By Rev Dr Keith Brindle
It is a joy to be connecting with the Red Letter Christians UK community. Like many of you, I believe that if we take the words of Jesus seriously, we cannot remain silent while the Gospel is being high-jacked to serve an agenda of exclusion, fear, and hate.
I am writing to introduce you to a new, embryonic movement: Christians Against the Far Right (CAFR).
The Crisis on Our Doorstep
Across Britain, Europe, and the States, we are witnessing a coordinated weaponising of Christianity. At last years Unite the Kingdom rally and UKIP marches, we see the Cross brandished alongside messages of division. We see Bibles displayed to justify Islamophobia and hostility toward migrants.
The far-right is following a dangerous playbook: wrapping their politics in Christian symbols to legitimise nationalism and racism. As the signatories of the Daily Mirror letter declared after the Unite the Kingdom march: “The cross is the ultimate sign of sacrifice for the other… Any co-opting or corrupting of the Christian faith to exclude others is unacceptable.”
Who is CAFR?
CAFR is a small, fledgling movement born out of a sense of urgency. While we have been writing on Substack (https://christiansagainstthefarright.substack.com/ ) to unmask the “intellectual” veneer of Christian Nationalism, our true heart is not in digital debate.
We want to be a visible, welcoming, street-level Christian presence. We believe that when the far-right provocatively marches through diverse multicultural communities, Muslim majority neighbourhoods and our capitol city, locals and those on social media shouldn’t just see a “Christian” banner used for provocation. They should see a counter-movement of Christians standing in the gap – carrying visible symbols of an inclusive faith that says: “You are welcome, you are loved, and this hate does not speak for Jesus.”
What We Stand For
Our mission is built on the belief that the Gospel is for love, not hate. We are committed to:
- Publicly Standing Ground: Refusing to let the Cross be used as a moral cover for ethno-nationalism.
- Reclaiming the Gospel of Welcome: Reminding our nation that Jesus was a refugee, a “stranger,” and a radical border-crosser.
- Equipping the Local Church: Providing ordinary Christians with the tools and networks to challenge far-right misinformation in their own pews and communities.
Better Together: A Call for Partnership
We are small. We are new. And we have no desire to reinvent the wheel.
The Red Letter movement has long been a beacon for those who want to live out the radical ethics of Jesus. CAFR wants to partner with organisations, leaders, and activists who share this DNA. We want to coordinate our efforts so that when the far-right mobilises, the Church is ready to respond – not just with a letter to a newspaper, but with a creative, peaceful, united, and undeniable presence of love on the ground.
We cannot let the far-right define what it means to be a follower of Jesus in 21st-century Britain. We refuse to let our faith become a “purity test” for nationalism.
If you believe that the Church should be a sanctuary rather than a fortress, we would love to connect with you.
- Visit our Substack to read our founding documents and recent exposés.
- We, with many other Christian organisations, are taking part in the Together Alliance march on Saturday March 28th – why not join us and others.
Because the Gospel is not for hate – it is for love.