Christianity is being used to unite the far right. We must call it out

The Church has often struggled with being co-opted by dangerous and violent individuals. It’s happened before in church history, and it is happening again now.

The rioting, racism and general thuggery we’ve all witnessed in recent days is being denounced as wrong by the vast majority of Brits. But unfortunately, there are a group of people on the right of politics who are not only inflaming this, but doing so in Jesus’ name.

So let’s be clear: setting fire to a hotel full of refugees - as happened in Rotherham - is abhorent. There should be no hesitation in condemning all the violence on our streets. There can be no justification for it.

And yet…

The problem

Christianity is being used as a tool to unite the far right.

One of the most prominent leaders of the far right is the extremist known as Tommy Robinson (real name: Stephen Yaxley Lennon). 

Tommy Robinson recently led a protest in central London where “Christ is King” was heard chanted from the stage. A pentecostal bishop also stood on stage and declared that he and the crowd were “at war” with Muslims.

As Hope not Hate have reported regarding Tommy Robinson, “One notable change from recent [Robinson] events was the more overtly pro-Christian element to the day’s proceedings. In recent months [he] has begun to talk more regularly about God and Jesus.”

I was disappointed to discover that Tommy Robinson was recently a guest on Jordan Peterson’s podcast. Peterson is someone I have admired in the past, and has made intriguing comments about his own interest in Christianity. Why is he platforming a far-right extremist? Similarly, Elon Musk recently attracted the interest of Christians when he identified as a “cultural Christian”. And yet both Musk and Peterson have used their X accounts to promote Tommy Robinson. 

The use of Christianity as a banner to unite the far-right isn’t new. But it is dangerous, and it needs to be called out.

Separating truth from lies

Satan is the father of lies, and the best liars take the truth and add very small deviations to it. A well told lie is often indistinguishable from the truth.

So let’s be clear. Spiritual warfare is a reality. Jesus is the truth. But us needing to ‘rise up’ and reclaim this nation, through violence? That’s a lie and it is so far from what Christ taught.

Alongside the co-opting of Christianity by the far right, we are also seeing conservative figures fail to properly condemn these horrific acts of violence.

As a hotel full of vulnerable people was set ablaze, so called ‘conservatives’ and others were using their online platforms to tell us that “This is what happens when you fail to listen”. Excuses were made. The suggestion was that we were to expect this kind of thing. It was a consequences of the “elites” not listening to the concerns of “ordinary people”. 

Canon Phil Harris, in a video attacking Keir Starmer as a communist, outlines a series of complaints about the government ignoring “native” people and “prostrating before Islam”, speaking for eight minutes about why people are angry and ending by telling people that “now is the time to take our country back, before it is too late”. But as the Labour MP Jess Philips posted on X, ”We all have legitimate concerns, we all feel we’ve been ignored, my gosh I’ve spent years feeling as if no one was listening or acting on the violence women suffer. I didn’t set fire to things and attack the police even when it was them I was upset with.”

A better way

I want to see every person in the UK saved, I want heaven to be standing room only. I, too, fear religious extremism spreading across the UK. I think Christ feels the same way too.

But Christ had a different way of showing it.

Christ’s anger flipped tables, but they were in the temple. In God’s own house. When it came to interacting with those of other beliefs, to strangers and foreigners, he never lashed out, or instructed his followers to do so. Instead he gave us the story of the Good Samaritan - an instruction to cross the road, to stoop down and lift up the stranger, to show them radical love and support.

When revival comes

We’ve come a long way in 20 years. Some have noted that Christianity appears to be enjoying a kind of resurgance among intellectuals. There’s been talk of the tide of faith - decidedly ‘out’ in The God Delusion years - coming back in again. Is Christianity becoming cool? It’s certainly all over popular culture in a new way. Could this be our chance? Will we see a revival?

I hope and pray for that. But let’s be clear. A revival will not come at the hands of Jordan Peterson or Elon Musk. It won’t be brought about by violent thugs burning down hotels, or Tommy Robinson marching into mosques and handing out Bibles.

Revival will come when we act most like Christ. When we cross the road to love our neighbour as ourselves. And when we flip the tables in our churches, challenging those who abuse Christianity for their own gain.

Premier will be bringing together the Christian community to pray against the unrest. Tune in at 12.30pm daily as we cry out to God to ‘Heal our land’. Listen in at premier.plus, via DAB or ask Alexa/Google to “play Premier Christian Radio”