Minister breaks away from Methodist Church over its support for BDS

A Christian minister has put his livelihood on the line by quitting the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) over its Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) policy towards Israel. Reverend Rowan Rennie says he would rather “sleep on the street” than “stand against the people of G-d”.

Rennie led a group of 150 families from across South Africa in the break away.

In a video that has since gone viral, Rennie said amongst other points that the Methodist Church’s resolution was “so unbiblical and such an injustice that we cannot find ourselves under the umbrella of the Methodist Church”.

The MCSA has more than 66 000 members across southern Africa. It adopted BDS principles against Israel in September 2019. It directs its members to “boycott, disinvest, and sanction all businesses that benefit the Israeli economy; [and] all future Holy Land tours organised by Methodist clergy or persons affiliated to the MCSA [are] to boycott all Israeli operators and tours and deliberately seek out tours that offer an alternative Palestinian perspective”.

Rennie told the SA Jewish Report that his decision to lead the breakaway had been “terrifying”.

“The house I live in belongs to the Methodist Church and they’ve told me to leave by the end of the month,” he says. “I have three foster children in my care. I don’t know the future, but it’s okay, I won’t compromise on this issue.”

His breaking point was that he believed there was “no biblical grounding for this resolution”. In his opinion, “it’s tantamount to hate speech and racism. You cannot place blanket blame on Israel.” He believes that the issue will eventually cause a split in the Methodist Church.

Rennie says that some senior ministers had been supportive. “They are in the same place I’m in, in that they need to break away [because of the MCSA resolution on Israel]. You cannot tell Christians they cannot visit the Holy Land. People visit Israel not because they support the Israeli government, but because they want a spiritual experience. This resolution turns the entire nation of Israel and its integrity into a political agenda.”

The MCSA hasn’t officially spoken to him since he released the video, besides asking him to vacate his home. Of the small percentage of his former congregation [the St Luke’s Methodist Church] who have chosen to stay in the MCSA, there has been a backlash. A few senior ministers have berated him, but they haven’t spoken on behalf of the MCSA. He says all this animosity is understandable, but he won’t budge, as he has “a clear conscious going forward”.

Rennie has been in the MCSA for 23 years. He was ordained as a minister in 1997, and has just completed his second five-year term as a reverend of a congregation in Welkom in the Free State. “Over the past two years, we have been talking about leaving as we realised there would be a resolution rejecting Israel. In the past two weeks we officially broke away, becoming the Bethany Fellowship.”

Looking back, he says, “The church was quite biblically conservative when I first joined. It’s only in the past five years that we’ve seen it line up with the government. I believe its rejection of Israel is influenced by its close connection with the government, as can be seen with a number of its policies, especially regarding land.

“The Methodist Church is the biggest Protestant church in the country, and it uses its channels to push this agenda.” He says this is particularly heart breaking in South Africa, where the term “apartheid” has real meaning for many people. “Its comparison of Israeli [policies] to apartheid was done in a deceptive way, drawing conclusions without saying much, without questioning, and without showing both sides,” he says.

Describing the moment he realised the resolution was official, Rennie recalls, “I was in shock. It hit like a ton of bricks. I realised the church’s political voice was way above its spiritual voice. To get there and to still call yourself a Christian, when the Bible is so contrary to that stance … It’s insane from a biblical perspective.”

Rennie said that immediately after the resolution was passed, “We said, ‘no way, we can’t go this route’.” Those in agreement with him wanted to leave the church by March, but COVID-19 made it difficult. However, the lockdown meant that more people heard their message online and supported them. “We eventually felt we had enough followers, and broke away over the past two weeks.”

Those who have followed him have “taken such ownership of what we’ve said. We are privileged to make this stance and move forward in our conviction of supporting Israel.”

In response to the video, the MCSA released a statement saying that it “notes with deep sadness and concern” Rennie’s video. It went on to say that having accepted his resignation, “we note with deep disappointment the encouragement and invitation to other Methodists to join him. This is a wilful breaking of a covenant he made. Breaking these solemn and sacred vows isn’t viewed lightly.”

The MCSA urged members to “engage in open conversations to raise the theological issues we aren’t clear about or uncomfortable with. Maligning and breaking away from the church won’t create reformation, transformation, or bring healing to us, our nations, our continent, or the world.”

The MCSA did not respond to questions from the SA Jewish Report.

Rowan Polovin, the chairperson of the South African Zionist Federation, commented, “The MCSA has been wilfully blinded by the doctrine of ‘replacement theology’, which attempts to deny the Jewish people’s unbreakable connection to Eretz Yisrael. The modern manifestation of it is to use the artillery of BDS against Israel. The MCSA’s BDS resolution is a disgraceful attempt to single out and discriminate against the Jewish state.

“Reverend Rowan Rennie is a courageous and principled individual. We strongly support his heroic decision,” said Polovin. “Those who stand with Israel do so out of moral conviction and must be applauded. We extend our deepest gratitude to him.”

Rennie hopes that “Christians open their eyes, and question the things told to them”. He also hopes that the “Jewish community finds comfort that serious Christians empathise with everything they’ve been through. The whole world might be against you, but you have an ally in the Christian community. You aren’t alone.”

Charisse Zeifert, from the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, said, “Having spoken to Reverend Rennie in an interview on ChaiFM, I was struck by his courage and sincerity. At great personal and professional cost to himself and his parish, he has taken a principled stance to speak out publicly against what he sees as a blatant misinterpretation of the Bible. It’s reassuring for the Jewish community to know that we have allies fighting BDS lies, and I believe it’s important for Reverend Rennie to know that he too isn’t alone.”