Asylum seekers and the C of E’s conversion conveyor belt

Feb 12, 2024 by Jill

by Tom Lennie, TCW:

[…] It’s not as if red flags weren’t in full view. Of 200 apparent recent conversions from Islam to Christianity at Liverpool Cathedral, not one involved someone who already had the right to live in Britain. All were migrants, awaiting approval of their asylum claims. Indeed, the former Dean of Liverpool Cathedral claimed that he couldn’t think of a single example of someone who already had British citizenship converting from Islam to Christianity. (The Liverpool suicide bomber, Emal Al Swealmeen, was said to have converted to Christianity at Liverpool Cathedral).

The false asylum seekers conversion saga continues. A Baptist minister in South Wales has revealed that he baptised up to 500 asylum seekers in the sea, well over half of whom disappeared after their Christian conversion. Sky News reported that last weekend 20 asylum seekers were baptised near RAF Wethersfield in Essex. Meanwhile, as many as 40 refugees on the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland, Dorset, have reportedly started attending local churches. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Sunday programme, church elder David Rees, who works closely with asylum seekers, said he was confident that all 40 conversions were genuine. ‘Obviously we need to make sure that they believe in the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit and repent of their sins, and also [that] they want to start a new life in the church,’ he stated.

It’s important that Britain remains open and welcoming of genuine refugees to its shores if persecution or danger is likely to await them in their home country. Clearly, also, some accounts of Muslims turning to Christ, both in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, have proved to be genuine. We rejoice in every such instance. As believers, we have an onus – and hopefully a passion – to share the love of Christ in word and deed with anyone we come into contact with who is seeking to make their home in our land.

But we are not called to be naïve.

Jesus exhorts us to be ‘as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves’ (Matt 10:16). We are to use godly wisdom and discernment in all situations (James 1:5; 1 Cor 12:10). In regard to Christian conversion, we look for long-term fruit – consistency of changed behaviour over time – not just a testimony that can be fabricated at baptism. We also need to be aware of the Islamic tradition of taqiyya, which allows and even encourages Muslims to tell lies to achieve their goals.

Read here

Read also: Criminals cover themselves in religious tattoos in attempt to escape deportation as ‘perception of being Christian’ could result in ‘torture’ in home country by Holly Bishop, GB News (Includes interview with Dr Gavin Ashenden)