Problems with the church leaders’ letters about the Tommy Robinson march

A couple of days ago, a letter signed by a number of church leaders wasrepottred in the Times responding to the Tommy Robinson march and in particular it’s coopting of Christians and Christian symbols. Evangelicals were among those who signed it.on

I  am grateful that several Evangelicals have spoken up boldly. I agree with the content of the letter. However, I would have a number of concerns, primarily:

1. I am not convinced it went anywhere near enough to grasping the significance of the issue. In fact I’m not convinced that we have  yet grasped this. It’s not just that there were people antagonizing on one political extreme.  It is that the event was underpinned by an idolatrous ideology on competition with Christ and the Gospel.  The message being promoted by some Christians tags the name of Jesus onto something that seeks to rival him. 
2. This has implications.  If it is just concern about a bit of political rabble rousing, we can seek out co-beligerrents.  However, if it is about idolatry, then it is at best confusing to see Evsngelical signaturies aligning with others who have themselves denied or diluted the Gospel in different ways. 

So, I do think Evangelical leaders should have spoken up but they too need to be aware of where they are being co-opted.

Those involved in the march produced their own response.  You can read it here.

I think this gives us greater clarity about what we are doing. It strikes me that the response to challenge has been to ignore anyone seeking to engage at the deeper level and challenge them.  There are many of us who did not sign the letter but have sought to raise our concerns.  We are not sitting in ivory towers but are on the front line of Gospel ministry. 

Their response has also been simply to hit back with aggressive rhetoric.  This again dismisses legitimate challenge.

And notice too that this is not just an attack aimed at clergy they disagree with, not just Aldi at those of us who did not sign a specific letter but have spoken up against the false god and gospel of ethno-cuktural nationalism, it is an attack on a newspaper, an attempt to intimidate and silence a free press. 

I am both intrigued and concerned by this taking on of the label “Patriot Pastors”.  It is surely one thing to recognise patriotism as a good thing. It is another to start to divide in this way especially with the implication that those who dare disagree with you are not patriots.  We are only one step away at this stage from identifying people as traitors with all that entails.