JESUS UNIFORM UNDER ATTACK

Source : 23/09/1987 Northampton Post

The Archdeacon of Northampton, the Ven Bazil Marsh, has hit out at the combat clad Jesus People.

The Archdeacon slammed the groups Rambo-style military uniforms as 'menacing and sinister'.

'You see this sort of thing with every faction in the Lebanon - it's all to do with guns and killing' he said.

'I have told them to their face that I do not recognise then as an authentic Christian congregation. They are a religious cult.'

But Jesus People spokeswoman Liz Donovan wrote off the harsh comments as 'sadly sensationalist.'

'I feel sad that an Archdeacon should speak in such terms.' She said.

'We wear the uniform simply to express our determination to fight for Jesus, it server no other purpose.'

The combat jackets are issued to all new members of the group, but Liz refused to say if wearing them was compulsory.

But she commented: 'I can not imagine a situation where somebody joining the group would not want to wear a jacket'