Churches urged to ban BNP
-16/11/06
Supporters of the philosophies of the British Natio
Churches urged to ban BNP
-16/11/06
Supporters of the philosophies of the British National party should be banned from taking communion because their beliefs conflict with key tenets of the Christian faith, the head of Britain’s race watchdog said yesterday.
Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, used a speech to church leaders to criticise their silence over the BNP’s depiction of itself as a Christian-based party, reports the Guardian.
Mr Phillips told the Temple Address that the BNP’s policies against people of other races and other religions using the cloak of Christianity demanded a robust response from established churches.
The think tank Ekklesia has been one of the few groups to draw the attention of churches to the religious arguments increasingly employed by the BNP.
The BNP tried to gain ground in recent local elections by seeking to exploit the mythology of a white ëChristian Britainí.
Ekklesia also brought to public attention the establishment of the Christian Council of Britain which was facilitated by BNP members.
After the revelations, churches lined up to distance themselves from the group and denounce the far Right.
However, BNP members have also been seen at protests against ‘Jerry Springer: The Opera’ at regional theatres, alongside conservative Christians.
In a book “Faith and Politics After Christendom” Ekklesia’s director Jonathan Bartley, warns of the worrying overlap between the arguments employed by the far Right of “defending the Christian heritage” of Britain, and those advanced by some evangelicals.
Referring to BNP leader Nick Griffin’s acquittal last week on charges of inciting racial hatred, Mr Phillips said the church should have framed its own response. “If ever there was a moment for hellfire and damnation, this is it. At the very least, every pulpit this Sunday should have been ringing with denunciation, ministers and priests crying ‘Not in our name’ … the far right should not be able to claim Christ to their cause. But they will do if we let them.”
He added: “I feel rage that my church might expect me to be in communion with such as Nick Griffin. This is where Christ puts us to the test. In the end it is Christians who decide who shares their fellowship, and who is excluded.”
Mr Phillips said church leaders faced a choice. “Will the churches support any priest or minister who says I will not administer the sacrament to someone who blatantly rejects Christ’s teachings? Are we ready to use weapons of faith to turn these people into pariahs and outsiders?”
The BNP has suggested there is “common ground” between what it describes as a “pro-Christian” stance and “conservative” Christians.
Mainstream churches have sought to react. The Methodist Church created a website called Countering Political Extremism which challenges the notion that racists can be considered Christians. The United Reformed Church declared support for racist organisations “incompatible with Christian fellowship”.
The Rev Joel Edwards, director general of the Evangelical Alliance – organisers of the Temple Address – said churches had sought to oppose and condemn the BNP but added: “There is always room to intensify and increase our voice in this area.” He considered the act of communion as symbolic of the “relationship with God”, adding: “People who make racist comments cannot reasonably claim to be part of that fellowship with God.”
In his address Mr Phillips said globalisation and the free movement of labour were changing the composition of Britain’s population.
“We no longer feel the need to suppress our identities. We want to be equal and we want to be integrated but we don’t want to be assimilated.”
Churches urged to ban BNP
-16/11/06
Supporters of the philosophies of the British National party should be banned from taking communion because their beliefs conflict with key tenets of the Christian faith, the head of Britain’s race watchdog said yesterday.
Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, used a speech to church leaders to criticise their silence over the BNP’s depiction of itself as a Christian-based party, reports the Guardian.
Mr Phillips told the Temple Address that the BNP’s policies against people of other races and other religions using the cloak of Christianity demanded a robust response from established churches.
The think tank Ekklesia has been one of the few groups to draw the attention of churches to the religious arguments increasingly employed by the BNP.
The BNP tried to gain ground in recent local elections by seeking to exploit the mythology of a white ëChristian Britainí.
Ekklesia also brought to public attention the establishment of the Christian Council of Britain which was facilitated by BNP members.
After the revelations, churches lined up to distance themselves from the group and denounce the far Right.
However, BNP members have also been seen at protests against ‘Jerry Springer: The Opera’ at regional theatres, alongside conservative Christians.
In a book “Faith and Politics After Christendom” Ekklesia’s director Jonathan Bartley, warns of the worrying overlap between the arguments employed by the far Right of “defending the Christian heritage” of Britain, and those advanced by some evangelicals.
Referring to BNP leader Nick Griffin’s acquittal last week on charges of inciting racial hatred, Mr Phillips said the church should have framed its own response. “If ever there was a moment for hellfire and damnation, this is it. At the very least, every pulpit this Sunday should have been ringing with denunciation, ministers and priests crying ‘Not in our name’ … the far right should not be able to claim Christ to their cause. But they will do if we let them.”
He added: “I feel rage that my church might expect me to be in communion with such as Nick Griffin. This is where Christ puts us to the test. In the end it is Christians who decide who shares their fellowship, and who is excluded.”
Mr Phillips said church leaders faced a choice. “Will the churches support any priest or minister who says I will not administer the sacrament to someone who blatantly rejects Christ’s teachings? Are we ready to use weapons of faith to turn these people into pariahs and outsiders?”
The BNP has suggested there is “common ground” between what it describes as a “pro-Christian” stance and “conservative” Christians.
Mainstream churches have sought to react. The Methodist Church created a website called Countering Political Extremism which challenges the notion that racists can be considered Christians. The United Reformed Church declared support for racist organisations “incompatible with Christian fellowship”.
The Rev Joel Edwards, director general of the Evangelical Alliance – organisers of the Temple Address – said churches had sought to oppose and condemn the BNP but added: “There is always room to intensify and increase our voice in this area.” He considered the act of communion as symbolic of the “relationship with God”, adding: “People who make racist comments cannot reasonably claim to be part of that fellowship with God.”
In his address Mr Phillips said globalisation and the free movement of labour were changing the composition of Britain’s population.
“We no longer feel the need to suppress our identities. We want to be equal and we want to be integrated but we don’t want to be assimilated.”