{"id":339073,"date":"2025-12-28T10:34:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T10:34:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/339073\/"},"modified":"2025-12-28T10:34:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-28T10:34:07","slug":"tommy-robinson-says-he-found-jesus-in-prison-churches-disagree-about-how-to-respond-christianity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/339073\/","title":{"rendered":"Tommy Robinson says he found Jesus in prison. Churches disagree about how to respond | Christianity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gary made sure he got to Whitehall early for the \u201cunite the kingdom\u201d<\/a> (UTK) outdoor carol service in the run-up to Christmas. After about 150,000 people turned up for the last rally<\/a> called by Tommy Robinson in September, the leader of the anti-migrant far-right movement, he wanted to be sure of a prime position.<\/p>\n

He needn\u2019t have worried. About 1,500 people \u2013 perhaps 1% of September\u2019s turnout \u2013 came to Whitehall<\/a> to sing carols and hear preachers in the twilight of a mid-December day. Robinson had publicly insisted the event was a non-political celebration of Christmas; maybe that deterred some of movement\u2019s more ardent activists.<\/p>\n

Crosses and flags were on display, but there was little overt talk \u2013 either from the preachers or people in the crowd \u2013 of Robinson\u2019s favoured political themes. One did complain loudly that her grandchildren were \u201cbanned from celebrating Christmas\u201d at school; another group of women handed out leaflets calling for communities to be \u201cprotected from illegal immigration\u201d.<\/p>\n

Standing beneath a \u201cJesus saves\u201d sign, Gary said he was a believer but didn\u2019t attend church. \u201cThat\u2019s not for me, I can\u2019t be bothered with all that,\u201d he said. Some others attending the service also said they were Christians but not churchgoers.<\/p>\n

Since Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, emerged from prison last May<\/a>, bearded and wearing a wooden cross around his neck, churches have been uncertain how to respond to incipient Christian nationalism on the far right of British politics. Some church members have wanted to push back unequivocally against racism and xenophobia, saying it has no place in Christianity; others have warned that any direct response risks amplifying the far right\u2019s message.<\/p>\n

Robinson was \u201cled to Christ\u201d while in prison, according to Rikki Doolan, a minister at the Spirit Embassy church in Tottenham, north London, which has a large component of worshippers with west African heritage. Three weeks before his release, Doolan \u2013 a former Ukip candidate in local elections \u2013 paid Robinson a visit. \u201cWe spoke about the gospel, and he received Jesus Christ as his personal lord and saviour, right there in the prison,\u201d Doolan said later.<\/p>\n

After his release, Robinson told the far right Visegrad 24 media platform that he had \u201clooked deeply over the past few years about what we are fighting for and what made Britain, and it is Christianity<\/a>. We are a Christian culture\u201d.<\/p>\n

Tommy Robinson after his release from HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, in May. Photograph: @TRobinsonNewEra\/PA<\/p>\n

Over the Christmas period, Robinson posted a number of messages on X positioning himself as an advocate for a Christian revival, including a Boxing Day repost<\/a> of a tweet by a rightwing account which claimed there had been a \u201cMASSIVE surge in attendance across all denominations\u201d with the comment: \u201cIt\u2019s happening\u201d and a cross emoji. The account shared part of a Sky news interview with an Anglican vicar talking about \u201chuge growth\u201d in churchgoing, particularly since the pandemic.<\/p>\n

At the huge UTK march in central London in September, there was overt Christian symbolism on display, including large crosses and placards proclaiming \u201cChrist is King\u201d. Hymns were sung, prayers were said.<\/p>\n

Some have suggested that the far right\u2019s newfound Christianity is cultural rather than deeply rooted in faith, or that it is simply a respectable cloak to drape over anti-migrant and Islamophobic views, while also tapping into potential new supporters from beyond Robinson\u2019s largely white base. Others point to entrenched, hugely influential and well-funded Christian nationalism in the US<\/a>, saying he is seeking to emulate that movement.<\/p>\n

According to Chris Wickland, a senior pastor at the evangelical Living World Church Network in Hampshire and an associate of Robinson, the rise of Christian nationalism is a \u201ccontinuation of much older debates about identity, sovereignty and social cohesion that have been unfolding for years\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cMany of the people attending our churches currently are disillusioned with the political situation in the country and see faith as a stabilising influence in family life, local communities and society more generally \u2026 People are drawn by a shared concern about the role of faith in public life, and many are also exploring or deepening their own personal commitment to Christianity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Online footage has shown Wickland attempting to find new members of his flock from the ranks of men attaching flags to lamp-posts as part of the rightwing \u201cRaise the Colours\u201d movement.<\/p>\n

\"ProtestersProtesters clash with police at far-right rally in London \u2013 video<\/p>\n

A few UTK supporters have begun turning up in churches, creating a dilemma for clergy and fellow congregants who don\u2019t share their views. \u201cPeople are showing up on the back of these rallies, and local church leaders are thinking: \u2018What do we do with this?\u2019 It\u2019s something we have to think very hard about,\u201d said one person who attended a December meeting of church, charity and civil society leaders in Westminster on their response to Christian nationalism.<\/p>\n

Arun Arora, the bishop of Kirkstall and co-lead in the Church of England on racial justice, said he \u201crejoiced\u201d that Robinson had come to faith, but that the far-right leader needed to hear the key messages of Christianity: love thy neighbour, compassion, justice for the weak and vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Within the C of E, Arora has been at the forefront of the argument that the church needs to push back hard against the Islamophobia and anti-migrant stance of Robinson \u2013 while taking care not to demonise all those in his orbit.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot everyone who goes on a UTK march is racist. No one is in favour of uncontrolled immigration. But that doesn\u2019t mean you stand neutral in the face of Robinson\u2019s message,\u201d Arora said. He and other Leeds clergy have engaged with protesters outside asylum hotels in the city, offering cake and a vision of \u201cpositive patriotism\u201d in an effort to create a space for discussion. In the next few years there would be a \u201cbattle as to what Christianity is\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n

In the lead-up to the UTK carols service, a number of clergy publicly called for a firm response from the C of E. Their case was strengthened by criticism of the event by the Baptist Union, Methodists and United Reformed Church. Churches Together in England shared an opinion piece questioning \u201cwhy so many churches were slow to challenge [Robinson\u2019s] insidious rhetoric\u201d.<\/p>\n

The day before the UTK carols event, the C of E national head office released a 43-second video to remind people that \u201cChristmas belongs to all of us\u201d.<\/a> It didn\u2019t mention Robinson or the UTK carols event, but C of E officials indicated that they were happy for it to be seen as a response to both. Some of those who had argued for pushback felt it was a \u201csafe\u201d way of heading off a more radical response.<\/p>\n

Supporters of British far-right activist Tommy Robinson gather on Whitehall in central London on 13 December for a carol concert. Photograph: Justin Tallis\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Differences in views on how to respond to Robinson, UTK and the Reform UK party are believed to exist at the very top of the C of E, between Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York, who has a long track record on racial justice issues, and the incoming archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally. She condemned the use of \u201cChristian symbols to oppress\u201d in a pre-Christmas interview with the Sunday Times<\/a>, but Mullally is thought to be wary of the potential pitfalls of a political battle with hard-right politicians and activists.<\/p>\n

In January, C of E bishops will discuss the church\u2019s response to Christian nationalism and the far right at one of their regular meetings. Nick Spencer, a senior fellow at the Christian thinktank Theos, who is embarking on a two-year study of Christian nationalism, said the C of E faced a genuine dilemma. If it embraced rightwing activists proclaiming newfound Christianity, it would \u201cget its head kicked in\u201d; if it slammed the door in their face, it would be \u201cmissionally-speaking a catastrophe\u201d.<\/p>\n

The church is \u201cdamned if they do, damned if they don\u2019t\u201d, he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think it can remain silent, but its response risks underlining the narrative that the C of E is only for the comfortable middle-class.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve Chalke, a Baptist minister and founder of the Oasis Charitable Trust, said to ignore Christian nationalism was \u201creally unwise. You don\u2019t ignore a cancer in your body\u201d.<\/p>\n

Chalke, who has spent decades working against poverty and injustice, said: \u201cWe need to create community, belonging, hope. Britain is not only a post-Christian society, now it\u2019s post-secular. People are searching for meaning and purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Spencer, what happens next depends on whether Robinson reflects on the low turnout for the UTK carols and decides to \u201cquietly ditch\u201d his Christian nationalist rhetoric. \u201cOr will he stick with it? How sincere is he in his Christianity?\u201d<\/p>\n

A possible clue came the week before Christmas, when Robinson and UTK announced the \u201clargest demonstration for national unity and strength this country has ever witnessed\u201d on 16 May in central London. It was billed as a \u201ccelebration of our culture, our identity and our shared destiny\u201d. There was no mention of Christianity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gary made sure he got to Whitehall early for the \u201cunite the kingdom\u201d (UTK) outdoor carol service in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":339074,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-339073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=339073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339073\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/339074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=339073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=339073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=339073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}