Are pro-Christian statements from the right wing genuine? 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 wooden 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 participated in public prayer recitals, while being urged to defend “God, faith, family, homeland”.
Unite the Kingdom is not the first movement on the political right to push this way in recent years. 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 many 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 how many good reasons we give for opposing abortion and assisted suicide we are written off as ‘religious’, so none of our views are worth 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 children at school and we’re made out to be the problem 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 if they say anything on social media to protest any of the above.
Trevor Phillips, the former head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, explained some of 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 angry protests outside asylum hotels are now metastasising into a simpler, broader message: stop immigration, defend free speech, revive Christianity. It is a compelling trinity for a country that feels angry and unmoored.”
Christians may have different views on immigration policy. However, our long history of Christian freedoms cases at the Christian Legal Centre alone shows the clear need for free speech and for Jesus Christ at the heart of society.
These politicians and activists genuinely seem to want Christians to be around. For decades, the political establishment has largely related to Christians by occasionally inviting them to a multi-faith drinks reception where they are thanked for running food banks, helping people out of debt and helping with all the other social problems. But this ‘right wing’ bunch actually want Christians around. There are genuine, faithful Christians in 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 very 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 might be nervous about Jesus Christ ever being cited in political debates – to them, the nation can never be Christian. National institutions should be neutral to Jesus Christ at most and, if pushed, they might say that the Church is best off in permanent exile, downtrodden and oppressed until Jesus returns. I do not see this expectation in the Bible, where kings and rulers are continually called to submit to the King of King’s authority. Rulers that suppress God’s people are routinely punished and there is not the slightest hint that a Christian ruler should leave their faith at 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 these groups about integration and immigration. After all, the Bible has many verses calling Israel to be hospitable to sojourners (Leviticus 19:33-34, for example). There is a good Christian instinct to protect the vulnerable, which at least 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 like the Sabbath, there was one law for all. Israel’s law did not make multicultural allowances for Baal-worshippers to set up 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 is some Biblical precedent for being sceptical about the identity of even Israelites seeking to pass 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 submit to Christian baptism if they want to own land in the UK?
These two groups of Christians dismiss either the idea 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 must 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 have not praised every element of these movements but see a real mission field of people who are open to hearing the gospel.
They are warm to the idea of a Christian nation – one ordered by the Biblical God’s patterns rather than Islam or atheistic secularism. And this draws them to consider Christ himself.
Can we all at least agree that it’s worth sharing the gospel with these people? Some Christians only seem to want either to distance themselves or to oppose them directly. I want to say a big ‘yes’ to the Lord’s prayer, to “Christ is King” and then help them see what that means.
It doesn’t mean deliberately intimidating people based purely on their immigration status or skin colour. It doesn’t mean filthy or aggressive language that stirs up hatred. It doesn’t mean any kind of hooliganism.
These concerns about right-wing gatherings are overstated by some. But they are features within this movement and it would be wrong for any Christian to overlook them.
If you claim the name Christian, Christ has claims on you. Saying the Lord’s Prayer or using any other Christian words or imagery must be more than a form of virtue signalling.
If this right-wing revival is real, we need to see a growth in holiness and maturity over time. I cannot see the hearts of this movements’ leaders but if there is a true seed of Christianity, it must grow.
We should expect to see people interested in 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 are discipled and seeking to learn from those who have gone before them.
And it’s not just those who are drawn to Tommy Robinson-led rallies who need to hear this. It’s true of those who are involved in Alliance for Responsible Citizenship and anyone else drawn to the idea that a Christian-ish society is better than any other option. Christianity is not just wise, it is 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 danger 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 completely at ease when LGBTQ groups co-opt Jesus Christ for their own movements.
Jesus Christ must be taken seriously.
That starts with us and all those who name him. We must seek his ways, the holiness and happiness he brings, his wisdom and blessing and his Spirit to empower us every day.
Let’s leave those around us in no doubt that we are his followers and see what God does.
