A group of three Christian friends from North London are attempting to tackle notions of ‘Christian nationalism' through a grassroots movement.
Better Story aims to spread a gospel-based counter to recent anti-migration riots, which saw crucifixes displayed alongside nationalist symbols.
Tommy Sharpe, along with his wife Poppy Sharpe and friend Fergus Burnett, felt prompted to tell "a better story" after witnessing first-hand the clash between anti-immigration and anti-fascist ideologies.
"We were troubled by the kind of Christian imagery that was used in the Tommy Robinson [Unite the Kingdom] demonstration," he told Premier Christian News. "Crosses and Christian language were being used... tied to anti-refugee sentiment."
“But we were also troubled by the counter-protests. Shouting ‘fascist scum’ doesn’t feel like love," he added.
The group describes itself as "Christians who believe Jesus’ teaching to love our neighbours and our enemies is a far better story than Christian Nationalism".
Their emphasis is on the global church body, rather than any one nation. "We want to talk about living for Revelation 21 - where all things are made new - rather than being a Christian nation," Sharpe said.
He is unabashed about potential criticism from major political figures, such as Nigel Farage or Tommy Robinson, describing himself as being filled with "Jesus-sized courage".
"We hope God will give us opportunities to educate, and speak to Christians about what Christian nationalism is; where it's come from, its history, how it was used in different contexts, historically," Sharpe said.
"We also really want to empower Christians to speak about this issue and challenge it, where they see it... to tell a better story in their own contexts. It's less about me, and more about how I want God to use us in this project."
"I always liked the quote that: 'You never know what a small group of people can do in terms of changing the world,'" Sharpe said.
"One of the real powers of the church is that in every city, every village, every town across the country, there are people who are interested in grassroots conversations, speaking with their neighbours, and loving their neighbours really well."