Christians across the United Kingdom have been horrified by news that the Church of England General Synod has betrayed Israel by voting for a seriously antisemitic document called Kairos ll.
The document — one of four Palestinian Christian documents debated by the Synod — purports to express solidarity with Palestinian Christians while accusing Israel of genocide, colonisation, and ethnic cleansing. It even appears to justify the October 7 2023, massacre of Jews on the basis of “decades of injustice, oppression and displacement” in Gaza.
‘Decalaration Against Kairos ll’ launched
Premier Christian News reports that a coalition of Christian leaders, theologians and pastors have launched a declaration rejecting the Kairos II document, and calling on Christian leaders worldwide to do likewise. The Declaration Against Kairos II can be viewed here. The declaration states that Scripture must remain the final authority and that no political programme can be treated as equivalent to The Gospel. It affirms God’s covenant promises to the Jewish people as enduring, while stressing this does not mean uncritical support for every action of any Israeli government. It also defends nations’ right to self-defence against terrorism.
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In a Revelation TV studio discussion of the debacle, presenter Simon Barrett said it represented “a pure Islamic agenda wrapped up in Christian theology” – biblically heretical and a complete denial of Scripture.
Rev Tim Guttman said the document was full of lies and antisemitism, adding: “Somebody needs to stand up and say, ‘You brood of vipers’,” referring to the way Jesus denounced the religious leaders of his day.
Guttman said it would spell the end of the institution in the same way that the Methodists have suffered haemorrhage since calling for a boycott of Israel some years ago.
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“When you mess with Israel you’re poking God in the eye,” he said. (Israel is several times referred to as ‘the apple of God’s eye’ in the Bible).
He went on: “Christians are calling for the destruction of the only democracy in the Middle East.” And this was especially mystifying after their recent apology for a millennium of antisemitism, a reference to a 2022 Anglican event in Oxford marking 800 years since English clerics passed a motion that subsequently led to the banishment of Jews from this country.
Also taking part in the programme was Pastor Regan King, who said: “The Anglican Church has lost its mooring. This is a Gospel issue.”
All Israel News reports that Reverend Ian Paul, who spoke out strongly against the motion calling for support of the documents, said Karios ll is so extreme that anyone reading the content out loud in the synod would be ruled out of order for using antisemitic language.
The motion was presented by the Venerable Stewart Fyfe on behalf of the Diocese of Carlisle, who said the document spoke on behalf of Palestinian Christians.
“Kairos does not just describe their suffering. It describes their imminent extinction from the land of the Savior, a land where they have kept a consistent witness since the day of Pentecost,” said Fyfe. “If the language is challenging, it is because it comes from a place of deep trauma.”
The texts were presented to the 467 synod members from the House of Bishops, the House of Clergy, and the House of Laity. Father Fadi Diab, vicar of Ramallah and Birzeit and co-author of the document, was also in attendance.
Following comments from the Archbishops of Canterbury and Gloucester, Rev Paul was eventually able to present an opposing view, encouraging a more two-sided approach.
The perspective of Messianic believers in Israel was not represented at all in the discussions, and when one of the laity raised the alienation an Israeli member of her church felt by the motion, she was interrupted by the chair for straying from the amendment.
The bishops voted 25-0 in favor of the motion with five abstentions, the clergy 115 in favor, 20 against, with 30 abstentions, and the laity voted 113 in favor, 27 against, with 35 abstentions.
The vote follows the recent five-day visit of Archbishop Sarah Mullally at the invitation of the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, the Most Revd Hosam Naoum, last month.
UK Chief Rabbi speaks out
The UK’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis also spoke out regarding the language of Kairos ll and its rejection of the Abraham Accords saying: “While it is important to recognise the suffering of Palestinian Christians, this document does so in a way which can only harm the cause of peace.”
“It is truly shocking that a document which purports to speak in the name of truth contains so much falsehood,” he added, saying the document used “extreme rhetoric to challenge the very concept of a Jewish state, and to oppose existing peace agreements in the region.”
At a time of unprecedented hatred against Jews, and after centuries in which Christian institutions contributed to the persecution of Jews, the Church had a special responsibility to exercise moral clarity. Instead, it has chosen to reward extremism, damage Christian-Jewish relations, and bring profound shame upon the Church of England.
George Deek, an Arab Christian and Israel’s Special Envoy to the Christian World, said: “Israel strongly condemns the shameful decision of the Church of England Synod to grant legitimacy to the extremist Kairos Palestine document. This hateful document undermines the right of the world’s only Jewish state to exist, and seeks to justify the atrocities of October 7 by blaming Israel for causing it.
Even more disturbingly, it urges churches to boycott dialogue with “Zionist voices,” in practice excluding the overwhelming majority of the Jewish community in the UK from Christian-Jewish engagement unless they renounce Jewish self-determination.
The irony is striking. The Church of England has itself adopted the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, including all of its examples without qualification. So by the Church’s own standard, its decision to delegitimise Jewish self-determination falls under the definition of antisemitism.
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