Neil Lennon: Bastard Child

Much has been written about the Neil Lennon situation of late. As a Rangers supporter and one keenly aware of the conspiracy to discredit and destroy Rangers because they are a potent symbol of Protestantism (albeit tribal), Unionism and the Monarchy, it is difficult to feel much sympathy for the Celtic manager. I have a pastor friend who was sent bullets in the post and have had Special Branch protection myself on one occasion after receiving death threats from Irish Republicans. Also, I am very aware that death threats to prominent footballers are not uncommon, particularly players of the Old Firm. So I look dimly on people who play the victim card and actively seek sympathy from others.

As Emrys, I really don’t want to comment unless I feel I have heard from God on the matter. I now believe that is the case. In doing a little bit of research on Mr Lennon I came across an interesting piece of information. Both Neil Lennon and his parents were quoted as saying he was very proud to play for and captain his country and that his caps were pride of place in the family home. As Northern Ireland is Mr Lennon’s country, it is the only country other than England to play “God Save The Queen” as its national anthem. This team therefore represents the British Throne each time it takes the field. The Lennon family are from a Nationalist background and will not be unaware of this. Indeed, it is well known that Neil Lennon has received considerable flak from his own community for representing Northern Ireland, which he is at pains to point out is his country.

Anyone who is loyal to the Throne will support Northern Ireland and its players for what they represent, regardless of religion. Loyalists who denigrate players from a Roman Catholic background who play for Northern Ireland are idiots. It is like booing Roman Catholics in the Armed Forces. If you serve the Throne and nation in any capacity, you are worthy of honour for so doing, regardless of your colour and creed. This applies to Neil Lennon. How ironic that Rangers fans who love the Monarchy are happy to boo a man who played for and captained one of Her Majesty's teams but applaud many Rangers players who play for Scotland, a team whose national anthem is anti-Monarchical in spirit.

It is well-known that Neil Lennon retired from international football after receiving a death threat, probably from a lone nutter rather than a paramilitary organisation. In playing for Northern Ireland he was, in effect, made a pariah by both loyalists and nationalists in his homeland. This must have been psychologically painful for him. Serving your country at sport is normally something for which people are feted and honoured. As I have pointed out, loyalists to the Throne should have honoured Lennon for this. I am not glossing over Lennon’s allegiances to the Nationalist cause; I am simply taking a biblical view of saying honour where it is due.

Neil Lennon is a bastard child. By this I mean he has been bastardised by his own people and by loyalists for doing something he should have been applauded for. A Roman Catholic captain of Northern Ireland is maybe something which hardline loyalists wouldn’t necessarily hope for but is proof that no religious bias exists in football in the Province which would bar Catholics from attaining the captaincy.

Few could deny that Mr Lennon is a very bitter man. His anger and hatred of Rangers and their fans is something he has found impossible to hide. Many believe that he deserves much of what has come his way. But there are deeper issues to it all. His bitterness is something that the sinister forces who conspire against Rangers have been able to harness and use as a weapon. So far. But Mr Lennon’s hostility has to be understood from a spiritual dimension. In a nutshell, Neil Lennon has what we call an orphan spirit. The hatred and rejection poured out on him has resulted in this. He is a wee scared boy in a man’s body. His well-documented depression is further proof that he has been scarred by years of constant abuse. Even if you believe he brought much of it on himself, it is no reason to refuse him compassion.

 
We are transitioning from Sardis to Philadelphia in the Body of Christ. This is a time when we call those who are unloved: “Loved” and those who are not His people: “My people.” It is a time when we must look upon that which is impossible to love – in the case of Rangers fans, Neil Lennon! – and choose to love and bless. A little-known fact is that Neil Lennon tried out at Rangers as a young boy and could have played for the Gers.

 The essence of this message is that, in a sense, misguided Loyalists have created the Neil Lennon we have today. If he had been honoured for playing for Northern Ireland, a team traditionally very dear to the Rangers support, we would arguably not be so polarised today in this country. I am well aware of the reality that very sinister forces are seeking to divide Scotland and make it the new Northern Ireland in terms of the troubles. I am also aware that a tribal Protestantism is ill-equipped to conquer such a plot but will, in fact, play into its hands. Only a spiritual response will suffice. That response is to call the unloved “loved” and to embrace Roman Catholics in the “We are the People” statement. Those of us who believe that the Celtic Irish are, like their Scots kinsmen, descended from Judah, understand this. It is not being ecumenical; it is its opposite.

This initiative of love will not be easy since it must be accompanied by a stronger than ever resistance to the insidious machinations of institutionalised religion. Undermining the ability to effect such resistance is the present occupation of those who oppose us. We are not seeking to further the cause of tribal Protestantism. Tribal Protestantism is obnoxious, a stench in the nostrils of God. It is a vehicle of hate for those who will not submit to God in their own lives. There will be no place for carnal imitations in the move of God that is coming.

Earlier in the season Neil Lennon’s superiors purportedly were looking for a father figure to help him in his role as a rookie manager. He was mocked for this. Funnily enough, at one point it looked as if Walter Smith had taken him under his fatherly wing. The fact that no such father figure materialised is the great tragedy of this season. An “auld heid” may have spared Neil Lennon and the people of Scotland a great deal of pain and discomfort over the past few months. The reality is that the orphan spirit troubling Neil Lennon has highlighted our need in this nation for fathering leadership. The coming move of God will see the hearts of children and fathers reconciled. This means that the bastardisation and orphaning many feel will be banished and people will know the comfort of having real fathers. Leadership in all realms will be fathering. More importantly, the people of Scotland will come into a relationship with God as their Father.

Talk is cheap they say. It’s easy to talk a good game. So let me put legs to this:

God bless Neil Lennon.

I urge everyone who supports Rangers to say the same. Call those who are not the people “My People” and banish the hatred that divides and blights us. In so doing we will deliver the death blow to idolatry and religiosity in our land.