unity their language is incredibly divisive. On the one hand we’re told that the ‘Unite the Kingdom people’ are on the side of “hatred, division and fear”, whereas they’re – because the bishops of the Diocese of Southwark have declared – “higher than this”. They are those who selected “compassion and understanding over hostility and conflict”. Can they not see how divisive that is? Labelling everyone who doesn’t agree with their politics as hateful bigots.
Christ on the Heart of Christmas
Those who oppose Robinson’s try to put Christ at the center of Christmas tell us that “Christ has all the time been at the center of Christmas — and people who claim him must be serious about what he stands for.”
Indeed. But on this instance Robinson is unquestionably right? Christmas has been changed into a commercialised, sanitised, politicised ritual with the meaning reduced to little greater than ‘let’s all be nice to one another because a cute baby was born to a teenage mum and have become a refugee’. I remember one Church of Scotland church where the tradition was that as much as a thousand people from the local people would come to the midnight carol service. The people loved it – lovely lights, nice carols, and a saccharine inoffensive message. Until one yr a latest minister decided he would actually preach about Christ. It nearly caused a riot. Even the drunks wondered why the minister was bringing Christ into Christmas! Within a few years, the attendance was right down to 100. The last item most individuals want is an actual Jesus of their fantasy Christmas.
Christmas in far too many churches is so boring (thankfully there are some wonderful exceptions). I could write the report of most of the most important church leaders’ Christmas messages at once. In fact, I could just ask AI. It’s the standard, standard, every yr.
If we actually knew and taught about Jesus, we’d not provide you with such simplistic memes as “Jesus got here to bring unity not division”. I even have just been reading in John 7 about how Jesus brought division – and the way he all the time does. Similarly in Luke 12:51, he says, “Do you’re thinking that I even have come to bring peace on earth? No, I inform you, but division.” Certainly, the angels sang of great joy and peace being brought on earth (Luke 2:14), nevertheless it is peace to “those on whom his favour rests”. There are individuals who reject Christ – and who don’t receive his favour. In fact, that’s the nice dividing line in humanity – not between those of various nationalities, not between the middle-class church leaders and the working class ‘populists’, but between those that accept and people who reject Christ.
Because here is the shocking truth of Christmas: Jesus Christ is more divisive than Tommy Robinson. Christ is the stumbling block and folly (1 Corinthians 1:23). He is the newborn who was born to die for our sins. And he’s the king who will return to earth as judge and saviour.
So, I wish Tommy Robinson well. I hope and pray that Christ will really be exalted in his carol service in London on Saturday. If the worst fears of some are realised and it seems simply to be one other political rally, then it makes little difference. Christ continues to be Lord and his kingdom will still come. Although I believe that I can be more more likely to hear the actual gospel of Christ at Robinson’s rally on Saturday, than I’ll in some churches on Sunday.
But, within the spirit of Christmas, I also wish Tommy Robinson’s critics well. I hope and pray that they may stop using their very own personal Jesus for their very own personal politics and as an alternative come to know and proclaim the Christ who really is there. I hope they may concentrate on Christ and never on Robinson. And for all of us, perhaps we must always all be looking for to do what we will to make sure that the true Christ really is the centre of our Christmas.
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