HTR(7): Christ is Lord! Say it!

On my legal duty to resist Islam

(apologies for the opening obscenity)

This is something that I have been pondering for reasons of self-preservation; that is, in speaking of 'How To Resist Islam' I am conscious of taking a risk. I'm less concerned about blowback from Muslims than I am about institutional or legal pressures being brought to bear (not necessarily through the Church) requiring me to cease speaking of such things, that I would be criticised for Islamophobia and prosecuted for hate speech and so on. Such things do happen.

So I wanted to explore this question: am I obliged to insist upon the primacy of Jesus Christ? For if I am, as an ordained priest within the Church of England, then I am legally obliged to resist Islam – for Islam denies, explicitly, the primacy of Jesus Christ. In Islam Mohammed has superseded Christ and so, to assert the primacy of Christ is, ipso facto, to deny the ultimacy of Mohammed, of the Koran, of the Muslim faith; it is to point out the ways in which Christianity and Islam conflict and to seek to demonstrate the spiritual superiority of Christ – it is, in sum, to resist Islam. Of course there is the very important question of the How, and it is essential that the How is carried forward in a way that reflects the Spirit of Christ (which is what this series is principally about) but the legality of the aim itself is important to establish. So here a few thoughts.

The Church of England is 'by law established'. It is the state church, and the Monarch, the defender of the faith, is the supreme governor of the Church of England. The legal framework within which I operate is part of the law of the land, it is a very real and important context. When a minister is ordained they have to swear several oaths – an oath of allegiance to the Monarch, which I have done (much more contentedly as I have become older) and an oath of canonical obedience to their Bishop. They also have to give the 'declaration of assent', which is relevant here. The declaration is as follows:

The Church of England is part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church worshipping the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It professes the faith uniquely revealed in the Holy Scriptures and set forth in the catholic creeds, which faith the Church is called upon to proclaim afresh in each generation. Led by the Holy Spirit, it has borne witness to Christian truth in its historic formularies, the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, The Book of Common Prayer and the Ordering of Bishops, Priests and Deacons. In the declaration you are about to make will you affirm your loyalty to this inheritance of faith as your inspiration and guidance under God in bringing the grace and truth of Christ to this generation and making him known to those in your care?

Declaration of Assent

I, A B, do so affirm, and accordingly declare my belief in the faith which is revealed in the Holy Scriptures and set forth in the catholic creeds and to which the historic formularies of the Church of England bear witness; and in public prayer and administration of the sacraments, I will use only the forms of service which are authorized or allowed by Canon.

Within the service of ordination itself, there is more (and these are also part of the legal framework):

And now, in order that we may know your mind and purpose, you must make the declarations we put to you.

Do you accept the Holy Scriptures as revealing all things necessary for eternal salvation through faith in Jesus Christ?

Ordinands I do so accept them.

Will you be diligent in prayer, in reading Holy Scripture, and in all studies that will deepen your faith and fit you to bear witness to the truth of the gospel?

Ordinands By the help of God, I will.

Will you lead Christ’s people in proclaiming his glorious gospel, so that the good news of salvation may be heard in every place?

Ordinands By the help of God, I will.

Will you faithfully minister the doctrine and sacraments of Christ as the Church of England has received them, so that the people committed to your charge may be defended against error and flourish in the faith?

Ordinands By the help of God, I will.

Will you, knowing yourself to be reconciled to God in Christ, strive to be an instrument of God’s peace in the Church and in the world?

Ordinands By the help of God, I will.

Will you endeavour to fashion your own life and that of your household according to the way of Christ, that you may be a pattern and example to Christ’s people?

Ordinands By the help of God, I will.

Will you work with your fellow servants in the gospel for the sake of the kingdom of God?

Ordinands By the help of God, I will.

Will you accept and minister the discipline of this Church, and respect authority duly exercised within it?

Ordinands By the help of God, I will.

Will you then, in the strength of the Holy Spirit, continually stir up the gift of God that is in you, to make Christ known among all whom you serve?

Ordinands By the help of God, I will.

As the final context, coming from the opposite end, I am vulnerable to a 'clergy discipline measure' if I “act in contravention of the laws ecclesiastical” - so if 'the laws ecclesiastical' require me to proclaim the 'one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit' then that is something that I must do. (Footnote: racism is explicitly prohibited and grounds for a CDM, which I'm very happy about. I'm not a racist.)

So, in the light of all that, I'm pretty sure that I have a legal obligation to proclaim the primacy of Jesus Christ, and therefore, I am legally obliged to resist Islam. So is every other ordained minister in the Church of England. It is a matter of duty and obedience – and also joy. It is evangelism, it is the proclamation of a liberating truth, it is about teaching "the grace and truth of Christ to this generation and making him known”. Yes, don't be a prat about it, don't indulge the 'satanic dynamic', do be 'an instrument of God's peace in the Church and in the world' – but proclaim it, testify, shout out that Christ is Lord, and in so doing point out the differences with those of other faiths, and none. That is my aim.

Will I resist Islam?

By the help of God, I will.

Christ is Lord.