To those evangelicals who signed the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ letter:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I’m deeply concerned that a few of you as evangelical leaders have decided to sign an open letter condemning the usage of Christian symbols within the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march.
Your letter will probably be widely reported as showing that the official church was against this march. I’m not referring to the liberal and ‘progressive’ signatories who, as everyone knows, commonly use Christianity to proclaim their particular political beliefs. My concern is with those of you who profess to be evangelical and to talk on behalf of your fellow evangelicals.
Your first objection is that many individuals and communities “felt anxious, unsettled and even threatened by features of the march”. Of course that is true. When you play the ‘feelings’ card it should at all times be true for some people. My problem is that although this could possibly be said of many marches, you probably did not say it on those occasions. Did you write an open letter concerned concerning the use of Christian symbols at Pride parades or anti-Israel marches? Many individuals and communities feel anxious, unsettled and even threatened by features of those marches. Do their feelings not count?
You are also concerned that the rally included “racist, anti-Muslim and much right elements.” Can I simply indicate that each march I even have ever been on contained individuals who had more extreme views. Would you will have advised me, as a student Christian activist, to avoid CND ‘ban the bomb’ marches because they contained communists and much left elements? Should I even have avoided supporting Scottish independence because there have been some individuals who were racist and anti-English?
Did I miss your letter advising Christians to not go on pro-Palestinian marches because there are people chanting for the elimination of Israel and the Jews? Or do you use on the principle that not everyone needs to be tainted with the views of those on the extremist fringes? So why the double standard on this case?
As evangelicals you realize the importance of words and truth. So why use the pejorative and increasingly meaningless term ‘far right’? Do you not know that in today’s world those of us who’re evangelicals who hold to the Bible are thought to be far right because we’re against abortion, same-sex marriage and transgender ideology? Are you de facto condemning all of us?
I used to be just as surprised to see you complaining about being “anti-Muslim”. Of course we’re to like the people and welcome the stranger, but we definitely should not have to welcome the ideology, especially if we expect it’s fundamentally harmful and can destroy this country.
Are you not aware that Islam is as much a political ideology because it is a faith? When the brand new blasphemy law regarding ‘Islamophobia’ comes into force are you able to not see that any Christian who denies Muhammad is a prophet or the Quran is the word of God could possibly be found guilty? Do you think that the expansion of Islam on this country is nice for either the country or the church? If you do, how are you going to possibly call yourself an evangelical? If not, then why not speak out and say so? At the very least please stop condemning those that warn of the growing danger of the Islamisation of the country.
I might expect evangelicals to talk within the clear language of Scripture, not the coded memes of up to date society. For example, you write “any co-opting or corrupting of the Christian faith to exclude others is unacceptable”. Of course, we’re all for ‘inclusion’, but it surely really does depend upon what you mean by the term. The great danger is that you just equate the virtue of inclusion along with your political values and find yourself excluding and condemning all who disagree with you.
I’m sure that there are people you’ll need to exclude indirectly. Being inclusive doesn’t mean you affirm or accept every lifestyle or perspective. I’m not over keen on including paedophiles, fascists or misogynists – although I could be greater than blissful to incorporate them within the gospel call to repentance and renewal. The irony is that by adopting within the name of Christ the exclusion view of inclusion – so beloved by illiberal progressives – you’re yourselves co-opting the Christian faith to exclude those that don’t agree with you.
There is one other problem here. It is the deeply patronising tone of your letter. You recognise “the deep sense of frustration at feeling unheard and forgotten within the democratic process”, and suggest that this wound could be healed if the Church and society as a complete does more to deal with the problems of “poverty, inequality and exclusion”. That is about as tone deaf as you’ll be able to get.
Many middle-class churches discuss poverty, inequality and exclusion. But you offer no solutions. You think that the poor are only not educated or intelligent or nice enough to get your solutions – and so that you smear them with the comb of fascism. Perhaps when you would learn to take heed to people then they may not feel so unheard and forgotten? The problem with the political establishment within the UK in the mean time is that each major party appears to be singing from the identical hymn sheet – and it will not be a very Christian one. Why join their choir?
And then there’s the actual elephant within the room. You don’t appear to see the wood for the trees – or the beam in your personal eye. Some of your co-signatories are doing the very thing that you just accuse the marches of doing. They take all the trimmings of Christianity – the language, the clothing, the rituals and the Bible – and use them to further their very own political and socio-economic views. They don’t imagine the Bible, but they’re prepared to make use of it. Steve Chalke for instance condemns you for “excluding” those that want same-sex marriage – he even suggests that Jesus got it mistaken.
Steve will not be the just one. You, as evangelicals, have joined up with individuals who deny the Scriptures and who use the symbols of Christianity to advertise their very own political/social agenda, slightly than Christ.
You say you’re doing this unapologetically within the name of Jesus Christ. But which Christ? The Christ of the Scriptures or the Christ made within the image of progressive liberalism? I fully accept that there’s a danger of cultural Christianity – where Christ and the Bible are hijacked by those with a more ‘right wing’ agenda. But there’s also the danger of a cultural Christianity where Christ and the Bible are hijacked by those with a more ‘left wing’ agenda. In co-signing this letter, you will have allied yourself with one group – on the expense of the Gospel.
Personally, I support the likes of the Evangelical Alliance and the Bible Society precisely because they don’t take a political stance. By allying yourselves with one side of the culture war you will have modified that. You have alienated thousands and thousands of people that have to hear our message by implying that they’re related to Nazis. By taking such partisan political motion, you’ll divide the Kingdom, slightly than unite it.
You say that you just are committed to “constructing a more United Kingdom where the values of affection, humility and compassion shine through in every community”. Like motherhood and apple pie, that’s all good and well, but how is that going to occur? Is it going to be a smorgasbord of multiculturalism and different incompatible religions and philosophies? I feel that at best, that may be a well-meaning but dangerous fantasy.
Our only hope will not be in nationalism, progressivism or conservatism with a Christian veneer. It is for an actual renewal of the Christian Gospel. That won’t occur if we turn Christianity right into a progressive Hallmark style ‘thought for the day’ just echoing the politics and values of what all of the ‘nice, decent’ people in our society think. Nor will it occur if we turn it into some type of conservative political movement.
Real Christianity is far more radical than that. Can we please have some more of the actual stuff – not only the shadowy imitations of whatever political philosophy happens to be in vogue? Can now we have more of the prophetic, and fewer of the political? More of the powerful Word and fewer of the progressive platitudes. And above all, give us Christ and his word – in all its hope, challenge, uncomfortableness, truth and joy.
Yours etc
David A Robertson
David Robertson is the previous minister of St Peters Free Church in Dundee and a former Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland. He is currently the minister of Scots Kirk Presbyterian Church in Newcastle, New South Wales, and blogs at The Wee Flea.
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