Alan Campbell (pastor)
Encyclopedia
Pastor Alan Campbell is the Pentecostal
pastor
of the Cregagh Covenant People's Fellowship in Belfast
, Northern Ireland
, co-director of Open Bible Ministries with Glyn Jones, and a prominent scholar and lecturer in the British Israel
movement. Campbell is also popular in Historicist circles because of his identification of the Papacy as the Antichrist
of Biblical prophecy
. Although his credentials as a pastor have been challenged, he has produced newspaper clippings and even the sermon preached at his ordination to prove the authenticity of his profession.
home, in a Roman Catholic area. His grandmother was a very firm adherent of the doctrine of British Israelism, and thus he was exposed to this teaching from a very early age. Despite his upbringing, however, he didn't experience a true conversion
to Christianity
until 19 September 1965, when he repented in the Ravenhill Free Presbyterian Church
after listening to Ian Paisley
preach on Matthew
8:12 ("But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth").
Campbell states that, shortly after being "saved" (a common term among evangelical
Christians, used to denote their conversion): "I began to attend Bible Studies on the subject of Prophecy at the Revival
Hall on the East side of Belfast. My only problem was that these people were Pentecostals who spoke in tongues
, which ran contrary to everything I was taught at my own church where speaking in tongues was forbidden. However after some time I reached the conclusion that if the folks atof the Holy Spirit and Speaking in Tongues". Because of his "Kingdom Identity" views (which hold that Israel, not the church, is the bride of Christ
, in contradiction to the teachings of the Westminster Confession of Faith
) and his conversion to Pentecostalism, Campbell left the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
and, while he continues to promote Ian Paisley and his literature (as well as to adhere to the Presbyterian doctrine of Calvinism
), many of the clergy that Paisley moderates have attacked Campbell, such as Reverend T.A. Dunlop, to whom Campbell responded in his tract "British-Israel, Fact or Fiction?".
Campbell began preaching in May 1974, and preached his first sermon on Bible prophecy on 24 September 1978 (he expounded on Ezekiel
38, interpreting it as a prediction of a future invasion of Ireland by Russia
), and was baptised by full immersion in 1979 (although he had already been baptised by sprinkling as an infant). He was officially ordained to the ministry by Dr Francis Thomas on 18 July 1988. He graduated from the University of London
with a Bachelor's degree in History, and from the Queen's University of Belfast
with a Certificate in Biblical Studies
. He recently retired from the post of head of religious studies
at Newtownabbey
Community High School near Belfast. He is author of a number of Bible study books, and has lectured on Protestant
and Prophetic platforms throughout the United Kingdom
, the United States
, Canada
, and Australia
. However, his ministry is decidedly centred in Ulster
, and many of his messages and website updates deal with the political situation there. Campbell has contact to the "Christian Assemblies International"http://www.cai.org
, whom he describes as "the Roman Catholic terrorists
of the Marxist
IRA" that he was sent a death threat on 7 June 1999, in the form of some mailed ammunition
and a warning to leave the country in seventy-two hours. This prompted "an urgent call to prayer" in the Open-Bible Ministries' "Kingdom Tidings" webpage. The threat was disregarded by the police
.
Campbell preaches obedience to "God's Laws" to the point of condemning miscegenation
, sometimes using rather unorthodox interpretations of certain verses to justify his objections to race-mixing. In the second part of his series "Jeremiah: From Jerusalem to the Emerald Isle", he quotes Jeremiah
2:22 ("for though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD") before asking his audience: "What sin
could the people of Israel have committed that soap and water wouldn't wash away?" He answers his own query with "miscegenation", which he opposes vociferously. Campbell believes that "they had mingled the holy seed with the other races and peoples and nationalities", and, as he does in his sermon "The Unholy Land — (2)", he teaches that Isaiah
3:8-9 refers to the "alien" facial features adopted by the Hebrews
through intermarrying with other peoples. He is a firm believer in the observance of the Sabbath
; however, he believes that it does not need to be kept on the seventh day of the week, but simply on whichever day the Christian wishes to rest. Indeed, he himself conducts Bible studies in Cregagh S.C. Hall, not on Saturday, but on Wednesday and Sunday nights. (In his sermon on "The Real Saint Patrick", he says, in an apparently approving tone: "The Celtic Church
taught obedience to God's Laws and they didn't keep the same festivals as the organized Roman Church, and, although I'm not getting into this tonight, I have read some accounts by various authors who actually state that the ancient Celtic Church, for a period of time (not their whole history, but for a period of time) were Saturday worshippers." This suggests some sympathy towards seventh-day keepers such as the Seventh-Day Adventists
, who share many beliefs with him.) He does not eat pork
(although some of his disciples do), and he defends the observance of the food laws
in his pamphlet "Did Christ and His Apostles Keep the Food Laws?"
He also refutes what he sees as the 'unbiblical' doctrine of the immortality
of the soul, even preaching a four-part series entitled "Dead or Alive?", teaching instead the heterodox view of annihilationism
. It is unclear what Campbell's views on the Trinity
are; however, he has referred to Pastor Gordon Magee, a Oneness Pentecostal
preacher and debater most renowned for writing a booklet called "Is Jesus in the Godhead
or is the Godhead in Jesus?" promoting the pre-Nicene heresy of Monarchianism
. Although the only translation used at his Bible study meetings is the King James Bible
, nevertheless unlike the Ruckmanites
, however, Campbell also uses an Amplified Bible
, a Ferrar Fenton Bible
, and a Lamsa Bible
in his personal research, but he insists: "I'm only looking at them in the same sense as I would look at a concordance or a lexicon, and I'm not looking at them in the same way as I view the Authorized Version of the Scripture, from which I preach".
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of the Cregagh Covenant People's Fellowship in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, co-director of Open Bible Ministries with Glyn Jones, and a prominent scholar and lecturer in the British Israel
British Israelism
British Israelism is the belief that people of Western European descent, particularly those in Great Britain, are the direct lineal descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. The concept often includes the belief that the British Royal Family is directly descended from the line of King David...
movement. Campbell is also popular in Historicist circles because of his identification of the Papacy as the Antichrist
Antichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
of Biblical prophecy
Bible prophecy
Bible prophecy or biblical prophecy is the prediction of future events based on the action, function, or faculty of a prophet. Such passages are widely distributed throughout the Bible, but those most often cited are from Ezekiel, Daniel, Matthew 24, Matthew 25, and Revelation.Believers in biblical...
. Although his credentials as a pastor have been challenged, he has produced newspaper clippings and even the sermon preached at his ordination to prove the authenticity of his profession.
Brief biography
Campbell was born in Belfast on 6 August 1949 into a staunchly PresbyterianPresbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
home, in a Roman Catholic area. His grandmother was a very firm adherent of the doctrine of British Israelism, and thus he was exposed to this teaching from a very early age. Despite his upbringing, however, he didn't experience a true conversion
Religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
until 19 September 1965, when he repented in the Ravenhill Free Presbyterian Church
Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
The Free Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian denomination founded by the Rev. Ian Paisley in 1951. Most of its members live in Northern Ireland...
after listening to Ian Paisley
Ian Paisley
Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, PC is a politician and church minister in Northern Ireland. As the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , he and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness were elected First Minister and deputy First Minister respectively on 8 May 2007.In addition to co-founding...
preach on Matthew
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
8:12 ("But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth").
Campbell states that, shortly after being "saved" (a common term among evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Christians, used to denote their conversion): "I began to attend Bible Studies on the subject of Prophecy at the Revival
Revival meeting
A revival meeting is a series of Christian religious services held in order to inspire active members of a church body, to raise funds and to gain new converts...
Hall on the East side of Belfast. My only problem was that these people were Pentecostals who spoke in tongues
Glossolalia
Glossolalia or speaking in tongues is the fluid vocalizing of speech-like syllables, often as part of religious practice. The significance of glossolalia has varied with time and place, with some considering it a part of a sacred language...
, which ran contrary to everything I was taught at my own church where speaking in tongues was forbidden. However after some time I reached the conclusion that if the folks atof the Holy Spirit and Speaking in Tongues". Because of his "Kingdom Identity" views (which hold that Israel, not the church, is the bride of Christ
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, in contradiction to the teachings of the Westminster Confession of Faith
Westminster Confession of Faith
The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith, in the Calvinist theological tradition. Although drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly, largely of the Church of England, it became and remains the 'subordinate standard' of doctrine in the Church of Scotland, and has been...
) and his conversion to Pentecostalism, Campbell left the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
The Free Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian denomination founded by the Rev. Ian Paisley in 1951. Most of its members live in Northern Ireland...
and, while he continues to promote Ian Paisley and his literature (as well as to adhere to the Presbyterian doctrine of Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
), many of the clergy that Paisley moderates have attacked Campbell, such as Reverend T.A. Dunlop, to whom Campbell responded in his tract "British-Israel, Fact or Fiction?".
Campbell began preaching in May 1974, and preached his first sermon on Bible prophecy on 24 September 1978 (he expounded on Ezekiel
Book of Ezekiel
The Book of Ezekiel is the third of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, following the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah and preceding the Book of the Twelve....
38, interpreting it as a prediction of a future invasion of Ireland by Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
), and was baptised by full immersion in 1979 (although he had already been baptised by sprinkling as an infant). He was officially ordained to the ministry by Dr Francis Thomas on 18 July 1988. He graduated from the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
with a Bachelor's degree in History, and from the Queen's University of Belfast
Queen's University of Belfast
Queen's University Belfast is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The university's official title, per its charter, is the Queen's University of Belfast. It is often referred to simply as Queen's, or by the abbreviation QUB...
with a Certificate in Biblical Studies
Biblical studies
Biblical studies is the academic study of the Judeo-Christian Bible and related texts. For Christianity, the Bible traditionally comprises the New Testament and Old Testament, which together are sometimes called the "Scriptures." Judaism recognizes as scripture only the Hebrew Bible, also known as...
. He recently retired from the post of head of religious studies
Religious studies
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
at Newtownabbey
Newtownabbey
Newtownabbey is a large town north of Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Sometimes considered to be a suburb of Belfast, it is separated from the rest of the city by Cavehill and Fortwilliam golf course...
Community High School near Belfast. He is author of a number of Bible study books, and has lectured on Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
and Prophetic platforms throughout the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. However, his ministry is decidedly centred in Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
, and many of his messages and website updates deal with the political situation there. Campbell has contact to the "Christian Assemblies International"http://www.cai.org
Views and opinions
So controversial are his views on the IRAProvisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
, whom he describes as "the Roman Catholic terrorists
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
of the Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
IRA" that he was sent a death threat on 7 June 1999, in the form of some mailed ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
and a warning to leave the country in seventy-two hours. This prompted "an urgent call to prayer" in the Open-Bible Ministries' "Kingdom Tidings" webpage. The threat was disregarded by the police
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
.
Campbell preaches obedience to "God's Laws" to the point of condemning miscegenation
Miscegenation
Miscegenation is the mixing of different racial groups through marriage, cohabitation, sexual relations, and procreation....
, sometimes using rather unorthodox interpretations of certain verses to justify his objections to race-mixing. In the second part of his series "Jeremiah: From Jerusalem to the Emerald Isle", he quotes Jeremiah
Book of Jeremiah
The Book of Jeremiah is the second of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, following the book of Isaiah and preceding Ezekiel and the Book of the Twelve....
2:22 ("for though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD") before asking his audience: "What sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
could the people of Israel have committed that soap and water wouldn't wash away?" He answers his own query with "miscegenation", which he opposes vociferously. Campbell believes that "they had mingled the holy seed with the other races and peoples and nationalities", and, as he does in his sermon "The Unholy Land — (2)", he teaches that Isaiah
Book of Isaiah
The Book of Isaiah is the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, preceding the books of Ezekiel, Jeremiah and the Book of the Twelve...
3:8-9 refers to the "alien" facial features adopted by the Hebrews
Hebrews
Hebrews is an ethnonym used in the Hebrew Bible...
through intermarrying with other peoples. He is a firm believer in the observance of the Sabbath
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
; however, he believes that it does not need to be kept on the seventh day of the week, but simply on whichever day the Christian wishes to rest. Indeed, he himself conducts Bible studies in Cregagh S.C. Hall, not on Saturday, but on Wednesday and Sunday nights. (In his sermon on "The Real Saint Patrick", he says, in an apparently approving tone: "The Celtic Church
Celtic Christianity
Celtic Christianity or Insular Christianity refers broadly to certain features of Christianity that were common, or held to be common, across the Celtic-speaking world during the Early Middle Ages...
taught obedience to God's Laws and they didn't keep the same festivals as the organized Roman Church, and, although I'm not getting into this tonight, I have read some accounts by various authors who actually state that the ancient Celtic Church, for a period of time (not their whole history, but for a period of time) were Saturday worshippers." This suggests some sympathy towards seventh-day keepers such as the Seventh-Day Adventists
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
, who share many beliefs with him.) He does not eat pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
(although some of his disciples do), and he defends the observance of the food laws
Kashrut
Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér , meaning "fit" Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus) is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed...
in his pamphlet "Did Christ and His Apostles Keep the Food Laws?"
He also refutes what he sees as the 'unbiblical' doctrine of the immortality
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
of the soul, even preaching a four-part series entitled "Dead or Alive?", teaching instead the heterodox view of annihilationism
Annihilationism
Annihilationism is a Christian belief that apart from salvation the death of human beings results in their total destruction rather than their everlasting torment. It is directly related to the doctrine of conditional immortality, the idea that a human soul is not immortal unless it is given...
. It is unclear what Campbell's views on the Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
are; however, he has referred to Pastor Gordon Magee, a Oneness Pentecostal
Oneness Pentecostal
Oneness Pentecostalism refers to a grouping of denominations and believers within Pentecostal Christianity, all of whom subscribe to the nontrinitarian theological doctrine of Oneness...
preacher and debater most renowned for writing a booklet called "Is Jesus in the Godhead
Godhead (Christianity)
Godhead is a Middle English variant of the word godhood, and denotes the Divine Nature or Substance of the Christian God, or the Trinity. Within some traditions such as Mormonism, the term is used as a nontrinitarian substitute for the term Trinity, denoting the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit not as...
or is the Godhead in Jesus?" promoting the pre-Nicene heresy of Monarchianism
Monarchianism
Monarchianism is a set of beliefs that emphasize God as being one person. The term was given to Christians who upheld the "monarchy" of God against the Logos theology of Justin Martyr and apologists who had spoken of Jesus as a second divine person begotten by God the Father before the creation of...
. Although the only translation used at his Bible study meetings is the King James Bible
King James Version of the Bible
The Authorized Version, commonly known as the King James Version, King James Bible or KJV, is an English translation of the Christian Bible by the Church of England begun in 1604 and completed in 1611...
, nevertheless unlike the Ruckmanites
King-James-Only Movement
The "King James Only movement" advocates the superiority of the Authorized King James Version of the Protestant Bible. The topic increased in newsworthiness in 2011, the 400th anniversary of the translation's 1611 initial publication....
, however, Campbell also uses an Amplified Bible
Amplified Bible
The Amplified Bible is an English translation of the Bible produced jointly by The Zondervan Corporation and The Lockman Foundation. The first edition was published in 1965. It is largely a revision of the American Standard Version of 1901, with reference made to various texts in the original...
, a Ferrar Fenton Bible
Ferrar Fenton Bible
The Holy Bible in Modern English, commonly known as the Ferrar Fenton Bible, was one of the earliest translations of the Bible into "modern English" .-Origins:...
, and a Lamsa Bible
Lamsa Bible
Formally titled The Holy Bible from Ancient Eastern Manuscripts, the Lamsa Bible first appeared in 1933...
in his personal research, but he insists: "I'm only looking at them in the same sense as I would look at a concordance or a lexicon, and I'm not looking at them in the same way as I view the Authorized Version of the Scripture, from which I preach".
External links
- Open Bible Ministries is Alan Campbell's website.
- Several of Alan's sermons can be downloaded for free at Open Bible Ministries Online Resource Centre
- The Mark of the Beast is a typical essay by Alan Campbell.
- An interview of Pastor Campbell conducted by Peter Salemi, pastor and president of The British Israel Church of God, can be downloaded at the church's website.
- The Ensign Trust website contains several articles of interest to British-IsraelitesBritish IsraelismBritish Israelism is the belief that people of Western European descent, particularly those in Great Britain, are the direct lineal descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. The concept often includes the belief that the British Royal Family is directly descended from the line of King David...
and Protestants, including essays by Alan Campbell. - The Truth About KJV Only first appeared in the summer and autumn, 2001, edition of Moriel Newsletter.
- Pastor questioned over loyalist attacks
- Anti-Catholicism in the Orange Order
- The poison at the heart of the Orange Order
- In defence of bigotry