Christian Council of Britain: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=JuneJanuary 20132023}}

{{Infobox Organizationorganization

|type = [[British National Party]]-affiliated Christian lobby group

The '''Christian Council of Britain''' (CCoB) is an organisation founded by [[Robert West (politician)|Robert West]]. While the CCoB claims to be "an independent, non-political organisation autonomous of any political party in Britain," it is closely associated with the [[British National Party]],<ref name="BBC-Pigott">{{cite news|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/uk/7978981.stm |title=Faith Diary: Vote Jesus?|last=Pigott|first=Robert|date=7 April 2009|publisher=[[BBC]]|accessdateaccess-date= 16 June 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_060314bnp.shtml | publisher =[[Ekklesia (think tank)]] | date = 14 March 2006 | title = BNP members involved in 'Christian' front}}.</ref><ref name ="Ekklesia060316">{{cite web|url=http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_060316bnp.shtml|title=BNP helping to establish church group based around racial ideology|date=16 March 2006|publisher=Ekklesia|accessdateaccess-date=16 June 2009}}</ref> and West has been described as the BNP's religious affairs spokesman.<ref>{{cite news|url=httphttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12391089|title=Church debates BNP ban for clergy|workpublisher= BBC newsNews|date=8 February 2011|accessdateaccess-date=29 July 2013}}</ref>

''[[The Times]]'' has stated that West is "an ordained elder" of the [[Apostolic Church (1916 denomination)|Apostolic Church]];<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/politics/article2031287.ece|title=Conservative councillor joins BNP|author=Thair Shaikh|work=The Times|date=May 15, May 2006|accessdateaccess-date=8 May 2014}}</ref> however, the church denies knowledge of him and has distanced itself from his views.<ref>{{cite web |first = Jonathan |last = Bartley |title = Does any church claim 'Rev' Robert West? |url = http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/blogs/jonathan_bartley/rev_robert_west |work = Jonathan Bartley's blog |publisher = [[Ekklesia (think tank)|Ekklesia]] |accessdateaccess-date = 12 April 2012}}</ref> In 2006 West, then a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] councillor on [[South Holland District Council]] in Lincolnshire, was suspended from the Party<ref name= "bbc4771779" /> after Lincoln's Race Equality Council expressed concerns over his links with the BNP.<ref name="bbc4977508">{{cite news|title= Councillor faces enquiry over BNP|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/4977508.stm |date=5 May 2006|accessdateaccess-date=11 January 2011|workpublisher=BBC News}}</ref> [[BBC News]] subsequently reported that he had set up his own church, based in a house in [[Holbeach]], to preach "traditional Bible beliefs".<ref name="bbc4771779">{{cite web |title = Suspended councillor moves to BNP |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/4771779.stm |workpublisher = BBC News England |publisher = BBC |location = London, United Kingdom |date = 15 May 2006 |accessdateaccess-date = 12 April 2012 | quote = Mr West said he had been a lecturer in political philosophy and equal opportunities law.<br />He has set up his own church, based in a house in Holbeach, to preach "traditional Bible beliefs".}}</ref>

He later stood as a BNP candidate in the [[Norwich North by-election, 2009|2009 Norwich North by-election]] and in [[Lincoln (UK Parliament constituency)|Lincoln]] during the [[2010 United Kingdom general election, 2010|General election of 2010]], losing his deposit in both cases.

West also stood unsuccessfully during the [[2009 European Parliament election, 2009in the (United Kingdom)|2009 European elections]] in the [[East Midlands (European Parliament constituency)|East Midlands]] region.

The CCB claims that the Bible justifies its support for the BNP’sBNP's repatriation policy,<ref name=Noconnection/> i.e. "firm but voluntary incentives for immigrants and their descendants to return home."<ref name="bbcmanifesto">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/BNP_uk_manifesto.pdf |publisher=BBC |title=BNP General Election Manifesto 2005 |accessdateaccess-date=27 July 2013}}</ref>

The Christian Council of Britain has been criticised by a number of [[Mainline (Protestant)|mainline]] British Christian organisations, who claim that "Christian belief is incompatible with any political party or philosophy that is based on [[hatred]] or treats people as inferior because of their [[racism|race]], beliefs or for any other reason"<ref name=Noconnection>{{cite web|title=No connection to the "Christian Council of Britain"|url=http://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2006/04/pr3306a.aspx|publisher=Church of England|accessdateaccess-date=27 May 2013|date=5 April 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Countering political extremism at the ballot box|url=http://www.methodist.org.uk/static/jpit/jpit_counteringpoliticalextremismtoolkit_0409.pdf|publisher=Baptist Union of Great Britain, The Methodist Church, The United Reformed Church|accessdateaccess-date=27 May 2013}}{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and argue against the CCoB's theological views on the separation of races.

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