Christmas is here. This is a time when churches are bustling and the kindness of patrons abounds. But in churches across Illinois a stranger is lurking, and extending a simple kindness to him has consequences.
A man named Andrew Angel is walking into places of worship and asking to have his picture taken with unsuspecting pastors and church leaders. Those pictures are inevitably ending up on a white supremacist website called ‘Divine International Church on the Web,’ owned and operated by Mr. Angel. A closer look at this website reveals that Andrew Angel follows the teachings of Christian Identity, a racist theology which teaches that salvation is solely for whites, that people of color are soulless, and that Jews are the spawns of Satan.
This particularly obscure stand of Christianity is centered upon the belief that Jesus was a white man, descendant from an equally white, Caucasian Adam, made to the likeness and resemblance of God. Christian Identity teaches that segregation is God’s divine law, and that race mixing is a means by which Satan seeks to destroy the white race.
According to an assessment by the FBI “The Identity message is one of racial hatred behind the guise of religion”
Andrew Angel, a self-proclaimed Reverend, has been going to various churches in Illinois, taking pictures with other Pastors and Ministers, which he later posts on his website. The appearance being he is accepted and welcome into the local clergy.
27 pictures are posted on his website, two of which are of particular interest.
The first is a picture of Andrew Angel with Thomas Robb taken in Pulaski, TN, the birthplace of the Klu Klux Klan. Thomas Robb is a well-known white supremacist, and a national Klan leader who, while still in high school, was an outspoken supporter of segregationist ideals and an active member of the John Birch Society. His grandchildren Charity, 19, Shelby, 17, and Andrew, 10, are now spreading the message of hate.
The second picture is of Andrew Angel with Pastor Eli James, who also preaches Christian Identity.
Respected pastors do not deserve to have their pictures plastered with the likes of Klu Klux Klan leaders. And the vast majority of the pastors on Angel’s website are unaware of his white supremacist views.
Andrew Angel (if that’s even his real name) might not be acting alone. Branching out is at the forefront of the Christian Identity movement today, and this seems to be their latest trick. Pastors and Ministers everywhere should beware.