The Wikipedia is doing a knocking job on the worthy reverend. It is one of their more blatantly biased offerings. That is because he joined the British National Party. The Wiki's story sounds fairly factual, telling us inter alia that he has been disowned by the Church of England. A rather peculiar Welsh outfit calling itself the Apostolic Church has not actually done so. The fact that the Wiki refers to our man as Robert West (politician) is notice of their intention to denigrate.
He is now, in October 2014 being harassed [ see BNP Reverend Under Attack ] by an outfit calling itself the National College for Teaching and Leadership. They don't like the way he teaches the Crusades. It is noticeable that the Wiki's tone is very different with the National College for Teaching and Leadership.
Robert West ex Wiki
Robert Malcolm Brian West, BSc, Dip Th, or self-styled, Reverend Robert West (born 11 October 1955), is the founder of the Christian Council of Britain and a British National Party activist.Background
Theological Training and Claimed Ordination
Whilst today, West is not an active minister of any mainstream Christian organization, his credentials, in claiming to have been ordained as a minister in a bone [ sic ] fide denomination remain ambiguous.
West has stated that he is "an ordained elder" of the Apostolic Church;[1] - a Pentecostal Christian denomination which can trace its origins back to the 1904–1905 Welsh Revival and which claims a membership of approximately six million people. In a BBC broadcast aired in April 2009, before the European election, West produced a framed certificate, which he claimed as evidence of his right to be considered an ordained minister. West stated, "I attended the Apostolic Church training college, 1978 to 1979 in South Wales and I was in charge of one of their churches, which I ran as a pastorate, in effect for two years". The certificate testifies to West's award of a 'Diploma in Theology' by the Apostolic Church Bible College in Penygroes and West remarks, "This has not been bought off the internet. It's a genuine article."[2] At their website, the British National Party state, "The Rev Robert West was ordained by the Vice President of the Apostolic Church in 1979 and in 2003 he entered politics to help bring the Christian message to all the peoples of Britain".[3]
Though defecting to the British National Party following his expulsion from the Conservative Party in 2006, West's membership of the British National Party came to wider public attention in the BNP membership leak of 2008, where he was listed as an 'Apostolic Church clergyman'. Though the Apostolic Church does not seem to have refuted his claim to have been ordained into their communion during the 1970s, it is clear that this church is now keen to disassociate itself from him and following the revelation of his link to the British National Party, a spokesperson from the Apostolic Church has said, "If this person has had any association with The Apostolic Church in the past the only means by which he can maintain either his membership or office is by attending one of our churches. If he were an active member of the Church his views would not be accepted by the Church and disciplinary action would be undertaken by the Church which strongly distances itself from views such as these".[4]
At the website of the Apostolic Church, the third article under "Guidelines For Belief", makes it clear that only by regularly participating in the life of its church can one be considered a member.[5]
West now asserts himself to be a free and independent minister, sanctioned by the Christian Council of Britain, which he himself co-founded with the British National Party.
At his website, West styles himself as 'The Reverend R.M.B West, Dip Th., Moderator and Secretary of the Christian Council of Britain and Northern Ireland'[6] and in a summary of this organization's yearly report for 2010, cites a membership of 'just over 45'.[7]
West is most commonly seen wearing a full clerical collar, most typically associated with vestments of the traditional Anglican church, and a green clerical shirt. This would seem to deviate from ordained ministers of the Apostolic Church, who do not wear traditional clerical collars. West is also seen in a British National Party political broadcast of 2014, appearing to lock the door of a traditional ecclesiastical building, before turning to espouse a message of support for the BNP. Such an adopted image has led the media to dub him, "the fake vicar". At the Church of England website a declaration dated 3 June 2014 states: "The House of Bishops of the Church of England have voted to make membership or support of the British National Party (BNP) or National Front (NF) a potential disciplinary offence for its clergy".[8]
The Right Reverend Doctor John Saxbee, Bishop of Lincoln has said: "The only church, as I understand it, which acknowledges him as a member is a church that he himself has founded and the only organization which seems to endorse his views is an organization which is a front organization for the BNP. So I think we need to be very clear that Mr. West, if he wants to promote his policies as being consistent with the Christian faith, is going to have to radically change his policies"[9]
Military and Academic Career
West is profiled at the BBC Norwich website as a former army officer and supply teacher, who holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Economics[10]
According to the website of the British National Party, "The Rev West became a Christian at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, where he served under Lt General Sir Michael Willcocks RA, later Black Rod".[11]
According to the 'Peterborough Today' website, West taught law and history for about ten years at Peterborough Regional College, until he was made redundant as part of a staff shake-up in 2005.[12] West "believed he was pushed out because of his religious beliefs and as a result of the school’s equal opportunities policy, which, he claims, favours ethnic minority teachers".[13]
According to an article at the BNP website, dated 15 July 2013, West "... currently works in Peterborough, when not doing pastoral and preaching duties, as a supply teacher; being much appreciated for his class-handling skills amongst both primary and secondary children of all races and nationalities*.[14]
Political Affiliation
West was formerly a Conservative member of South Holland District Council in Lincolnshire, but was suspended after he spoke at a BNP meeting in 2006. West subsequently defected to the British National Party and stated that his switch was prompted by Conservative leader David Cameron's priority list of candidates for the next general election. He said the list 'excluded white male candidates in favour of women, non-whites, homosexuals and lesbians.[15]
In June 2009, West appeared alongside BNP MEP Andrew Brons on the BBC’s “The Big Questions”[16] and in 2014, he appeared in a British National Party political broadcast, in which he is seen locking a church door, before turning to the camera. In this clip, West states: "The BNP is the only political party which will stop the Islamification of Britain, ban the burka and do it's utmost to uphold your culture, heritage and identity".[17]
Views
Multiculturalism
Appearing on BBC's "Big Questions" programme in June 2014, West stated: "God's will is to preserve the nations, to give them space and peace to seek Him, and if you bring all the nations together in a cheek by jowl situation, this will tend to the atomization of a cohesive society and it will also tend to produce conflict, which is, of course, what opponents of the BNP are concerned with".