If you care about Israel, you'll become familiar with the name Stephen Sizer. Sizer, the Anglican pastor of Christ Church in Surrey, UK, is well known in an evangelical circles. Sizer is also well known in pro-Hamas and antisemitic circles as I will show the reader.
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| Vicar Stephen Sizer |
Stephen has accumulated an impressive list of Christian credentials during his twenty eight years of ordained ministry. In fact, according to his
bio Sizer is a Trustee of the
Biblica Ministries Trust, who sponsored and publish the New International Version (NIV), the most widely used English Bible translation.
But as I started to say, there is another side to Sizer as described on his website:
He is a Patron of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD-UK), a Trustee of Friends of Sabeel UK, a founding member of the Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism (ISCZ), a member of the Advisory Council of Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding (EMEU)
He is also a consultant and contributor to the [anti-Israel and pro-Palestianian-author's remarks] film With God on our Side and the Bible study guide that accompanies the film. . . . He is a contributor to Bridges of Faith, the international Evangelical-Muslim Dialogue Group.
The problem with Sizer's credentials is that once one studies all the groups he associates with, the clearer it becomes that Sizer's major stance is anti-Christian Zionism. In fact, the Vicar has no problems with associating with pro-Hamas groups like
Viva Palestina Malaysia and with antisemitic speakers such as
Mahathir Mohamad,
Azzam Tamimi, and an apologist for anti-Semites Lauren Booth.
Sizer's affiliations are as disturbing as the anti-Israel remarks he makes himself. But to understand the crowd this so-called evangelical hangs out with, let me pull today's blog from a post contributed by Joseph W on the blog
Harry's Place:
Cross-Post, June 5th 2011, 4:00 pm
by Joseph W
Stephen Sizer is being hosted by VPM this week – more on him later.
Viva Palestina Malaysia is proudly pro-Hamas. Here is one of VPM’s activists, Azra Banu, meeting the leader of Hamas:
VPM promoted the idea that Jews should all
relocate to Siberia, taking their ideas from David Duke’s website:
“the Jews for example are not merely hook-nosed, but understand money instinctively.”
“Jewish stinginess and financial wizardry gained them commercial control of Europe and provoked anti-Semitism which waxed and waned in Europe throughout the ages.”
“We do not want to say that this is a plot by the Jews, but in reality it is a Jew who triggered the currency plunge, and coincidentally Soros is a Jew”
“Of late because of their power and their apparent success [the Jews] have become arrogant. And arrogant people, like angry people will make mistakes, will forget to think.”
When Booth visited VPM, she defended
Mahathir from charges of anti-Semitism:
If you speak to Dr. Mahathir, it is clear he has neither the personality nor the inclination to be an anti-Semite. He is a thoughtful, pious and philosophical man.
I want to tell the people of Malaysia not to be scared of being labeled anti-Semitic when criticising the unjust, disgraceful behaviour of the Israel regime.
The label ‘anti-Semite’ is applied deliberately to quash debate on the Israeli government and its army and we must not be afraid to speak out (on it).
Here are some quotes from Chang,
addressing Iran’s Holocaust-questioning conference in 2006:
In fact, in the early 1930s, it was the Zionists that declared war on Germany.
[...]
There is an arguable legal case for the proposition that Germany, faced with a Zionist Declaration of War in the early 1930s, had the right to defend itself against the Zionists’ agenda to annihilate Germany and her citizens!
Critics may well counter-argue that the above proposition is ridiculous – how could Zionists, not constituting a nation state declare war on Germany? My reply is simple. If Al Qaeda [and the “Jihadists”] can be accused of declaring war on America and which gave rise to the present Global War on Terror, the World Jewish Congress and allied organisations can likewise be accused for their crimes against Germany!
[...]
Those who continue to promote the political line that the Holocaust is a unique and an exceptional Jewish historical event, when compared to the sufferings of the other victims, such as the Chinese who were slaughtered in excess of 10 million, have to that extent minimised the atrocities committed by both sides in WWII. It is an attempt to white-wash the war crimes of the victors in WWII.
[...]
To accept that the Holocaust was an exceptional Jewish historical event is to deny the genocides, massacres and sufferings inflicted on the rest of mankind throughout history. This cannot be right.
I cannot help but question the motives of those who seek to elevate the sufferings of the Jewish people above those who had suffered as much, if not more from the horrors of the Second World War. And when the sufferings of the Jewish people have turned into an industry we owe a moral duty to the departed to ensure that no one should profit from blood money, more so, when lies are perpetrated to further such profiteering.
If we are gathered here to seek truth and to condemn war crimes, then we must condemn all war crimes, not just those allegedly committed by the defeated in WWII. If we judge Hitler, Mussolini and Tojo as war criminals, then we cannot but find Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin guilty as well.
[...]
We must set up an International Commission of Jurists to review the findings of the Nuremberg Military Tribunal.
We must set up a War Crimes Tribunal to adjudicate on the crimes of all Allied Powers leaders during WWII.
That Booth and Sizer should collude with this political group closely associated with a Nazi-apologist, speaks volumes.
Last Friday, and this coming Tuesday, VPM are
hosting the “anti-Zionist” vicar Rev Stephen Sizer.
Given that he supports political protests outside synagogues
on holy days, Sizer is probably the last person you want at an interfaith conference.
Yet Sizer enjoys evangelising over the world, spreading the Bad News about Israel to the four corners of the Earth, to all who will listen. He has form.
Sizer has also
visited Iran to give a tour speaking about Christian Zionism. He has since
claimed that he formed links with the Iranian opposition when he was in the country, although
the evidence tells another story.
Sizer has recently caused concern by suggesting that Colonel Gaddafi and his son are linked to Israel and the USA by
Jewish blood, which initially prevented the world from imposing a no-fly-zone over Libya.
I know the Church of England doesn’t like getting involved in these matters, but really now: this is the Church that
suspended a bishop for offending William and Kate.
Surely the Church should do or say something about a maverick vicar involved in supporting pro-Nazi outfits – all whilst wearing his Anglican clerical collar.
If you wish to complain to the Church, I strongly recommend you
contact the Archbishop of Canterbury. I will.
Anglican Pastor Sizer Hobnobs With Pro Hamas Groups
