Good Article…
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Oct 18, 2010
Israel Isn’t There
It’s difficult to believe that critics of the Jewish state who are leaders in the American church do not understand what their criticisms project. Increasingly, I am having conversations with Christians who believe one of our priorities should be not making radical Islam mad at us.
Guess what? Islam has been at odds with all other religions for over a thousand years. Today, the leaders of Hamas, Al Qaida, Hezbollah, etc., are counting on American Christians to advocate appeasement. Appeasement takes many forms.
Dislike of Jews is a real problem within Christendom. Today there are actual debates about whether today’s Jews—especially those residing in Israel—are connected to the Israelites of the Bible. This evil view manifests itself in different ways: “British Israelism,” a lack of teaching of the Old Testament in churches, or outright rejection of Jewish heritage. You’d be surprised how many people I talk to who simply say that modern Israel is an historical anomaly.
(An aside: please understand that when you read a modern Bible translation, most of the time the editors have been influenced by both Darwinian philosophy and the so-called “higher criticism,” which alleges that much of the Hebrew Bible is myth. When you read notes or even in some cases the text itself, Scripture has been altered to reflect liberal bias. This tends to minimize the miraculous nature of the Jews and predictive prophecy.)
For some time, I’ve mulled the idea of writing a book about this. Would you, dear reader, be interested in such a book, one that exposes the anti-Jew, anti-Israel bias in the Church? If so, please understand that it won’t deal only with Catholics and the mainline. Sadly, tragically, the worst of it is now within evangelicalism.
Various apologetics groups do great work, to a point. But notice how many do not touch the topic of Israel or the Jews or predictive prophecy. When people have even a quiet dislike of Jews, or when they buy into Palestinian propaganda, they tend to project the idea that “Israel isn’t there.” We either won’t talk about it, or we’ll work to ensure that Israel isn’t always there.
In a recent speech to the Knesset, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the following:
“The refusal to recognize the rights of the Jewish people and its historic connection to its land is the root of the conflict, and without dealing with it, there will be no end to the conflict.”
Prediction: American Christian leaders will soon fall like dominos in their embrace of the Palestinian narrative. By this I mean that political and religious pressure makes pastors and ministry leaders uncomfortable with the idea of supporting Israel. Even entire denominations are going to turn their backs on the Jewish state, and I’m talking about traditional allies. Think of that!
This is precisely the atmosphere that existed not only in pre-World War II Nazi Germany, but in all totalitarian regimes throughout history. The average person does not want to take a stand on something controversial. This is a great asset of dictators, even those in allegedly democratic societies.
I want to emphasize this: the viciousness aimed at the Jewish state today, from American evangelical circles, is ominous, growing, and profoundly disturbing. Certain Catholics, chunks of the United Methodist Church, and various other mainline denominations have for years bared their fangs at Israel. They loathe the fact that Israel exists.
The evangelical world is poised to jump off into this sea of hate. It is at the doorstep.
As I’ve advocated many times, it would be a worthwhile endeavor for a pro Israel Christian to educate himself or herself, so that we can at least answer the critics. The websites for CAMERA, HonestReporting, the Jerusalem Post, Bridges for Peace, Friends of Israel, The International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem…these are but a few of the terrific sites that will keep you apprised of the situation.
A final, sad trait of these Jew-haters in the evangelical world is that they are influencers.
Things are going to get worse for Israel before they get better. For those who support Israel, marginalization is going to be a reality. At the end of the day, however, there is this:
What a sweet, precious privilege it is to count Jews as my friends, and to be able to walk in the state of Israel today. God is sovereign.
He will not be mocked.
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myBlessedHope 