Across the country, customers are slowly disappearing, finances are getting tighter and the pressure is on. A familiar story, where the CEO and directors face a crisis. As part of one such organization, the Archbishop of Canterbury saw churches across England becoming increasingly deserted. They were looking for a magic answer to increase the numbers and bring back the crowds.
Having done little to help keep churches open during Covid he has now struck gold. Suddenly, a whole new clientele appeared on our shores, as if by divine intervention. Some 300 of them now live at our expense on the ship Bibby Stockholm, in Portland Harbor, on the Isle of Portland.
There are a number of churches nearby, whether St Johns, All Saints or St Georges on the Isle. A short walk to the mainland to the charming town of Weymouth offers even more options, including an Evangelical or Methodist touch, among others.
So it makes perfect sense that at least 40 of the 300 new residents of Bibby Stockholm, of different faiths or none, have decided to convert to Christianity. I’m sure St Johns has seen an increase in congregation on Sundays and at the 10am Wednesday morning coffee sessions. I hope they are splendid singers, full of voices, perhaps a welcome increase in the number of young men in the local choir.
Call me an old cynic, but I don’t believe it. Is it pure coincidence that convert to Christianity gives these new residents a much better chance of being granted asylum and remaining in the UK, as they might then have a “well-founded fear of persecution” if deported to their home country? Suddenly, almost 15 percent aboard the Bibby Stockholm are such converts.
The Home Office’s guidelines for social workers do not allow them to be skeptical of asylum seekers’ comments and requests. So this is clearly the new easy route to the UK. If you claim that you have converted to Christianity, then you can say that your safety will be threatened in your home country, which has a strong alternative faith. Your claim is then further strengthened if you declare that you are now gay, as this is not tolerated in some places.
What we do know is that Home Office officers will allow applications to convert to Christianity, even if you are a convicted sex offender.
Have we stumbled upon, almost by chance, following a horrible crime, what is really happening here? The Home Office must urgently confirm how many asylum seekers have converted to Christianity and how many have claimed to be gay.
How could competent Conservative ministers allow this to happen on their watch? The Conservatives constantly repeat that the situation would be worse under any other government. They tell us that the public service is the envy of the world. These events categorically prove that neither is true. Conservatives are totally asleep at the wheel; During their 14 years of rule, they failed to deliver on numerous promises to reduce immigration, both legal and illegal. According to Migration Watch, fewer than 300 people crossed the Channel in small boats in 2018. By 2022, this figure would exceed 45,000. The British public has been misled and disappointed. In business, those responsible would be prosecuted for breach of contract.
We are certainly taken for fools by the archbishop and other turbulent priests. It costs us a fortune and makes us less safe on our streets. If this is where Christianity is headed, it’s no surprise that national ratings are plummeting.
