Trainee v icar battling woke critics hit by ‘pimp’ smear
After he criticised ‘sneering’ Church hierarchy...
A TRAINEE vicar has claimed he is the victim of an anonymous smear campaign which accuses him of being a pimp.
Calvin Robinson said a letter was being circulated among Church of England bishops suggesting he was a ‘pimp involved in sexual exploitation’.
The conservative political commentator insisted a ‘wickedness’ had gripped the Church which was ‘bullying’ him for revealing wrongdoings. The claims come weeks after Mr Robinson – a GB News TV presenter
‘Wickedness has gripped Church’
– was blocked from becoming a CofE vicar after a white bishop voiced concerns about his belief that Britain is not institutionally racist.
Former teacher Mr Robinson, who has trained for two years to become a member of the clergy, was told that plans for him to serve as a deacon in London have been axed.
He questioned whether Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who has claimed the Church is ‘deeply institutionally racist’, had a part in blocking his ordination.
He has since left the Church to pursue an ordination under the Global Anglican Future Conference. Mr Robinson said on Twitter: ‘Last week a bishop implied I’m an angry black man. Now there’s an anonymous letter going round bishops suggesting I’m a pimp involved in sexual exploitation. There are forces at play working incredibly hard to prove me wrong about the Church not being institutionally racist!’
He said yesterday: ‘It feels like an attack. I would have liked them to just say “Goodbye and we wish you well”, but it feels like they want to take me down with them.
‘They’re trying to drag me down to their level, but I won’t let them. I exposed what is going on and a lot of people don’t know about the wickedness that has taken hold of the Church. It feels like bullying. It would be easy for me to fold under the pressure but I don’t think that is fair.’
Mr Robinson has previously claimed Church leaders are too busy focusing on issues such as climate change or criticising Government policies. He accused bishops of ‘sneering down their noses’ at Christians who are at odds with their agenda and claimed the CofE hierarchy is like ‘the Lib Dems at prayer’.
He added: ‘They are the ones sneering down their noses – they think that they are above us for some reason, they have a moral superiority. They have forgotten that we are all equal.’ Internal emails obtained by The Mail on Sunday revealed that Mr Welby asked to be shown examples of Mr Robinson’s tweets amid mounting alarm within the Church over his criticism.
In one email, the Bishop of Edmonton voiced concerns that Mr Robinson insisted that Britain was not riven with racism. A Church spokesman said yesterday: ‘Any concern raised is looked into according to Church of England safeguarding guidance.’