The British National Party

At a time when the controversy regarding the participation of Nick Griffin on the BBC programme Question Time continues, it is worthwhile remembering that the 2009 Methodist Conference approved the following motion:

SO 361A states: 'The Methodist Church believes that racism is a denial of the gospel. '
Conference notes:

Ca) with warm approval that the Church of England at their February General Synod voted to prohibit members of the clergy from being members of the BNP;
Cb) with deep dismay the recent electoral success of parties with nationalistic ideologies, in particular the BNP;
Cc) the certainty of a general election by June 2010;
Cd) the letter sent by the Equality and Human Rights Commission asking the BNP to make changes to its constitution to comply with the Race Relations Act 1976.*
Therefore Conference resolves:

1 that being a member of an organisation which promotes racism is not consistent with being a Methodist;
2 that the Methodist Council be directed to explore any changes needed to give fuller effect to the principle that being a member of any organisation whose constitution, aims or objectives promote racism is inconsistent with membership of the Methodist Church, or with employment which involves representing or speaking on behalf of the Methodist Church and, if so, to bring proposals to conference of 2010;
3 that the Connexional Team urgently identifies and makes available resources to enable all local churches, circuits & districts to engage with this issue, especially in the approach to a general election;
4 that the Joint Public Issues Team engage with Government and all church members addressing the social and economic issues that have created the current widespread disaffection with the mainstream political process;

5 that all members and officers of the Methodist Church be reminded of the gospel imperative to love and accept all God's children and to reject racism in all its forms. In addition, Conference asserts that those who support racist organisations are also God's children in need of love, hope and redemption.

*
Under the BNP Constitution the membership criteria limit membership to 'The indigenous British ethnic groups deriving from the class of 'Indigenous Caucasian' consist[ing] of members of: i) The Anglo-Saxon
Folk Community; ii) The Celtic Scottish Folk Community; iii) The Scots-Northern Irish Folk Community; iv) The Celtic Welsh Folk Community; v) The Celtic Irish Folk Community; vi) The Celtic Cornish Folk
Community; vii) The Anglo-Saxon-Celtic Folk Community; viii) The Celtic-Norse Folk Community; ix) The Anglo-Saxon-Norse Folk Community; x) The Anglo-Saxon-Indigenous European Folk Community; xi) Members of these ethnic groups who reside either within or outside Europe but ethnically derive from them.'