Stephen Sizer, the anti-Israel vicar who caused controversy recently by saying Israeli Messianic Jews were an abomination, has, it seems, been forced to issue what he thinks is an apology. It is nothing of the sort. He only apologizes that people think that he implied that Messianic Jews in Israel are an abomination. However, that is exactly what he did say when he thought no one was recording him. But those ‘nasty heckling Zionists’ who stressed and terribly vexed him, were there and did record what he actually did say. Sizer does not apologise, but is only sorry that he was caught out.
He then goes from defence to an attack as he shifts the spotlight from what he said to what John Hagee said. “I had in mind organisations such as Christians United for Israel and the provocative views of pastors such as John Hagee”. However this is totally irrelevant because he was criticising Messianic Jews in Israel not Christians Zionists in America.
This is by far one of the most half-hearted and pathetic non-apology apologies I have ever seen. It seems pretty obvious to me that Sizer has been advised to make an apology because this does not seem genuine, rather just tactical as it just becomes a spring-board for yet another attack on Israel.
Sizer writes “I apologise unreservedly if that was implied. That was not my intention.” It was not implied Mr Sizer, it was actually intentionally said by you, and you thought about it for a while before you ended with “abomination”, it was not even in the heat of the moment this was a careful, slowly paced, well-thought out response to a question! To claim you really referred to Hagee when you didn’t even mention him, is simply not the truth of what you said.
RPP gets a mention in his blog post, only he does not name RPP for fear of letting his readers see our post about him. Apparently our lone voice of dissent about Messianic Jews attending the Israeli-hate-fest Christ at the Checkpoint has deeply upset him.
“In the answer to a question at the meeting in Hammersmith, seized upon by those wishing to undermine the Christ at the Checkpoint conference, I was not making a statement about Messianic Jews in general, or criticising specific Messianic congregations in particular. I have no knowledge of their views on these matters. I apologise unreservedly if that was implied. That was not my intention.”
Lying is “a clear repudiation of Jesus’ teaching and therefore an abomination (Galatians 1:9).”
UPDATE:
Stephen Sizer has already heavily edited his original “apology” having read this blog response and now states:
“I am sorry I made a mistake under duress and did not think through the implications of how my sentence would be interpreted especially by critics. I made a mistake and withdraw the statement.”
He is therefore sorry how critics would interpret him saying that Messianic Jews in Israel who are loyal to their state are an abomination and repudiate Jesus! He is not quite there yet in terms of a real apology and watching the video footage, “under duress” does not seem to be his mental state!
What can you expect from such an abominable person.
It’s clear he worships a different Saviour to the one I worship. He is Jewish too.
Stephen Sizer has already heavily edited his apology, obviously having seen this critique of it.
“. I have no knowledge of their views on these matters.” but he was happy enough to sound forth his uninformed slander against Messianic Jews! does he have a martyr complex — claiming to be part of a brave minority of decent chaps of the chaplain type to stand for “truth” and then get hate mail. Strange man.
OK now Sizer had been at it again and edited his original abomination post for a third or fourth time. He calls us his “friends over at the Rosh Pina Project” however he is either deluded or showing his scant regard for truth and facts yet again, we are not his friends! We don’t know him personally, however ideologically, politically and theologically we have much to strongly disagree with him on.
But how generous of Sizer to now say he has withdrawn his statement that Israeli Messianic Jews are an abomination, but still he blames ‘the Zionists’ who vexed him as they heckled him from the audience, for throwing him off kilter and making him say this!!!
But why say it in the first place?
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