The far-right are coming to church. Is that good news?

There has been some consternation and alarm in some quarters about the news that members of the far-right Patriot Platform movement have been attending a South London church. While some have greeted the news that several of this nationalistic movement are considering baptism with enthusiasm, others have been more sceptical and critical.

The Bishops of Southwark have made clear that they welcome people from every background and political perspective, while also rejecting violence, intimidation, anti-migrant rhetoric and any attempt to justify Christian nationalism. This is helpful and their statement contains an important distinction that welcoming people through our doors does not mean condoning their actions or agreeing with all their views.

Perhaps that gets to the heart of what it means to welcome as the Church and call people to a life of discipleship. I think the key question is not whether people with contentious political views should be allowed through our doors, but what happens when they get there.

Bad company?

One of the most striking things about Jesus was the company he kept. He was regularly criticised for associating with those whose reputations made them unwelcome in respectable religious society. Tax collectors and social outsiders were not simply people he encountered by accident. Instead, he deliberately sought them out, ate with them and invited them to follow him. Teachers of the law questioned why Jesus would “eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” (Luke 5:30), while Pharisees grumbled that he “welcomes sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2).

Their accusation was intended to discredit him, yet it captured the essence of his mission - that Jesus was willing to be associated with people whom others had written off.

Consider Zacchaeus, a tax collector whose collaboration with the occupying power and exploitation of vulnerable people made him deeply unpopular. Did Jesus wait for him to repair his damaged reputation before engaging with him and visit his home? Or did his invitation spark the beginning of a transformative journey that led Zacchaeus to commit himself to generosity and make restitution to those he had wronged?

It is clear that Jesus did not demand that people become respectable before they could encounter him, but met them where they were, while also calling them into a new way of life, because it “is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” (Luke 5:31).

What a challenge for the church today. If Jesus was willing to sit at the table with those whose reputations attracted public condemnation, we should be wary of churches where only the respectable feel welcome. And yet Jesus’ example also reminds us that welcome and challenge belong together, because Zacchaeus’ exploitation of others was not ignored or inconsequential to Jesus. He led him into a different way of living.

Changed by Jesus

One of the most wonderful truths of the Christian gospel is that nobody is beyond the reach of Jesus. The church is not a gathering of perfect people who have already got their lives together but a community of broken sinners who recognise their need for grace.

Therefore, if we believe the gospel is good news for everyone, we must not make ideological or political conformity a condition of entry into our churches. If those associated with nationalist movements are coming to church, we should be asking how we can help them encounter Jesus Christ.

But such a welcome must be understood alongside the essential truth that Jesus does not simply invite us to stay as we are. As the late Tim Keller said, “God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to leave you this way.” Grace is not God’s endorsement of everything we think, say or do. It is his invitation into a new life.

Therefore, I believe that, while the bar for welcome in the church should be low, the bar for discipleship must be raised and the bar for leadership must be high.

Billy Graham famously said: “Salvation is free but discipleship costs everything we have.” There is a cost to count and a cross to bear. Following Jesus means allowing him to challenge our deepest loyalties and the stories we believe about who belongs and who does not. It means being willing to repent, forgive, love our enemies and welcome the stranger.

For those drawn to Christianity through nationalism, this may require confronting any mistaken belief that Christian identity belongs exclusively to a particular ethnic group or nation. It also means that the Church must take seriously its responsibility to form disciples rather than simply attract attenders, for what we win people with, we win people to. This requires discernment for those carrying authority in local churches, understanding that merely holding an interest in Christianity does not automatically qualify someone to speak on behalf of the Christian faith or necessitate a photograph at the front.

The Kingdom of God

At the heart of this conversation is a question of allegiance. There is nothing inherently incompatible between being a Christian and loving one’s country. Christians can be grateful for their national heritage and should care deeply about their communities.

But the Christian’s primary allegiance is not to a nation, a political movement, an ethnic identity or any other earthly tribe. Rather it is to Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God. Jesus does not necessarily need his people to rule the nation when he himself is Lord of the cosmos. The government is on His shoulders, as is the grandest of the galaxies.

When Jesus called his disciples to follow, he invited them into a community that transcended the boundaries that ordinarily divided them. 

Loyalty to Jesus transcends every human label, with the question not whether he endorses our earthly loyalties, but whether we are willing to surrender them when they conflict with his command to love.

We must stand in this beautiful tension of refusing to write people off before they have had the opportunity to encounter Jesus, while standing alongside the migrant and the vulnerable to challenge racism and refuse to let Christian language justify hostility towards our neighbours. The door is open and the call to discipleship is clear, so let’s strive to say “you are welcome here” and “Jesus calls you to something more.”