| (Copyright 2023) by Craig White (Australia) |
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| Some weeks ago, I wrote about Aiden Cottrell-Boyce’s book on ‘Jewish Christians in Puritan England’ (2021) and the information contained therein that some in the 17th century believed that the Saxons descended from Israel. Recently I completed reading his book ‘Israelism in Modern Britain’ available from Amazon here. It is rather interesting to see someone trying to understand and analyse the British-Israelites. Having read this work it does help to show the background and societal influences that God subtly works through and with to restore truths slowly but surely. The book is penetrating and raises a number of good points, but at no time attempts to really disprove the doctrine but does make the odd comment or point here or there. It is more about the rise of British-Israelism and its relationship to the British Empire and nationalism. He does admit, unlike many others, that most British-Israelites are not racists but rather that God’s people, being special to Him and with a purpose He has bestowed, are meant to be separate. Of note are the several references to the early British-Israelites seeing the Germans as modern descendants of the Assyrians. He also mentions HWA and the old WCG on pages 77, 83. In his analysis, he misses out on a lot of proofs for the doctrine, and he lacks deep assessment of the Biblical, anthropological and historical proofs. Other works critiquing British-Israelism are available here. And also have a look at the information on the ancient roots of British-Israelism here – a much older origin than Cottrell-Boyce is willing to admit. The following is from the Routledge website about the book: Israelism in Modern Britain – 1st Edition – Aidan Cottrell-Boyce – Rou (routledge.com) >This book unpacks the history of British-Israelism in the UK. Remarkably, this subject has had very little attention: remarkable, because at its height in the post-war era, the British-Israelist movement could claim to have tens of thousands of card-carrying adherents and counted amongst its membership admirals, peers, television personalities, MPs and members of the royal family including the King of England. British-Israelism is the belief that the people of Britain are the descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel. It originated in the writing of a Scottish historian named John Wilson, who toured the country in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Providing a guide to the history of British-Israelism as a movement, including the formation of the British-Israel World Federation, Covenant Publishing, and other institutions, the book explores the complex ways in which British-Israelist thought mirrored developments in ethnic British nationalism during the Twentieth Century. A detailed study on the subject of British-Israelism is necessary, because British-Israelists constitute an essential element of British life during the most violent and consequential century of its history. As such, this will be a vital resource for any scholar of Minority Religions, New Religious Movements, Nationalism and British Religious History. Table of Contents: Introduction 1 What do British-Israelists believe? 2 A History of British-Israelism in the Twentieth Century 3 British Israelism and the Jews 4 British Israelism and the British Empire 5 British Israelism and Ireland 6 British Israelism and the State of Israel 7 British Israelism and Russia 8 British Israelism and the European Union Conclusion< You can read more about the author here Aidan Cottrell-Boyce (rcwlitagency.com). For someone like me who sees value in reading critiques, this book proved valuable.  ——————————————————————————————————— See Craig White’s other articles at: White, Craig M. – Church of God, Bismarck (church-of-god-bismarck.org) Reprinted with permission from: Friends of the Sabbath Australia http://www.friendsofsabbath.org/ ——————————————————————————————————— |
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