CEEC and the Stephen Sizer Antisemitism Scandal

In December 2022 Stephen Sizer was found guilty of antisemitic activity by a Church of England tribunal. The tribunal banned him from ‘exercising any of the functions of his Holy Orders’ for a period of twelve years.

This article calls on the Church of England Evangelical Council to apologise for its involvement in the toleration of Stephen Sizer’s antisemitism, and to cut its current ties with Sizer.

Michael Lawson served as the National Chairman of the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) from 2009 to 2014. In 2012 he wrote a letter defending Sizer that was posted on Sizer’s personal website. The letter closed with a reference to Lawson’s leadership role with CEEC and a link to CEEC’s website.

Lawson’s letter was sent after Sizer had suggested that Israel was complicit in 9/11 (a staple component of 21st-century antisemitism), and after he had accused Israel of perpetuating the Holocaust (antisemites minimise the Holocaust, portray Jews as the new Nazis, and falsely demonise Israel; Sizer managed to do all three in one sentence).

By the time Lawson wrote his letter, Sizer had also promoted a boycott of Coca-Cola, McDonalds, and Nestlé on the false basis that ‘they channel their profits to the Zionist agenda’ (a classic example of the antisemitic conspiracy theory that Jews control global business and finance). He had described Israel Defence Forces members as ‘Herod’s soldiers’ (i.e., child murderers and would-be Christ killers — both of which are familiar antisemitic slurs). He had needlessly drawn attention to Monica Lewinsky’s Jewishness and Muammar Gaddafi’s supposed Jewishness. He had publicly described Jews as ‘the people in the shadows’ (an antisemitic slur characterising Jewish people as sly and furtive). And he had posted links to five different antisemitic websites: the ‘Palestine Telegraph’, ‘The Ugly Truth’, ‘Redress’, ‘Veterans Today’, and ‘Window into Palestine’ (one link might be an excusable accident; five links, as Mike Ovey recognised, ought to be career-ending).

Prior to Lawson’s letter, Sizer had also endorsed disgraced journalist Helen Thomas’s call for Israeli Jews to ‘go home to Poland, Germany, America and everywhere else’ (a very clear example of racial hostility, as any British Asian who’s been told to ‘go home’ could testify). Sizer had also falsely accused British Zionists of joining forces with neo-Nazis against Muslims (a fabrication broadcast on national TV in a country with high levels of antisemitism).

Not a single item in that track record was in any sense necessary for pro-Palestinian campaigning.

Lawson is himself a Jewish Christian, but membership of a race does not confer the right to absolve others of racism against that race. His defence of Sizer demonstrated a chronic failure of moral judgment. In addition, Lawson failed to apply the evenhandedness that the National Chairman of CEEC ought to bring to a dispute among believers. In an email to Sizer, which he mistakenly sent to a Jewish evangelical, Lawson promised Sizer he would ‘do whatever will help you.’ Yet Lawson showed no such willingness to help the Jewish evangelical on the other side of the dispute. When asked to explain why Sizer had taken six weeks to remove a link to a racist website, Lawson said Sizer had given him ‘a reasonable explanation’, but he then refused to pass on that explanation to the Jewish correspondent.

Lawson’s failings contributed to British evangelicalism’s toleration of Sizer’s antisemitism. He had a clear opportunity to notice that something was wrong with Sizer’s conduct and take suitable action. Not only did he fail to perceive what he should have perceived, he also tipped the scales of justice in Sizer’s favour through his ‘whatever will help’ pledge.

As National Chairman of CEEC, Lawson added CEEC’s weight to Sizer’s defence, and CEEC should be held accountable for its former chairman’s actions. CEEC should follow the example of Christianity Explored Ministries and apologise for its own involvement in the widespread evangelical toleration of Stephen Sizer.

CEEC’s exposure to the Sizer scandal isn’t confined to its former chairman’s actions. Its current Treasurer, Stephen Hofmeyr, is listed as a member of the International Board of Reference for Peacemaker Trust, Sizer’s charity. (It should be noted that Hofmeyr isn’t the only conservative evangelical on that board.)

Stephen Hofmeyr represented Sizer in the Church of England tribunal hearings. He shouldn’t be criticised on that basis, because advocacy is a feature of due process. But at the time of writing, it’s been nearly eight months since Sizer was found guilty of antisemitic activity, and Hofmeyr should be criticised for choosing to remain in partnership with Sizer as if nothing had happened to affect Sizer’s suitability for Christian leadership.

Since his conviction, Sizer has shown himself to be unrepentant. After the verdict in December 2022, he could have participated in a church discipline process overseen by the FIEC church he’d been attending, but he left that church, thereby rejecting that opportunity.

When the verdict was issued, Sizer initially demonstrated contrition, as shown in the following excerpt from an EN report:

However, Sizer’s early acceptance of the tribunal’s criticisms was quickly replaced by defiance. In February he posted this comment on his personal website:

Sizer also posted a link to this comment:

In May of this year, Sizer preached at St Luke’s, West Holloway, a CofE church (see below; the church was named in a Peacemakers newsletter). Sizer’s decision to conduct ministry in a CofE church — and to highlight that fact — demonstrates a defiant refusal to abide by the tribunal’s verdict and penalty.

In sum, Sizer evaded church discipline; is directing people’s attention to statements of support that firmly reject the CofE tribunal’s judgment; and is defying the tribunal’s penalty. Hofmeyr is effectively endorsing Sizer’s attitude towards the tribunal by his continued public association with Sizer.

Sizer’s charity, Peacemaker Trust, is not under the Church of England’s authority. But someone banned from CofE ministry who remains unrepentant should not be trusted with Christian leadership (Peacemaker Trust is a Christian organisation), unless a compelling case can be made against the CofE’s judgment. Neither Hofmeyr, nor CEEC, has made that case.

Christians can legitimately draw alongside unrepentant sinners on a personal basis as a demonstration of Christlike grace, but we shouldn’t grant public approval to an unrepentant sinner who has brought Christ’s name into disrepute. By remaining on the International Board of Reference for Sizer’s charity, Stephen Hofmeyr is tying CEEC’s name to the activity of a convicted, unrepentant antisemite. He’s using CEEC’s respectability to prop up the public activity of someone who should not be in Christian leadership.

The problem of Hofmeyr’s involvement with Peacemaker Trust wouldn’t be solved by removing CEEC’s name from Hofmeyr’s listing on Sizer’s website. Hofmeyr belongs to CEEC’s top leadership tier, and Christian leadership demands integrity. Hofmeyr isn’t free to behave responsibly with his CEEC hat on, while tolerating antisemitism with his CEEC hat off.

One of the long-running arguments of the Sizer scandal is that if Sizer’s racism had been directed against Black people instead of Jewish people, evangelicals would have taken action to prevent their mission being associated with that racism. In the same vein, it could be argued that CEEC would not allow its Treasurer to remain in partnership with Stephen Sizer if Sizer had been convicted of anti-Black racism and remained unrepentant.

If CEEC disagrees with the Church of England’s verdict on Stephen Sizer, it should publicly explain its reasons for disagreeing, which would require it to engage in detail with the specific allegations. But if it accepts the verdict, it should require Stephen Hofmeyr to leave his role in Sizer’s organisation immediately. The toleration of Sizer’s antisemitism cannot go on.