Bartholomew's Notes

Bronze award: David Klinghoffer of the Discovery Institute:

James von Brunn, Evolutionist

Now isn’t this fascinating. James von Brunn, the white-supremacist suspect in today’s Holocaust Memorial Museum shooting in which the guard who was shot has now tragically died, describes the relevance of evolution to his sick thinking.

…No, he doesn’t cite Darwin by name in the part of his book that’s readable online — the first 6 of 12 chapters. But do you get the general drift? And you want to tell me that ideas don’t have consequences?

Silver award: Debbie Schlussel, at her blog:

So What if Holocaust Museum Shooter is White Christian: We Know Who Crescented, er . . . Created This Atmosphere; 9/11 Truther

…Mr. Von Brunn has been on this planet for 89 years, and he didn’t feel comfortable shooting up a Holocaust museum until now–this new era of “tolerance,” in which we must tolerate the most extremist Muslim behaviors and sentiments.

Gold award: Rabbi Morton H. Pomerantz, at Newsmax:

Rabbi: Obama Breeds Climate of Hate Against Jews

Our new president did not tell a virulent anti-Semite to travel to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington to kill Jews, but he is most certainly creating a climate of hate against us.

…Just days ago Obama traveled to Cairo, Egypt. It was his second trip in a short time to visit Muslim countries. He sent a clear message by not visiting Israel.

But this was code.

(Hat tips: Failed Messiah, Sadly No!, Conwebwatch)

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A “special offer” from WorldNetDaily:

Clicking on the link takes one to www.wholecure.com/, where we learn that:

This coming pandemic isn’t a natural pathogen but rather a bio-engineered weaponized ‘flu’ designed for mass population reduction.  Mainstream doctors state the ‘fingerprint’ of this virus has never been seen, as it is a mix of Bird Flu, Swine Flu, Human and Spanish Flu.  They have concluded it must be man-made. The Globalists (people who run the world and have 90% of all wealth, influence and authority) have elected to create total chaos to undermine and finish breaking the world’s economy so they can complete implementing the “New World Order” a fascist regime of world domination, brutal controls and Martial Law…The politicians who did this answer to the Globalists and not to those who elected them to office. The average person knows little or nothing about who runs his life so has entrusted his future to a criminal cabal of politicians and bankers who systematically lie to him and rob him; then eventually kill him…The Globalists dug up frozen 1918 flu death cadavers in Siberia, extracted the DNA of the deadly Spanish flu and combined it with the very deadly Bird Flu (H5N1), mixed it with Swine Flu (H1N1) and merged it with a “carrier agent” of the highly contagious generic flu we all get to trigger certain and rapid human-to-human transmission. 

So what’s the “whole cure” that makes up WND‘s “special offer”?

MMS (Miracle Mineral Solution) is a germicidal agent capable of attacking and killing even early stage “flu” viruses. It operates without regard for the strain or variation that may evolve or be manufactured…If you would like to order by mail please send a check or money order for $24.95…

The site is run by Harold Williams, a Vietnam veteran who runs “SML”, or “Survive Martial Law”. It’s the usual story:

Months ago all the elements were in place for Martial Law in America. The secret FEMA army with Foreign troops were ready, (created with Trillions from an open ‘Black Operations’ checkbook) internment camps manned and all legal preparations made including the powerful Directive 51…I hear folks being optimistic about a ‘new’ president but really, nothing has changed at all. Just an articulate new puppet on the same strings. Our personal savings, retirements and worth is eroding to nothing. The Globalist’s are crashing our dollar to ZERO, setting the stage for world for WW3, the FEMA army is ready, the death camps are operational, massive numbers of foreign troops are here NOW and willing to do anything they are told, our borders are Militarized, people are disappearing and “the rule of law” is long gone!…The Globalist’s are creating three things… a One World Government, a One World Religion and a One World Currency.

WorldNetDaily editor Joseph Farah has turned this general crackpot theory into a specifically anti-Obama conspiracy – apparently Farah is willing to seize on any material that can be spun into a tale that makes Obama into a uniquely tyrannical and dangerous person, no matter how risible or distasteful.

Williams’s last point of course links him in with specifically Christian fundamentalist apocalypticism, and he warns us that “Our world is about to become one of great tribulation of Biblical portions.”

Williams claims to know his stuff because he

spent years (some in Central America and Africa ) instigating Martial Law and then teaching troops how to enforce it… some Military, some private. My experience with Martial Law is extensive and I’m a student of the History of oppression…I was young and stupid back then. I will use the experience I have to direct you to ways that could ease the enormous stresses of martial law and ways that will clearly help save your life and the lives of your family.

Someone who read Williams’ ebook Survive Martial Law gives their views here. Apparently Williams is controversial among those who go in for this kind of thing because he warns that stockpiling guns is not a good idea. Instead, he recommends “a Ka-Bar combat style knife”. He also advocates combining resources in communities, rather than heading for the hills.

UPDATE: Just hours after writing the above, an elderly far right racist has murdered a black security guard at the Washington Holocaust Museum. The killer, James W. von Brunn, is a vicious anti-semitic conspiracy theorist. Coming in the wake of the George Tiller murder, it seems to me that recent political changes in the USA are sending extremists off the deep end. As Chip Berlet notes today:

Apocalyptic aggression is fueled by right-wing pundits who demonize scapegoated groups and individuals in our society, implying that it is urgent to stop them from wrecking the nation. Some angry people in their audience already believe conspiracy theories in which the same scapegoats are portrayed as subversive, destructive, or evil. Add in aggressive apocalyptic ideas that suggest time is running out and quick action mandatory and you have a perfect storm of mobilized resentment threatening to rain bigotry and violence across the United States.

And just as the likes of Farah responded to the Tiller murder with complaints that anti-abortion activists would be smeared by association, are we now going to hear the complaint that those who promote paranoia through crackpot rhetoric about unnamed “Globalists” are being smeared in the same way? There is no indication that Williams is anti-Jewish, and Farah of course is a fervent Christian Zionist – but the origins of this discourse are in anti-Jewish conspiracy theories, as was noted after the publication of Pat Robertson’s book The New World Order. The Christian Century argued in 1995:

WHAT CONCLUSIONS can we draw from this journey into Pat Robertson’s political-economic worldview? First, in The New World Order Robertson has produced a volume whose conceptual scaffolding is irredeemably ugly and damns the preacher’s intellectual integrity. If Pat Robertson is not in his heart of hearts anti-Semitic, he has mingled in the circles of those who are.

Second, Robertson is driven by apocalyptic visions of shadowy conspirators who are reaching for world domination through economic means. It is the “bankers,” some of whom “happen” to be Jewish, that bear the whiff of sulfur. To say that Robertson is more concerned with a worldwide conspiracy than he is with its agents is a fine distinction; however, it does not deliver him from charges of anti-Semitic fellow traveling.

That’s a conclusion that bears wider application than just to Roberton’s ramblings.

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Following on from yesterday’s post, the Christian Institute has posted a video hightlighting the case of a street evangelist in the UK who was warned by a policeman that expressing the view that homosexuality is sinful would be an offence under Public Order legislation; the policeman said that complaints of “homophobia” had been made, while the evangelist maintains he had not even spoken on the subject.

Various sites (here, here, and here) have picked the story up, some seeing it as another instance of “persecution”. It’s certainly troubling on free speech grounds, but to keep a sense of proportion the Christian Institute’s own documentation ought to be consulted:

Andy Robertson, a street preacher with the Open Air Mission (OAM), was suddenly told by his local council that he could no longer preach in Gainsborough marketplace. Local by-laws relating to market traders were cited at one point and the police were called in by the Council. Mr Robertson was also accused of making homophobic remarks, but this was unsubstantiated.

Solicitors wrote to the Council informing them of Mr Robertson’s legal right to continue preaching, and warned them that legal action would be taken unless they recognised this right. Further legal correspondence ensued. Following that correspondence, Mr Robertson has continued to preach without any further complaints or objections being raised.

So, a policeman on the ground who wasn’t particularly well-informed tried to use Public Order as the easiest way to defuse a complaint, when he should have considered the importance of protecting free expression. However, Robertson knew his rights, stood his ground, got legal back-up, and issue appears to have been resolved. And that’s it, although the Institute notes a few other instances as well (one involving tract distribution in a Muslim area).

The Open Air Mission was founded in 1853, and was created to make street preaching respectable (see James Winters, London’s Teeming Streets); among its  current targets is the theory of evolution, and it has a history of opposition to Roman Catholicism (Robertson’s conversion narrative includes a negative reference to the “Roman Catholic religion”). However, its style far more low-key than the American “confrontational Evangelism” I blogged on here.

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ASSIST News Service reports from the House of Commons:

A consultation entitled “The Persecution of Christians in the United Kingdom” was held in the Attlee room of the House of Commons on June 3, 2009. It was hosted by Dominic Grieve QC, Conservative Member of Parliament for Beaconsfield, along with Baroness Caroline Cox, a former speaker of the House of Lords.

Cox appears to have defined “persecution” rather broadly:

Speaking to the participants Baroness Cox said that Christian students in Britain had a spiritual vacuum. “They do not know the names of the gospels and the disciples of Jesus,” she regretted.

She said the Christian students feel uncomfortable when they are asked about the “crusades” by their Muslim peers.

Baroness Cox added that she was of the view the Christian students would not be ashamed while discussing crusades if they are apprised of “400 years of Islamic aggression.”

She called for an end to giving concessions to Muslims in Britain. Terming the Cross as “our heritage” Cox categorically condemned incidents involving forced removal of crosses and pictures of Christ.

Criticizing the establishment of Sharia courts in Britain she said: “They are operating in the country without any particular public debate or discussion on the issue.” She alleged that mosques where polygamous marriages have been performed are not even registered in Britain…She came down hard on the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowans Williams for acquiescing to the Muslims’ demand of setting up Sharia courts in Britain.

So, “persecution” includes the fact that Christian students are apparently too lazy to consult their own holy book, and that they’re not spoonfed a triumphalist take on the Crusades (part of a revisionist trend which I blogged here). And stories of enforced secularisation are also somehow the fault of Muslims. Even the Shariah issue is botched: rather than there being no “particular public debate or discussion on the issue”, there was a firestorm of controversy. But how is that “persecution” of Christians, however else such courts may be undesirable? (Shariah courts have gained some power by using a clause in the 1996 Arbitration Act, which allows for private  third-party arrangements in civil disputes; the Act was not created with Muslims or any other religious group specifically in mind)

Also present was Andrea Minichiello Williams of the Christian Legal Centre, whom I blogged on here; Caroline Petrie, a nurse who was famously suspended after offering to pray over a patient; Kwabena Peat, a teacher who was suspended after opining to the organisers of a training day on gay equality that homosexuals risked the “wrath” of God; and Ashar Mall and Nobel Samuel, a couple of evangelists to Muslims who have been subjected to threats and violence.

This does not seem to me to be a very impressive affair – a hotch-podge of grievances that mixes together criminal acts by extremist Muslims with instances of what appear to be overzealous applications of anti-discrimination laws, with some general and irrelevant tut-tutting about secularisation thrown in for good measure. Doubtless this is good for stirring up resentment, but to what end? It’s generally agreed that people should be free to follow their religious consciences (an ongoing concern in Britain for centuries), but also that people should not be subjected to religiously-inspired harrassment or discrimination (regarded as particularly desirable since the extensive socio-cultural changes of the 1960s). Getting the balance right is apparently proving difficult, but Cox seems less interested in making a serious contribution to how we can do it better than in using the problem to whip up anti-Muslim feeling (she has links to Geert Wilders).

This “consultation” has come in the wake of a call from the Archbishop of York for Christians to “wake up” and oppose instances of anti-Christian discrimination, and a call from Julian Brazier MP for a debate in Parliament. The Telegraph recently reported that:

The first poll of Britain’s churchgoers, carried out for The Sunday Telegraph, found that thousands of them believe they are being turned down for promotion because of their faith.

One in five said that they had faced opposition at work because of their beliefs…

Employers have been given new advice in a campaign, funded by the Government’s equality watchdog, that says people who evangelise in the workplace are “highly likely” to be accused of harassment.

The guidelines have been drawn up by the British Humanist Association (BHA), an atheist group, with the help of a £35,000 grant from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), a taxpayer-funded body.

The BHA responded to this article here.

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The BNP in the East Midlands has achieved 106,319 votes in the European elections and came fifth, so the Rev Robert West – who believes that the “mixing of races” is a sin against God due to divinely-ordained “physical, intellectual and character” differences – will not be going to Europe as an MEP. The defeat was not due to the Christian Party, which had preposterously declared itself to be the only party able to win against the BNP – they got a very un-macho 17,907 votes in the region, and appear to be cruising to irrelevance across the country.

Mainline churches made a clear stand against the BNP, with the result that the Church of England was targeted aggressively by the party – deputy leader Simon Darby mocked the Ugandan-born Archbishop of York as an “ambitious African”, and Anglican worshippers in Manchester were obliged to endure BNP activists who

gathered outside the cathedral on Sunday with loudhailers, playing tunes like ‘Rule Britannia’ and handing out leaflets that said: ‘Judas Archbishops Betray Ordinary People’…

West himself and some minions also showed up at St Faith’s Church in Gaywood, in a stunt to provide publicity for their view that

“The Holy Spirit must move within the congregation, I did not feel any of that in church.”

Meanwhile, one typically-vulgar BNP blog expressed its contempt for the national church with less pneumatological niceity, referring to

…the Church of England as a ‘vile perverts organisation’ and…to C of E Bishops as ‘pompous, self-righteous windbags … renowned for interfering with young boys’.

The actions of a couple of other churches have sadly been less impressive than the Church of England’s position: prior to the election, West was invited into the pulpit of a historic village chapel affiliated with the Fellowship of Independent Churches, but beyond a private assurance to a Messianic Jew that they were opposed to West’s views the FIEC declined to make any public statement.  The Apostolic Church, which ordained Rev West in the 1970s, could also have done more to undermine West’s credibility: the denomination did repudiate any link to West a couple of years ago in an email to a blogger which I fortunately reposted (the original blog has gone) and I was able to mention this when the BBC asked me for a soundbite, but again no public statement was forthcoming – even after West displayed his ordination certificate on the BBC Politics Show.

UPDATE: The BNP won two seats elsewhere in the country: these went to party leader Nick Griffin, and to a former lecturer named Andrew Brons. Griffin gave a typically bombastic victory speech, while Brons (who, as Vulgar Marxism notes, has a remarkable physical resemblance to Davros from Dr. Who) decided to bore his audience with a boastful yet tedious exposition of his educational background and electoral knowledge. Griffin also made a point of wearing a cross on his lapel:

Both men have disreputable far-right and racist pasts; Griffin’s is well-known, and more about Brons can seen here. Brons has a background in Colin Jordan’s anti-Jewish “National Socialist Movement”, and in 1984 he “was convicted of behaviour likely to cause a breach of the peace following his arrest in Leeds while selling papers in a shopping centre.” Although doubtless someone might suggest that such old political antics ought not to be raked up, I hope most people will agree that they are significant and belong in the public domain.

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So, what’s happening with Jim Barfield, whom I blogged on here? Barfield, it may be recalled, is a former arson investigator who recently briefed Oklahoma state senators concerning his claim to have deciphered clues in the ancient “Copper Scroll” that would lead to the recovery of treasure lost from the First Temple in Jerusalem, including perhaps the Ark of the Covenant. He then headed off to the Judaean Desert, to the great excitement of apocalyptically-minded Christian Zionists.

His website now has some updates; alas:

We are at a standstill. Due to an illness the archeologist was unable to proceed with his plans. In addition, our flight return dates, other flight restrictions and damage done to my home by storms in Oklahoma have created a situation where a return to the US was unavoidable…

What a surprise. That was on 12 May, although poor website design meant I didn’t notice until today. But all is not lost – Barfield has identified a number of significant sites, and he has a Plan B for getting the authorities to investigate them:

We are in the process of putting together a DVD that will contain that disclosure in detail with additional graphics and photos from each location. Once the video is complete it will be sent to only select individuals in power in Israel…If you know people in power in Israel that might be of assistance, send me their NAME, GOVERNMENT POSITION, ADDRESS, PHONE, and EMAIL ADDRESS.

However, this is not without risks:

My greatest concern is what will the people in power do if adequate testing is done and a find is made? These items are not meant to bolster the national economy or to be added to the national treasury of Israel, it is a dowry meant for the time of G-d’s kingdom and for that purpose only. But then…that is where faith in G-d comes in for all of us who believe. Do we shrink from the possibilities or gather our five smooth stones.

In a second dispatch, we’re told that the unnamed Israeli archaeologist has

“laid claim” to the most important [site] of all. If we have actually located the buried cave, that site is now under his control and he has priority for digging at that location preventing others from digging without the involvement of the proper authorities. We can the return to the site and finish excavating to the proper depth to expose that cave opening. With that in mind, we can go to those in authority with the credibility that we have established and disclose our plan.

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With the Muslim community in Luton forcefully repudiating the handful of belligerent “anti-war” Islamist extremists who protested a military parade in March, local anti-Muslim blogger Paul Ray has been looking around for some other reason to keep the heat on  following the recent football hooligan rampage through the town. And none other than Robert Spencer has come to the rescue, by pointing out that the local mosque  – the  recently-firebombed Masjid al-ghurabaa’ – carries on its website a number of unpleasant documents, the most egregious of which is “The Prophesy Of The Utter Destruction Of The Yahood Will Only Occur At The Hands Of The True Worshippers Of Allaah” . It is a summary of a discourse by Shaykh Saleem Al-Hilaalee (var. Salim Al-Hilali, known as a Salafi reformist), and the pdf gives the impression of being actively endorsed by the mosque.

The author takes several verses from the Koran and constructs a grimly fascinating mirror-image of apocalyptic Christian Zionism, but with “the Jews” as the bad guys. Discussing Israel:

We recognise that this return to grandeur [of the Jews] shall be short lived, by the leave of Allaah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala). When Allaah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) speaks about the destruction of Bani Israel after the second occurrence of corruption He uses the letter “faa” to imply that soon afterwards after their return to grandeur, their destruction shall come about. The faa indicates that it is a short, defined period of time wherein they shall gather in the Holy land and assemble uniformly so as to meet their demise together at the hands of the soldiers of Allaah from the ‘Ibaad ur-Rahmaan.

Thus the establishment of the modern state of Israel is read into the ancient sacred text – exactly the same hermeneutic that is used by Christian Zionists regarding the Bible. Also:

All the different initiatives that have been put forth to solve the Palestinian Muslim Arab-Jewish conflict have all failed miserably since this matter is with Allaah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) and not by the directives of the UN or other councils.

John Hagee himself wouldn’t phrase that very differently – for apocalyptic Christian Zionists, there must be a future battle of Armageddon, and the idea that peace can be achieved by other means is simply a deception from Satan.

And just as Jews are idealised in Christian Zionism, so “the Jews” are here objectified in the opposite direction:

The Zionist expansion grew with the aid of Communist manpower (European Jews) and Capitalist monetary reserves. The Jews suddenly became a formidable force and attained grandeur never before achieved by their predecessors…

The Zionists strategy will not stop extending its malicious hand, gesturing peace, while simultaneously plotting extermination of those it is courting. This has always been the attitude of the Jews, past and present.

Also, we’re asked:

Is there greater deviance than setting the Masaajid wherein Allaah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) is worshipped ablaze?

This is a reference to the 1969 arson attack on the Al-Asqa mosque in Jerusalem. But the perpretrator wasn’t Jewish, nor was he acting on instructions from Israel. In fact, he was a mentally-ill Australian tourist who subscribed to a heterodox form of Christian Zionism promoted by Herbert Armstrong.

Certainly there are plenty of reasons to criticise Israel, but this document is anti-Semitic, conspiratorial, crude, and eliminationist. Despite being himself Palestinian (born in Hebron, according to one source I consulted), the author is completely uninformed about the real complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and he appears to lack any ability to understand the human dimension. This kind of material undermines community relations, and nothing good can come of failing to challenge it.

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Once again, the cry has gone up demanding the reform of libel law in the UK. And as ever, I’m more than happy to join the chorus – although I’m not expecting much to actually happen. For two years now now, the world has been disgusted by judgements and threats that have hampered the critical scrutiny of Saudi billionaires; however, despite various meetings and complaints, no reforms have so far been undertaken.

This year it’s science journalist Simon Singh, who is supposed to have committed libel by suggesting that the British Chiropractic Association promotes “bogus”  treatments. According to Justice Eady, this amounts to saying that chiropractors are involved in deliberate deception.

A high-profile statement has now been released:

…Singh holds that chiropractic treatments for asthma, ear infections and other infant conditions are not evidence-based. Where medical claims to cure or treat do not appear to be supported by evidence, we should be able to criticise assertions robustly and the public should have access to these views.

English libel law, though, can serve to punish this kind of scrutiny and can severely curtail the right to free speech on a matter of public interest…Freedom to criticise and question in strong terms and without malice is the cornerstone of scientific argument and debate, whether in peer-reviewed journals, on websites or in newspapers, which have a right of reply for complainants. However, the libel laws and cases such as BCA v Singh have a chilling effect, which deters scientists, journalists and science writers from engaging in important disputes about the evidential base supporting products and practices. The libel laws discourage argument and debate and merely encourage the use of the courts to silence critics.

Indeed – and if even scientific enquiry can be curtailed in this way, where does that leave argument and debate about other matters of public interest? Even if you’re confident that your writing is truthful, non-malicious, and in the public interest, if your subject is wealthy or has access to friendly lawyers who can fire off letters on his or her behalf (as Donal Blaney did for Paul Staines against Tim Ireland, in typical Tory pseudo-libertarian style), then holding your ground can be a huge risk.

In the USA, there is a “public person” distinction, which protects critical scrutiny of anyone who chooses to enter a public controversy. That would be one very specific measure that could be taken.

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A website announces a “March of Repentance” beginning in London’s Hyde Park, to take place on 18 July. Here’s why:

When we look at our nation we see a society in a state of collapse. It’s just like the prophet Hosea observed about Israel all those years ago: no truth, no mercy, no knowledge of God in the land, just swearing and lying and stealing and committing adultery…Hosea said the land would mourn, he said God’s judgment would fall on agriculture, fishing and industry. He said if people forget the laws of God, He would forget their children. Corporate greed has brought judgment on our whole economy, just as the prophet said, family life is disintegrating, disrespect for civilised standards of behaviour and even for life itself is increasing.

…Since the Garden of Eden, unregenerate man has rebelled against God. But evil got a big boost in the 60’s. In 1969, fresh from driving through the laws which have devalued human life, destroyed the family and exalted ungodly sex, the then Home Secretary Roy Jenkins said ‘the permissive society is the civilised society’. It does not look very civilised to those who have fallen victim to it.

…We are repenting of our own inactivity and silence, our lack of courage and faith in His word, our unwillingness to speak out ‘in the great congregation’ and our failure to discharge our responsibility to pray and witness with the mind of God into our nation.

The website is registered to Christian Voice, although there’s no mention of Stephen Green anywhere – instead, the prime mover appears to be a certain Steve McCreery, of Cardiff, who gives some background in comments left at another website in November:

One thing dear brothers and sisters in Christ that is becoming increasingly apparent and echoed through a number of Prophetic words is the need for believers, the bride of Christ, to unite in humble repentance and agonise for mercy against the wind of judgement coming upon our nation. To reverse the curse of the prevalent jezebel spirit and come clean before God. There is a planned March of Repentance next July 18th 2009 in London; prayerfully consider joining…The march is being organised by Chris Rowley (Elim), Christian Voice and hosted by Christian Concern for our Nation. It is open cross denominationally to any believer who has a heart and passion to redeem this nation…

I blogged on Christian Concern for our Nation here. The “Jezebel Spirit” is supposedly a demonically-prompted attitude of rebellion against God, usually seen as working through women who take a leadership role over men. On a comment to another site again, McCreery adds:

…While the gods of this age are in their death throes and there is increasing despair, fear and hopelessness in the nation, believers are assured that our God is sovereign and in control. It could be anticipated that there will be growing opportunities for harvesting these searching souls; but the question is … is the church in it’s present state really ready? Knowing that indeed this country is reaping what it has been sowing over the decades especially since the Festival of Light then Gods judgment is evident. Surely in line with our belief that Judgment begins within the household of God (1.Peter4:17) then we need to unite in contrite and repentant hearts before His throne of Grace and plead for God to withhold and ‘hear our prayers and heal the land’ (2Chron7-14) A growing number of committed believers recognising this trumpet call for repentance and are joining with the saints in a planned National March next year Sat.11thJuly in Central London. It will not be a procession of an outward exhibition of any kind of extroversion but more a solemn gathering of sincere saints representing the wide body of Christ showing unity in repentance before God. Just imagine, 1000’s of silent folk, walking together and following a large wooden Cross, no fanfare. A representative delegation ( especially youth) will present a statement of repentance to No.10 Downing St… and the March will culminate a rally at the end. (possibly with a representative from the Festival of Light handing a baton over.) So ‘ if my people who are called by my name…’ (2Chron7:14) will heed the call for repentance, we on the planning committee of the March would welcome your comments,support and participation in this significant movement of Gods people in such a time as this.

The “Festival of Light” was a Christian rally against permissiveness in the early 1970s. It looks as though the “March of Repentance” seeks to be the heir both of this, and, in its Charismatic language, of the 1980s “March for Jesus” events. As the official website declares:

We believe a march is a public witness, a testimony, a territorial statement (yes we can do this here!), and a spiritual declaration rolled into one. The children of Israel laid claim to Jericho by marching before they blew the trumpets on the final day.

Curiously, despite the vision of “1000’s of silent folk”, the March of Repentance website carries in large red letters the bullish message “Silent no longer!” However, we’re promised that the event will not be “a pious or self-righteous exhibition”.

The website highlights the social problems of “violence”, “ungodly laws”, lawlessness”, and “immorality”, as well as the attitudes of  “compromise”, “lack of interest”, “misplaced hope” (illustrated by the famous Obama “Hope” picture), and “churchianity” (illustrated by a cathedral, and obviously a dig at mainline Christianity). A “Why Repent?” section adds contributions from several sources, including this list:

• Rejecting our Christian heritage
• Rejecting our laws that were based on Biblical standards and replacing them with laws directly opposed to Biblical principles
• Failing to uphold the value of the conventional family life and failing to raise our children with proper loving discipline
• The church being too ready to compromise with the world and to be influenced by its ways rather than taking a stand for Biblical principles and preaching them clearly and unapologetically
• A readiness to mock all the great institutions of our nation.

There’s also a reposting of Rev. Joe Wright’s famous 1996 Jeremiad, delivered in the Kansas House of Representatives:

…We’ve lost our spiritual equilibrium. We have inverted our values. We have ridiculed the absolute truth of your word in the name of moral pluralism. We have worshiped other gods and called it multiculturalism.

We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.

We’ve exploited the poor and called it a lottery. We’ve neglected the needy and called it self-preservation. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. In the name of choice, we have killed our unborn. In the name of right to life, we have killed abortionists.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it political savvy. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it taxes. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment…

Christian Zionism is also a theme:

We have a book about about a Jew, written by Jews, who through incarnation has fulfilled Jewish prophecies and is coming to rule and reign, not in London, Paris or New York but in Jerusalem. The Church must stand by the Jewish people.

Another part of the site has a list of supporters; George Hargreaves of the Christian Party (whom I blogged here and here, and who won’t be pleased by the Welsh flag  not far below his name) is near the top, and there are a couple of prominent American entries – none other than David Wilkerson (we’re still waiting for the imminent “earth-shattering calamity” he prophesied in March, by the way) and James M. Hutchens, who runs the JerUSAlem Connection. As I’ve blogged more than once, Hutchens’ Christian Zionism is particularly militant, and monomaniacal to the point that it’s semi-detached from historic forms of Christianity.

There’s also an “International” section, which tells us of “interest from a number of countries in doing their own marches”. So far there’s just one entry, which takes us to the website of Prophet Elmore Richmond Jr., of Revelation Of Jesus Christ Ministries, Jackson, Tennessee. According to his own site,

God revealed to Prophet Elmore Richmond Jr. the destruction of the World Trade Center before it happened and our preparation for war.  God has revealed to him the destruction to come if we fail to repent.  At the direction of God, Prophet Richmond recorded these revelations and warnings in a book, titled:  “America, America: A Checkup For the Body of Christ- the Church.”  The Book was published in October 2001.  All revelations have come to pass.

Besides publishing this book, Prophet Richmond has written President George W. Bush thirteen times and all revelations have come to pass.

However, despite faithfully passing on the messages for Bush and others given to him by God, the prophet “wonders if our country’s leaders are listening.”

(Hat tip: Joel’s Trumpet)

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The Daily Mail has removed the article I blogged on here, which gave some background to the recent supposedly “anti-extremist” disturbance in Luton. I also understand that the reference to Glen Jenvey had been scrubbed before the whole thing was pulled.

The two main subjects of the article – anti-Muslim blogger Paul Ray (“Lionheart”) and Dave Smeeton, who heads March for England – have both complained about the piece. Smeeton left a comment on my previous blog entry on the subject:

To clear up a few facts. Yes we where in Luton on the day about 20 in all from March from England. This included my friends 2 year old who would lay the wreath at the war mamorial.
We had no involvment in the trouble. We where in fact in contact with Sgnt Lowe most of the day by phone. We did march and it was peacfull. If anyone who wants the TRUTH about my or MfE involvment on the day please contact J.Harper at Luton Council or Sgnt J Lowe at Luton Police. The Daily Mail didnt want to by the look of the smear in the paper
The Daily Mail was a hatchet job end of.
As for Glen jenvy yes he is on my friends list on facebook to be honest dont think there has been any contact since i accepted his friends request.
Photos prove that we marched and respected the Local community as we did other blog pages also report that.
I have and will continue to say the truth on any mater i am asked about. Wish others would just say the truth.
I hope this clears up any points. Will someone get in touch with Luton council or the Police to cover the fruth about MfE? No i dont think they will.

Ray, meanwhile, has been railing in typical form over on his blog, declaring that “The journalist is a TRAITOR!!!” (“Traitor” is his favourite insult). In his blog’s comments section, he adds that:

My lawyer will be looking into this next week for me.

This article could seriously jeapordise any future trial if the CPS do decide to charge me for the offence i have been on bail for, for the past 14 months.

If you were part of a jury and you read that about me, indirectly linking me to a fire bombing of a mosque, ontop of the charge, it would seriously cloud your judgement.

The author of the piece, is a vile Left Wing activist working in the media.

SHAME OF THE DAILY MAIL FOR PRINTING IT!!!

They are going to be sued to the ground by Glen Jenvey thats for sure, he played absolutely no part in anything, yet they placed him in an article ttiled: Unmasking the football hooligans behind bloody protest.

The thought of Glen Jenvey taking the stand  as victim of mispresentation is a laugh, given his recent activities. And the complaint is back-to-front: the Mail suggested that being linked to Glen Jenvey makes the alleged hooligans look bad, not the other way round! The Mail article included the claim that the mosque had received a threatening letter signed off in the name of a medieval Crusader (Reynold de Chatillon); it did not accuse Ray, and indeed it gave Ray the space to claim that the mosque had fabricated it to implicate him.

The main topic of the Mail’s article was how football hooliganism may be the key to understanding what happened. However, on comments left on this blog Smeeton has assured us that that kind of thing is far behind him:

I was a Skin head in the 70s…The 70s where the days. This is 2009 and i am an old man.

And regarding possible links to a Portsmouth hooligan group called the 6.57 Crew:

If i had any connections to the 6,57 that would have been 30 years ago.So if i had what relevence is 30 years ago?

There is no reason to doubt any of this.

However, football hooligans unconnected with Smeeton certainly do appear to have been involved in the distrubance; a posting brought to my attention on Hooligan Central (“a resource for anyone involved in the Casual Culture in the  UK, whether you are a hooligan, a retired hooligan, Sociology student, or simply love the lifestyle/clobber etc.”) links to Ray’s blog and has the following message:

British Casuals and normal people united against the peddlars of hate in Luton. Football lads from all over the country attended in a massive show of support, old football rivalries were forgotten as Brits of all colours show we are fed up of those people who want to kill us taking the piss. Please go to facebook and join the groups “Defence of the Realm, March for England and The Welsh Defence League and get involved”. Our grandfathers never fought off the Krauts so we could hand our country over to the Taliban.

There is also a picture of some of the balaclava-wearing protestors. Ray has been added to an associated Hooligan Central Facebook site “so that i could inform and educate the group members”; he  has also expressed solidarity with a local football supporters’ crew, known as the “MIGs”.

UPDATE: Ray crows:

Tim Stewart and Paul Bracch[i] have made a very serious mistake with their article and the Daily Mail editor who cleared it is accountable for allowing something so damaging to go to print.

…I hope the journalists in question have ‘perverted the course of justice’ by their actions, and that they will be charged over it, or if not this charge, then some other charge.

I know Glen Jenvey has his own case against the Daily Mail for linking him to the article for absolutely no reason at all.

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