Church, The Far Right, and The Claim to Christianity

Helen Paynter is Director of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence, and Coordinator of Theological Education. She is the author of numerous titles, among them and Telling Terror in Judges 19.Maria Power is a Fellow of Blackfriars Hall, Oxford where she a Senior Research Fellow in Human Dignity at the Las Casas Institute for Social Justice.

Much has been written on the use of Christian tropes by far-right extremists, from cross burnings going back decades to more recent adoption of Crusader themes by “lone wolf” terrorists. This research is vital, but usually neglects Christian responses to this ongoing appropriation. This too has a venerable history but is rarely addressed; and almost never via a scholarly framework. The Church, the Far Right, and the Claim to Christianity makes clear that churches of all denominations are not without agency in countering this cynical embrace of Christianity. Such a volume is both overdue and massively welcome, particularly in the context of a “post-Christian” Britain – one arguably still coming to terms with just what that entails.In exploring just what such Christian agency entails, and how it might motivate Christian action against far-right appropriations of Christianity, Paynter and Power take direct aim at this fraught subject with great sensitivity and insight. Across a dozen robust chapters addressing this issue, we hear from theologians and clerics, interfaith activists and peacebuilders, scholars and educators. While their findings are varied and nuanced, ranging across timely themes including interfaith collaboration and practitioner experiences, a chorus nevertheless emerges over the course of this edited collection. Its refrain is powerfully captured in the conclusion to this volume: Christians need to face up to the seriousness of this problem, engage in genuine spiritual reflection; and be both ‘bold truth-tellers, standing up unashamedly for the cause of all who are marginalized’ and ‘gracious dialogue partners’ instead of demoni[zing] those we disagree with’. These are wise words in a wise volume, which deserves a wide readership amongst Christians and, indeed, all those concerned about far-right visibility today in Britain – and beyond.

• Foreword – David Gushee Introduction – Helen PaynterFrom the coal-face1A Norwegian perspectiveSteinar Ims2From prejudice to pride - towards an organized anti racist communityHenrik Frykberg3Putting the Semantic Struggle into Practice: A Response to Steinar Ims and Henrik Frykberg.Hannah Strømmen and Ulrich SchmiedelThe Interfaith perspective4A Lebanese Perspective on Religion-Inspired Political Extremism.Martin Accad5Beyond the Far Right: 'Respectable racism' and British MuslimsShenaz Bunglawara6Contextualizing the Claim to Christianity: A Response to Martin Accad and Shenaz BunglawalaHannah Strømmen and Ulrich SchmiedelPolitics of the Far Right and the Church7Encountering and Countering the Far Right in Britain TodayJames Crossley8‘Stop waving crosses around and making them a symbol of hate’: Localised Christian Responses to the Populist Radical Right in the UKWilliam Allchorn9Probing Challenges and Chances in UK Politics: A Response to James Crossley and William AllchornHannah Strømmen and Ulrich SchmiedelChristian Theologians Respond10The ‘semantic struggle’ against the Christian Far Right: Learning from the Good SamaritanNick Spencer11Challenging Far Right Claims to Christianity: A Northern Irish PerspectiveChris Wilson12Taking Theology out of the Trap: A Response to Nick Spencer and Chris Wilson. Hannah Strømmen and Ulrich SchmiedelConclusion The church, the far right, and the claim to Christianity: Towards some recommendations. Helen PaynterAfterword: Lived Theology. Hannah Strømmen and Ulrich Schmiedel