Friday, October 7, 2016

UK: As Sizer announces retirement, UK's Israel-demonising Christians shifting into high gear?

From Daphne Anson:
An example of the antisemitism posted by some of Sizer's Facebook Friends
 Our old mate Stephen Sizer, vicar of Virginia Water, vice-chair of Biblica Europe and trainer for Christianity Explored, recently made an announcement to his followers on social media.

The Israel-bashing Anglican cleric, who in January 2015 infamously made  an odious post on Facebook suggesting Israel's involvement in the 9/11 atrocity,  has advised:

 "Easter 2017 will mark my 20th anniversary as vicar of Virginia Water. After prayerful reflection and in consultation with our Church Council, I plan to retire from parish ministry on Easter Sunday, 16th April. 
God willing, I will then dedicate the rest of my active life to serving the Lord wherever the Church is under-resourced, disadvantaged or persecuted, where human rights are denied, or justice, peace and reconciliation needed.
Friends have helped set up a charity to facilitate this. We will launch the charity at a reception on Saturday 3rd December, 19:00 at Christ Church, Virginia Water. Garth Hewitt, one of our trustees, will be performing songs from his new album, Peace at Christmas...."
What might that charity be?

The six-month ban from social media imposed on Sizer by his bishop as a result of that 9/11 post has long since expired. As far as I'm aware, the vicar (whose posts suggest political support for Jeremy Corbyn) has avoided directly mentioning the subject of Israel on his Facebook posts since his ban expired, being content to "like" posts on that subject by such "Friends" of his as the Israel-demonising Jenny Tonge.


And, boy, does the vicar have a lot of anti-Israel, nay,  rabidly anti-Israel, Friends, including antisemitic ones (just google Tony Gratrex, for instance).

Sizer's resignation of his pulpit will presumably unshackle him, or perhaps "unmuzzle him" would be a better way of putting it, and we can presumably expect him to resume his active campaigning against Israel and Christian Zionism.  After all, 2 November 2017 will be the centenary of the Balfour Declaration, and Israel-bashers galore (many of them connected with the so-called Balfour Project) are seemingly preparing to shift into high gear for that.

Closely allied to Sizer is former British diplomat, Rothschilds Bank executive and thwarted would-be Conservative parliamentary candidate Jeremy Moodey, CEO since 2009 of Embrace the Middle East (a Christian charity formerly known as Biblelands).

As a Christian Moodey-watcher, aghast at Moodey's turning that organisation into 'an anti-Zionist propaganda mill,' observed in 2012 (a statement as true now as then):
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