Thoughts on Calvin Robinson?

[meatbasedbreakfast]

Long time lurker, stepping out the darkness to ask this.

Was asked today by a friend who knows I'm GC what my thoughts are on Calvin Robinson. Apparently he's becoming a face of GC views?!

I was shocked. He is anti abortion (in all cases), doesn't think same sex marriage should be legal, and isn't a feminist in any sense of the word.

I'm genuinely concerned that our movement is being picked up by people like him, who couldn't care less about women. When he says biological sex is real, he couldn't give a damn about how that leads to discrimination/violence. It made my blood boil and I want to know what other people think.

I don’t hate the man, I just can see through him. I’m not sure if he is black or mixed race, I just take a dim view of anyone who tries to pass themselves off as someone they aren’t. He is an unordained member of a very small break away church from the Church of England, he has no more clerical authority than any lay member of any congregation.

He trained at Oxford but was refused a curacy by the CofE who cited his "libertarian views" as the reason. Sounds like there was some protest by other CofE mininters then CR left the CofE.

I don't see how he's trying to pass himself off as someone he's not?

He wanders round in a cassock trying to pass himself off as an ordained priest. He is not ordained. The is not a church leader, even if the tiny church he is a member of.

fcofe.org.uk/calvin-robinson-was-ordained-to-the-diaconate/

Yesterday (25 June 2022), The Right Revd Dr Paul Hunt, Bishop of the Southern Diocese of the Free Church of England, ordained Calvin John Robinson as Deacon at Christ Church, Harlesden. It was a wonderful time of fellowship meeting Revd Calvin’s family and friends. Thank you, Christ Church, for the lovely buffet!

@beastlyslumber He's entitled to his views, and having listened to them, I'm entitled to think he's a crank. Nice try at doing what you condemn others for though, smearing anyone who doesn't agree with you as a 'racist' or a 'left-winger' (not sure which is worse in your book).

The Free Church of England seems to currently have 17 congregations across the UK, and two overseas.

Sorry I meant an ordained priest. A deacon is not a priest.

You’re talking nonsense. Why?

Yeah, that’s a pretty tiny organisation in terms of churches.

A deacon isn’t a leader of a church. A parish priest or vicar isn’t a leader of a church. In another post you referred to his ordination as a deacon by someone who is a bishop of that church. The bishop would be a leader. A deacon is way down the pecking order. Odd that even the free Church of England wouldn’t ordain him as a priest either.

I'm no fan of Calvin R, but it's factually untrue that 'even the free Church of England wouldn't ordain him as a priest either'.

In the C of E, you are first ordained as deacon (which very definitely is ordination), then a year later most deacons are ordained priest. In the C of E (and the breakaway Free C of E which ordained him), he couldn't possibly be a priest in his first year after ordination. Presumably he will become a priest in June this year.

The free Church of England don’t ordain anyone as ‘priest’. They ordain them as deacon for a year then Presbyter. He is however a minister.

When people with a church talk about a leader of a church that is usually taken to mean the leader of that congregation/church building (the free church doesn’t have parishes). When they talk about the bishops you would say they are leaders of the church.

Ok I have to ask since reading through umpteen replies hasn't given me the answer- what on Earth does GC stand for? Gender something? General Council... though of what? Good Cooking? Giant Cherries? No clue 🤷‍♀️
Any help appreciated!

So hang on you are telling me this guy hasn’t even been a deacon for a year yet?? He is so full of it.

Where is the evidence that he’s lied about what he is or his status? What exactly has he said?

Gender critical.

Gender Critical - it means whilst we accept that we are different sexes and this impacts us due to our biological reproductive roles (gestating babies and the body types resulting from this), we are critical of the concept of gender and social expectation/sex stereotypes imposed on men and women due to their sex. We think that gender should be broken down - women can dress/wear/present/carry out any jobs they want and ditto men. A girl who plays football, has short hair, wears jeans and T-shirt, takes leadership roles, and wants to become an engineer is no less a girl.

I didn’t say he has lied. But, for example, he was been running about in a cassock for several years now, so if he was only ordained as a deacon last year what’s that about?

If we can't cope with people who have different views from us stating the truth about reality then as a society we're really done for.

I don't agree with Calvin on lots of things but that does not make him a bad person. Nor invlaidate his other views. Drop the purity test. It is like Kate Forbes being got at for her faith. I don't agree with her either but we have to tolerate a pluraity of views without being morality police or we're no better than the 'no debate' trans activists.

Your attitude is dangerous.

You are saying poeple who don't agree with me are bad people.

You are making yourself the aribter.

You are one step away from saying I am a good person therefore all my views are good ones therefore no one can disagree with me.

As a PP said, grow up.

@Signalbox @Shelefttheweb thank you for explaining, that's really helpful! 💕💕💕

I just don’t think this is true. If it was the footage would be available. I can remember watching him pre ordination and I never saw him in a dog collar.

None of those things are mutually exclusive?

Why he is even wearing a cassock? It’s completely archaic. The guy is obviously dying to be famous/infamous, which doesn’t seem to fit in with the idea of being a humble servant of Christ.

So a servant of Christ should not, for example, travel around different countries speaking about Christ in public places, making his message heard? Maybe writing a bunch of letters that other people can refer to?

I quite like his hair.