Stabbed in the back
Ekklesia has a great story today. Premier Christian Radio, one of the main players in the anti-Jerry Springer: The Opera campaign, has written to the BBC complaining about Stephen Green’s appearance on Question Time.
Peter Kerridge, Chief Executive of Premier Christian Media Group, is worried that Green’s extreme views might be considered representative of the majority of Christians in the UK. John Buckeridge, editor of Christianity Magazine, wrote:
We consider the BBC would be unlikely to invite a panellist onto Question Time who held extreme fundamentalist Hindu, Muslim or Sikh views. If this were to happen in the first instance, the broadcasters responsible would face justified criticism if they failed to put their views into the context of the wider and more moderate faith group they claim to represent. As Christians we are asking for similar treatment.
You got it, actually. There were two other self-confessed Christians on the panel, one of whom describes himself as an evangelical.
Nevertheless, Green has fought back with a press release of his own, claiming that he has been “stabbed in the back”.
I can’t see any evidence of any love or unity of Spirit whatsoever in the Premier Press Release. Christian Voice has always supported Premier in their various battles, simply because they are fellow believers. We would defend and unite behind Christianity Today if they came under fire. To have Peter Kerridge and John Buckeridge reward that support by condemning us out of hand, with no prior warning, in public, in this unbecoming way, certainly feels like a betrayal.
To be honest, I am still shocked by the attack. I had no idea there was such animosity to me and to Christian Voice festering in the Premier Radio headquarters. Evangelical Christians are used to attacks from the world (John 15:18), but to be hated and stabbed in the back by one’s brothers is very hard to take.
Heartbreaking.
It is interesting to note that Christian Voice became really well known only in the wake of the JS:TO protests, and that that protest was largely coordinated – presumably at some expense – by Premier Christian Radio. Green’s fame stemmed from publishing the addresses of the BBC producers on the CV website, but he has always been quite happy to take credit for the record 60,000 complaints received by the BBC.
In light of this, we wonder how Green manages to sound both hurt and surprised by Premier’s animosity towards him. He was quite ready to take credit for the hard work of his “brothers” when it was convenient for him to do so.
Would Stephen Green’s supporters please stand up and say “I”?
Thought so.
Is it me or does Green – in the picture below – bare a striking resemblance to David Icke?
Perhaps now is the time to start repeating the question…
“How (un)representative is the MCB of muslim opinion in Britain?”
They are justa sa unrepresentative bigots as Green, after all ….
I’m not sure the MCB are, mate. Green is a tosser, there’s no doubt, and for me he’s actually deranged and in need of psychiatric help. I’m not sure the MCB are so off-the-mark, mate. Sure, Green is a tosser, there’s no doubt, and for me he’s actually deranged and in need of psychiatric help. CV probably has a small, and after his performance on QT, likely a dwindling support.
The MCB are representative (supposedly) of a large number of Muslim communities. The problem there is more one of the idea of Islam (as represented by the MCB and others).
Islam for secularists is just as outmoded/outdated as ANY religion and it’s easy to see how some people find it difficult to resist referring to practitioners as a bunch of “sand n*ggersâ€. (Not that you’d find me uttering such a phrase, but I’ve certainly come across folks who do.)
Following Islam is a lifestyle choice, unlike say, being gay or requiring spectacles. There’s nothing stopping Muslims dumping their dumb ideas and waking up to a whole world of caring people that don’t need to defer to some superstitious nonsense or the writing of someone who died centuries back. They don’t do it because of family pressure and that, frankly, stinks.
If Islam has a place, it’s sure as hell not here trying to change our way of life. If Muslims want to live in peace, then they should either adapt (as other faiths have had to over the centuries) or find somewhere else to live.
It’s a bloody disgrace in the 21st century that animals are slaughtered so inhumanely for the sake of someone’s 1000-odd year old practice. And removing a “pig statuette†(as reported by GALHA today) because some Muslim found it offensive is bloody stupid and wholly offensive to me.
Though Simon Hughes described himself as an evangelical, I would have had questions re his view of bible interpretation. He was saying that everything comes down to interpretation, but surely the possible ways in which one can interpret a given passage are strictly delimited, albeit (if one allows for differing shades of meaning) generally plural. One can’t ‘interpret’ ‘God so loved the world’ to mean ‘Half a pound of tuppeny rice’. In this, Simon Hughes was not a representative evangelical. And, of course, labels can be bandied around; the point is, rather, whether the labels are accurate.
As I mentioned I support SG strongly on one central point: he is actually treating issues of extreme importance as though they were issues of extreme importance, which in our luxury western lives we have been lulled into failing to do. On points of detail, I sometimes agree, sometimes disagree with him.
But Christopher, as has been mentioned many times, there are passages of the bible that are readily ignored by all christians and passages that are contradictory to other passages. Given that, as you keep on repeating, it’s not a book but a collection of books, it surely needs an awful lot of interpretation.
The only problem is that anyone interpreting, or even following verbatim, what the bible says is inhernetly wasting their time and rather foolish, what with there being no god ‘nall
Your idea of an issue of extreme importance (a comic musical) is in itself symptomatic of our luxurious (I know you really wanted to write decadent) western lives, ‘cos truly important issues are those concerning life and death, rather than fabricated offence.
Of course,it needs a great deal of interpretation. (Well,not all of it, since some is as plain as a pikestaff – but most of it.)
The point is rather that there are strict limits on what can be a possible interpretation. The vast majority of conceivable interpretations are ruled out before one even starts.
I think its disgraceful that a Christian Radio station that has asked for so much help from Christian believers in the past can now stab a fellow Christian in the back in public. Absolutely shameful!
These are my views in support of Stephen Green and his brave recent stance, if only more Christians had his courage to stand and be counted in public, the Christian church wouldn’t be in such retreat in the UK!
Christians have never faced such an assault on their religion like they are experiencing now in the UK? Regularly ridiculed on the BBC and other TV, Radio and through other media channels, blasphemous plays (Jerry Springer) allowed to go ahead despite mass protest, a Christian group (Christian Voice) finds its account closed by the Co-op Bank for no other reason it seems than they don’t like their Christian Evangelical beliefs, Christians arrested whilst making peaceful protests, doing nothing more than giving the biblical view in their leaflets on homosexuality?
So who will defend this new onslaught on Christianity? The Queen as defender of the faith?
The PC government and its representatives? The’ wishy washy’ bishops both in the Anglican & Catholic church? The free church ministers, who preach to the converted every week in their Christian ghettos? It seems like no one is prepared to defend our Christian heritage, our long held beliefs and values in public…… the silence is deafening, as we observe a courageous Christian like Stephen Green, Director of Christian Voice arrested by the new PC Police Force for making a peaceful protest. It seems you can belong to any other minority group and do and say what you like, except be a committed Christian. They are fair game for persecution, ridicule and intimidation,…….Christians need to wake up to what is happening in our society today and make their voice heard through peaceful democratic means before the dangerous move towards the evils of a new ‘totalitarian type state’ starts to take over.
I know it sounds ludicrous but its happening here and now in Britain!
All that Christians need to do before things get a whole lot worse, is continue what they have been doing for years, apologising for their faith and doing absolutely nothing! Just carry on being afraid to make your voice heard in public.(outside of your Sunday sermons).
Liberals are only liberal whan people agree with them!
Fools have said in their heart there is no God…
When people stop believing in God they don’t believe in nothing they believe in anything!
As the atheist said to the Christian there are no such things as absolutes, the Christian amswered are you absolutely sure!
Is it funny how your site, singles out Christians, it say everything really…it’s a compliment!
Yes, the fact that you can browse this site and conclude that it “singles out” Christians does indeed “say it all”.
And the wise ones shout it from the rooftops.
For a site that claims to make sure that free speech is not supressed it’s interesting that you don’t like a equal playing field and that you are so obviously prejudiced against the Christian voice being heard! The word ‘hypocrite’ comes to mind, I think you are the real bigots as you don’t truly believe in free speech, only if people agree with you! Like the new modernist liberals! , The PC brigade, Must be all paid up members of New Labour!
You are the new thought police the kind that was experienced in Nazi Germany and Communist Russia and China, the thin end of the wedge of the new athestic totalitarian society that your site represents…. at least Christians have love in there hearts for their fellow men and women, which is more than your site does, its very sad really as its full of shallow thinking and p.ss takes.Ridicule and unkindness, a real type of arrogant superioity, you all sound so smug with your superior knowledge of the world, no humility to be found on this site whatsoever, now that’s really frightening! Well if you have to get off with your shallow cynical homour it says far more about you than the people you are attacking!….. Well at least it amuses your small minds!
1. You will see us on this site frequently defend religious people who are being investigated by the police for their remarks. This even includes Stephen Green. A brief look on this site will show that.
2. We do not single out any religion in particular. A brief look on this site will show that we have attacked would be censors who are Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Scientologist and so on.
3. Nazi Germany was actually a Christian state, hence the SS troops having “God is with us” on their belts, and Hitler being a committed Catholic.
4. The description of this site is: “We keep an eye on those groups and individuals who, in order to protect their beliefs from offence, seek to limit freedom of expression. And we make fun of them.” And you’re surprised that we make fun of these people?
5. The history of the world is full of Christians expressing nothing but hatred for their fellow human beings, be it hatred of homosexuals, the Catholic churches refusal to endorse the use of condoms that could save millions of lives, Hitler and his persecution of the Jews, christians who murder abortion doctors, christians who try and stop stem cell research that could save lives in the future, christians that ensure that women are treated as second class citizens, the Crusades, be it the attempted elimination of native customs by Christian missionaries, and so on and so on. Take a look in the fucking mirror.
This site supports freedom of speech for all, with no exceptions. The fact that you can come on here with your pretty much complete and utter bullshit should show you that.