Countering the threats to Evangelical support of Israel
Apr 11, 2024 18:16:17 GMT -5
Post by shalom on Apr 11, 2024 18:16:17 GMT -5
Countering the threats to Evangelical support of Israel
LAURIE CARDOZA MOORE
OPINION
APRIL 11, 2024
ANTI-ZIONISM ANTISEMITISM BDS EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS ISRAEL UNITED STATES (AMERICA)
Anti-Semitism is rearing its ugly head again and Christians must understand how dangerous this is, not only for the Jews, but for all of Western civilization. We expect anti-Semitism and anti- Zionism from the mainline denominations, but we don’t expect it from Evangelicals because, after all, Evangelicals usually read the Bible and know what it says about Israel and the Jewish people. However, Evangelical support for Israel can no longer be taken for granted.
In 1938, Hitler gave everyone in Germany a radio, and then he began his diatribes. Harry Truman understood the impact of the media and he believed that if he could just broadcast the simple unvarnished truth on Radio Free Europe, he could educate the masses. He was successful.
This is why the work that CAMERA and Proclaiming Justice to the Nations are doing in the media, fighting these issues in the media, is critically important. If we don’t spread this message globally, if we don’t stand up, if Jews and Christians do not unite together this time, we are going to be in trouble once again.
As we look around the globe, we are confounded by events in the Middle East, in Europe, and even now in the United States. We live in a challenging and sober time in human history. Many of us believe we’re coming to the climax of that history.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally in front of the Israeli consulate in San Francisco two days after Hamas massacred 1,400 men, women and children in southern Israel, Oct. 9, 2023. Credit: Phil Pasquini/Shutterstock.
If we look closely, we see a biblical warning that in the latter days, even the elect will be deceived. We have been warned that we must keep our doctrine sound and pure. As II Timothy 3:1 says, “In the last days difficult times will come. And many will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths.”
Jesus warned his disciples of the deception in the last days, in Matthew 24, when he said, “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.”
Is this happening today in the Evangelical Church? I would say that it is, and the trend is alarming, to say the least.
In the scriptures, God made an everlasting covenant with the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. That covenant was confirmed in the Torah, in the Prophets, and in the New Testament writings. For Christians, the first five books of the Old Testament – the Torah – are the plumb line for our faith. The Prophets and the New Testament writings attest to what the Countering the Threats to Evangelical Support of Israel Laurie Cardoza-Moore, Th.M. If we don’t stand up, if Jews and Christians do not unite together this time, we are going to be in trouble once again. Dr. Laurie Cardoza-Moore has devoted her life to educating Christians about their Biblical responsibility to stand with their Jewish brethren and the State of Israel. In 2005, she became the founder and president of Proclaiming Justice to The Nations, an organization that utilizes the powerful medium of documentary films to educate Christians and facilitate dialogue between the Christian and Jewish communities. Torah says about the covenant between God and Israel. If our understanding does not line up with what is written, then we are following false doctrines and traditions.
The Bible is a book written to Israel, for Israel and about Israel. And as Paul stated in Ephesians, Chapter 2, Gentiles come into the Commonwealth of Israel through faith in Yeshua. It is extremely important that we understand this, because this will determine how we perceive Israel and the Jewish people.
The purpose of this monograph is to discuss the threats and challenges to Evangelical Christian support for Israel, and the relationship between Evangelicals and the Jewish people. I am going to focus on the history of this support, the threats to Jewish-Christian relations, and how we can counter current threats to both the support and our relationship.
Thousands of Christians march through central Jerusalem to mark the Feast of Tabernacles on Oct. 4, 2023. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90. (source: JNS)
History of Jewish-Christian Relations
We are seeing a move of God that is unprecedented in history. Christians and Jews are uniting together in a growing relationship that the prophet Isaiah foretold. But it hasn’t always been this way. To understand the significance of what is happening today, we must look at our anti- Semitic past and come to terms with it.
Christian anti-Semitism can be traced back to the great divide between the two faiths. It became official policy during the reign of the Roman Emperor, Constantine the Great (306-337 CE). Constantine’s sword sliced away all remnants of the Hebrew roots of Christianity and led to the birth of the Catholic Church. Church leaders formulated the false charge of deicide against the Jews, and the libel that Jews are “Christ killers” still haunts our world today. During the Middle Ages in Europe there was widespread, full-scale persecution that included blood libels, expulsions, forced conversions and massacres. Jews were banned from owning land and from pursuing a number of professions. Persecution by the Church in Spain and Portugal led to the infamous and brutal Inquisition.
In 1516, the Republic of Venice decreed that Jews would only be allowed to reside in a walled-in area of town called the ghetto. This requirement soon spread across Europe. Jews became scapegoats, and in Eastern Europe and Russia, they faced constant pogroms and persecution. The tsar’s chief adviser reportedly said that one-third of Russia’s Jews were expected to emigrate, one-third to accept baptism, and one-third to starve.
The reformation led by Martin Luther began in earnest in the sixteenth century. Luther at first wrote kindly about the Jews, hoping they would come to faith in Christ as a result. However, when they refused to convert, Luther’s writings became extremely anti-Semitic. These writings were later used by the Nazis to justify their actions against the Jews. Thus, even Hitler’s final solution had some basis in Christian anti-Semitism. Constantine’s sword sliced away all remnants of the Hebrew roots of Christianity.
Continued at link
LAURIE CARDOZA MOORE
OPINION
APRIL 11, 2024
ANTI-ZIONISM ANTISEMITISM BDS EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS ISRAEL UNITED STATES (AMERICA)
Anti-Semitism is rearing its ugly head again and Christians must understand how dangerous this is, not only for the Jews, but for all of Western civilization. We expect anti-Semitism and anti- Zionism from the mainline denominations, but we don’t expect it from Evangelicals because, after all, Evangelicals usually read the Bible and know what it says about Israel and the Jewish people. However, Evangelical support for Israel can no longer be taken for granted.
In 1938, Hitler gave everyone in Germany a radio, and then he began his diatribes. Harry Truman understood the impact of the media and he believed that if he could just broadcast the simple unvarnished truth on Radio Free Europe, he could educate the masses. He was successful.
This is why the work that CAMERA and Proclaiming Justice to the Nations are doing in the media, fighting these issues in the media, is critically important. If we don’t spread this message globally, if we don’t stand up, if Jews and Christians do not unite together this time, we are going to be in trouble once again.
As we look around the globe, we are confounded by events in the Middle East, in Europe, and even now in the United States. We live in a challenging and sober time in human history. Many of us believe we’re coming to the climax of that history.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally in front of the Israeli consulate in San Francisco two days after Hamas massacred 1,400 men, women and children in southern Israel, Oct. 9, 2023. Credit: Phil Pasquini/Shutterstock.
If we look closely, we see a biblical warning that in the latter days, even the elect will be deceived. We have been warned that we must keep our doctrine sound and pure. As II Timothy 3:1 says, “In the last days difficult times will come. And many will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths.”
Jesus warned his disciples of the deception in the last days, in Matthew 24, when he said, “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.”
Is this happening today in the Evangelical Church? I would say that it is, and the trend is alarming, to say the least.
In the scriptures, God made an everlasting covenant with the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. That covenant was confirmed in the Torah, in the Prophets, and in the New Testament writings. For Christians, the first five books of the Old Testament – the Torah – are the plumb line for our faith. The Prophets and the New Testament writings attest to what the Countering the Threats to Evangelical Support of Israel Laurie Cardoza-Moore, Th.M. If we don’t stand up, if Jews and Christians do not unite together this time, we are going to be in trouble once again. Dr. Laurie Cardoza-Moore has devoted her life to educating Christians about their Biblical responsibility to stand with their Jewish brethren and the State of Israel. In 2005, she became the founder and president of Proclaiming Justice to The Nations, an organization that utilizes the powerful medium of documentary films to educate Christians and facilitate dialogue between the Christian and Jewish communities. Torah says about the covenant between God and Israel. If our understanding does not line up with what is written, then we are following false doctrines and traditions.
The Bible is a book written to Israel, for Israel and about Israel. And as Paul stated in Ephesians, Chapter 2, Gentiles come into the Commonwealth of Israel through faith in Yeshua. It is extremely important that we understand this, because this will determine how we perceive Israel and the Jewish people.
The purpose of this monograph is to discuss the threats and challenges to Evangelical Christian support for Israel, and the relationship between Evangelicals and the Jewish people. I am going to focus on the history of this support, the threats to Jewish-Christian relations, and how we can counter current threats to both the support and our relationship.
Thousands of Christians march through central Jerusalem to mark the Feast of Tabernacles on Oct. 4, 2023. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90. (source: JNS)
History of Jewish-Christian Relations
We are seeing a move of God that is unprecedented in history. Christians and Jews are uniting together in a growing relationship that the prophet Isaiah foretold. But it hasn’t always been this way. To understand the significance of what is happening today, we must look at our anti- Semitic past and come to terms with it.
Christian anti-Semitism can be traced back to the great divide between the two faiths. It became official policy during the reign of the Roman Emperor, Constantine the Great (306-337 CE). Constantine’s sword sliced away all remnants of the Hebrew roots of Christianity and led to the birth of the Catholic Church. Church leaders formulated the false charge of deicide against the Jews, and the libel that Jews are “Christ killers” still haunts our world today. During the Middle Ages in Europe there was widespread, full-scale persecution that included blood libels, expulsions, forced conversions and massacres. Jews were banned from owning land and from pursuing a number of professions. Persecution by the Church in Spain and Portugal led to the infamous and brutal Inquisition.
In 1516, the Republic of Venice decreed that Jews would only be allowed to reside in a walled-in area of town called the ghetto. This requirement soon spread across Europe. Jews became scapegoats, and in Eastern Europe and Russia, they faced constant pogroms and persecution. The tsar’s chief adviser reportedly said that one-third of Russia’s Jews were expected to emigrate, one-third to accept baptism, and one-third to starve.
The reformation led by Martin Luther began in earnest in the sixteenth century. Luther at first wrote kindly about the Jews, hoping they would come to faith in Christ as a result. However, when they refused to convert, Luther’s writings became extremely anti-Semitic. These writings were later used by the Nazis to justify their actions against the Jews. Thus, even Hitler’s final solution had some basis in Christian anti-Semitism. Constantine’s sword sliced away all remnants of the Hebrew roots of Christianity.
Continued at link
