Stephen Sizer

Biography

Stephen Robert Sizer was born in Lowestoft in 1953, the son of a carpenter. He began his career working for the Department of Health and Social Security (1971–1973) as a Supplementary Benefits Visiting Officer in east London. From there he went on to study Geography (African & Asian Studies) at Sussex University, (1973–1976). It was while at University, that he became a Christian. After graduation Sizer worked as a Campus Director/student counsellor with Agape at the Universities of London, Liverpool and Sussex. In 1980 he was accepted for training as a minister in the Church of England and gained a Diploma in Theology at Trinity College Bristol. In 1983 he was ordained and became an Assistant Curate for St. Leonard's in St Leonards-on-Sea, then was appointed Rector at St. John's, Stoke, Guildford in 1986. He gained a MA in Theology from Oxford University in 1994. After 11 years at St John's, in 1997 he became the Vicar of Christchurch, Virginia Water, where he was incumbent until Easter Sunday 2017. He meanwhile continued his formal studies and was awarded a PhD from Oak Hill Theological College and Middlesex University in 2003.

Views and opinions

Stephen Sizer is a Conservative Evangelical and has aligned with a number of related organisations. He is a member of Reform (Anglican) and the Church Society. He has endorsed the Jerusalem Declaration issued by the Global Anglican Future Conference and has joined the resulting Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans. He supports the Third Province Movement.

In 2004, Sizer adapted his PhD thesis into a book, Christian Zionism - Road Map to Armageddon? He claims that Christian Zionism has led millions of Christians astray and helped to tip the world on its side heavy with military artillery.

Sizer says that Christian Zionism has no biblical foundation or historical precedent. He writes that his motivation lies in the conviction that ignoring or stereotyping Palestinian Christians is a contradiction of faith and immoral before God. He suggests that "it is irresponsible to believe that God will bless Christians materially if they support the largely secular State of Israel."

Christian and Jewish responses

In the Christian world, some of Sizer's writings have been commended by some Christians who embrace Reformed covenant theology, including leaders and academics such as John Stott (Stott's essay "The Place of Israel" is included in Sizer's Book "Zion's Christian Soldiers?"), R. C. Lucas, Gary M. Burge, Gilbert Bilezikian, and Paul Copan.

Some reviews of Christian Zionism - Road Map to Armageddon? have been highly critical. A prominent Christian opponent of Sizer, Bible teacher David Pawson, wrote a book called Defending Christian Zionism - in response to Stephen Sizer and John Stott. Pawson has said of Sizer: "I am grateful to Stephen Sizer for drawing attention to the legitimate criticisms of dispensational Zionism. He has rendered a service to the cause of Zionism which was needed." Pawson publicly debated Sizer on Premier Christian Radio.

Other Christian authors who have criticised Sizer include Barry Horner and Paul Wilkinson, leaders of Christian missions to the Jewish people such as Mike Moore, General Secretary of Christian Witness to Israel and Tony Higton. Later, having met Sizer, Tony Higton largely retracted his view and wrote:

Sizer is right to criticize the serious failings of some Christian Zionism. I agree with him in rejecting the following errors which are held by many Christian Zionists: Lack of godly compassion for the Palestinians, and of concern for their human rights and about their legitimate aspirations. A negative attitude toward Palestinians, and Arabs in general, to the point of racism. Uncritical support for Israel (a secular, sinful state like any other), justifying all its actions against the Palestinians.

British journalist Melanie Phillips has criticised Sizer and has condemned him in her writings. The historian Geoffrey Alderman has also criticized Sizer, accusing him of masking his "religious prejudices" in "academic guise." Jewish Christians and Messianic Jews such as Aaron Abramson and Jacob Prasch have disagreed with Sizer's views. The Board of Deputies of British Jews formally complained to the Church of England in November 2012 over statements made by Sizer since early 2010, which the Board claims are antisemitic. After a complaint that he had linked to an American site called The Ugly Truth, which explicitly blames Jews for wars and claims they corrupt all public officials, Sizer's Diocesan Bishop, Christopher Hill, defended him. Hill believed posting the link could have been an accident, and insisted that Sizer "repudiates anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial" and was just drawing attention to article about potential military action by Israel against Iran. After referring to Sizer's Facebook post, the Rev. Nick Howard asserted in an article for the Standpoint issue of January–February 2012 that given Sizer's statements on Press TV and elsewhere, the link made on his Facebook page is not an isolated, or "uncharacteristic", incident.

A British solicitor advocate and academic, Anthony Julius (who became chair of The Jewish Chronicle in 2011 and who is known for opposing anti-Semitism) acknowledges that Stephen Sizer "categorically reject(s) any position that threatens the territorial integrity of Israel as a sovereign nation" and describes his work as having "the merit of clearly setting out the issues that divide the two sides, and furthermore doing so without the rancour or sheer nastiness of tone typical of the polemics in the conflict." Following accusations of anti-Semitism levelled against Stephen Sizer in 2012 (seven months prior to the Board of Deputies' formal complaint), several prominent people wrote to the Bishop of Guildford in his defence. Amongst them was Rabbi Professor Dan Cohn-Sherbok, emeritus professor of Judaism at Aberystwyth University, wrote, "I have been disturbed to read about the allegations made against Stephen Sizer. These are, I believe, completely without foundation: there is simply no evidence that he is an antisemite. It would be a mistake… to construe Stephen Sizer's political criticisms as evidence of antipathy against Jews." The British Member of Parliament Jeremy Corbyn said that those criticising Sizer were politically motivated and were "intent on discrediting the excellent work that Stephen does in highlighting the injustices of the Palestinian Israeli situation...as part of a wider pattern of demonising those who dare to stand up and speak out against Zionism."

Public positions

Sizer is a member of the Executive of the Guildford Diocesan Evangelical Fellowship and a member of Guildford Diocesan Synod. He is a trustee and former chairman of the International Bible Society UK, publishers of the New International Version. He is a founding member of the Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism, a member of the Advisory Council of Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding, a Trustee of the Amos Trust and on the UK Board of Reference for the Mar Elias Educational Institutions in Ibillin, Galilee. He is also on the editorial board of Living Stones Magazine. Sizer regularly contributes articles for newspapers and journals including Evangelicals Now, Third Way, Plain Truth and Friends of Al Aqsa. He is a regular contributor to programmes on Premier Radio, and the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). He has also appeared on Syrian TV and Al Manar TV.

In September 2014, Sizer attended and spoke at the "Second New Horizon Conference" in Tehran where conspiracy theories such as "Zionist Fingerprints on the 9/11 Cover-up" and "9/11 and the Holocaust as pro-Zionist 'Public myths'" were under discussion. Sizer said he was present at the conference as an "ambassador for reconciliation". According to him, the conference was anti-zionist rather than anti-semitic, and he disagreed with many of the speeches which were delivered.

Dave Rich of the Community Security Trust, a charity which monitors anti-semitism in Britain, queried whether Sizer was still honouring the conciliation agreement he had made with the Jewish community. A spokesman for the British Board of Deputies said "such a hate-filled event is irreconcilable with his position as a minister in the Church of England".

Middle East comments ban

On 20 January 2015 at 9.17 pm, Sizer posted a link on his Facebook page to a 9/11 conspiracy theory entitled "9/11 Israel did it". He asked in his posting: "Is this anti-Semitic? If so no doubt I’ll be asked to remove it. It raises so many questions." Sizer clarified that he "never believed Israel or any other country was complicit in the terrorist atrocity of 9/11, and my sharing of this material was ill-considered and misguided." Sizer removed the post at the request of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, but in correspondence with Jewish News online, he asked that evidence be provided to refute the conspiracy theory. After he removed the posting, Sizer continued to insist that it was "encouraging debate."

On 29 January 2015, the Church of England said in a statement that the comments made by Sizer were unacceptable and that the Diocese of Guildford would launch an investigation. On 30 January 2015, Sizer issued a statement of apology and announced that the diocese had suspended him from all social media and blogs. The Board of Deputies also published a statement condemning Sizer's behaviour.

On 9 February it emerged that Sizer had been banned from social media by the new Bishop of Guildford, Andrew Watson, for at least six months for the Facebook post alleging Israeli responsibility for the 9/11 atrocities. He was also banned from commenting on issues relating to the Middle East, and from attending conferences on the subject. In his letter to the bishop, Sizer accepted that he would have to resign his ministry if he were to break the undertaking he had made.

The Church Times reported the bishop as saying that disciplinary action against Sizer had been considered, but an alternative approach was taken in order to resolve the matter quickly. The Board of Deputies praised the church for taking swift action, and hoped that good relations could be restored.

In October 2016, Sizer attended a meeting organised by Palestine Return Centre at the House of Lords chaired by Baroness Jenny Tonge, which gained negative media attention for comments made during the session. He wrote about the event online, thus breaking the agreement he had made. In a statement, the Rt Revd Watson said any further such incident would lead to "his tenure of office ending with immediate effect". Sizer left his Christ Church post at Easter 2017.

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