BY GIULIO MEOTTI, ARUTZ 7—
Next March, the Bible College in Bethlehem will host dozens of US theologians, activists and ministries for the “Christ at the Checkpoint 2012 Conference”.
It is to be a major religious and political event meant to demonize Israel and to support the Palestinian Intifada against the “ethnocentric” Jewish State.
The impressive range of Christian theologians and pastors from many churches located in the United States make the gravity of the upcoming conference clear.
Samuel Rodriguez, President of the US National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, is a speaker.
Also attending are popular US preacher and “spiritual adviser” to Bill Clinton, Tony Campolo, and President of the World Evangelical Alliance and Asia Evangelical Alliance, Sang-Bok David Kim.
Two of the conference organisers, Stephen Sizer and Sami Awad, adamantly defended the Gaza flotilla sent in May 2010 by the Turkish terror group IHH.
Another speaker, Ben White, has shared a political platform with Azzam Tamimi, who has endorsed suicide bombings against Jewish civilians in the past.
In the last few months we have seen an increase of attacks on Israel by many Christian denominations. While the United States is home to millions of Christian supporters of Israel, these are anti-Jewish Churches which are more closely attached to global public opinion, European bureaucracy, the media industry, the United Nations and various legal forums.
In fact, the “Bethlehem Call” manifesto, which serves as platform for the Bethlehem 2012 Conference, has just been published on the websites of the Would Council of Churches, the Global Ministries of the United Church of Christ and the Disciples of Christ.
The Bethlehem Call defines Israel as an “illegal regime” and a “crime against humanity”, it promotes “international boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns” against Israel, labels the more neutral Churches as “accomplices in crimes against humanity” and attacks Christian Zionism as “a crime and sin as defying the core of the Gospel”.
The Bethlehem Call also updates the “Kairos Palestine”, the major document used as global tool for the Christian struggle against Israel speaking in the behalf of “us Christian Palestinians”. Even the name of the Catholic Custodian of the Holy Land, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, prominently appears among the most important signatures in this website:
In 2007, the World Council of Churches, the umbrella organization of liberal Protestants claiming a membership of 580 million worshippers, also produced the “Amman Call”, which denies Israel’s right to continue to exist as a Jewish State by insisting that millions of Palestinians have the “right of return” to Israel.
In 2008, the World Council of Churches convened a group of Protestant and Catholic theologians to review the underpinnings of Christian attitudes about Israel. The group published the “Bern Perspective”, which, among other things, instructed Christians to understand all biblical references to Israel only “metaphorically”.
The theological meeting also marked a return to “replacement theology”, the medieval view that the Church has replaced the people of Israel in God’s plan and that all biblical references to Israel refer to the “new Israel”—that is, to Christians.
Replacement calumny has changed its language, yet still is basically a death sentence for the Jewish people. Now it is Israelis, like Lucifer, who were God’s chosen but were cast out for their rebellious and evil ways, and deserve to be obliterated from the “Holy Land”, according to this macabre theology.
Taken together, it seems these Churches are now breathing new life into a kind of demonology which criminalizes all the Jews living between the Jordan River and the Meditarranean.
The writer is an Italian journalist with Il Foglio who writes regularly for Arutz Sheva. He is the author of the much discussed book “A New Shoah”, that researched the personal stories of Israel’s terror victims, published by Encounter. His writing has appeared in publications, such as the Wall Street Journal, Frontpage and Commentary and has been translated for Israeli media.
Change the names and dates and the messages and headlines are the same from the World Council of Churches in its attitude toward Israel.
I recall distinctly the same tripe coming from WCC press releases in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s when the Holy Spirit was being poured out over the young “Hippie Generation”. Many of those young people came into our Church in the Rocky Mountains. They got born again, filled with the Spirit and went out from our Bible College to establish ministries of service to their communities.
During their training we made certain that we instructed them regarding the importance of Christians blessing and supporting the Jewish people. “I will bless those who bless my people” Genesis 12 It can not be more plain than that.
While the WCC spewed out nonsensical venom toward Israel – as it is today, the Lord was doing an even greater work in the hearts of those who are open to His leading. The same principles are in action on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people today. Jerusalem Connection is but one of hundreds of expressions of support for the Jewish people.
“there is a God in Heaven, and He rules in the affairs of men” Daniel 4
Not the “true” church. Anti-Zionists need to trust in the Jewish Messiah who loves Israel and calls them the “Apple of his eye”…also read Genesis 12:3 where G-d says: “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”(KJV) He is talking to Abraham about the covenant with him, with Issac and with Jacob whom He re-named Israel which means chosen of God. Salvation is of the Jews through Yeshua who is G-d’s Salvation whom He sent to redeem us all if we trust in Him. By the way, the Land is Israel. Always has been. There has never been a sovereign nation other then Israel whom God has established forever and man has recognised as such on a “day” is the Spring of 1948.
Thank you for bringing to my attention this most important information! I was wondering, will it be this March 2012?
My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ declared in his ministry that the gospel is to be preached to the Jew first and then to the Greeks or Gentiles. We as Christians should not only Love Israel and her people, but we should also acknowledge that we are not seperate from the Jewish People and Nation and that we are in fact grafted into the Fig Tree which is Israel. Not only should we support Israel and defend her, but we as Christians need to remember that Jesus is in fact G_D and a Jew also and that we are commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. I personally feel blessed because we have Israel back in the world as a nation. One final note that I would like all of us to remember is the fact that Jesus was born to Israel and not another race of people, that alone should make us as Christians want to stand up to these Arab nations and the others in the world who wants to see Israel’s destruction. I say that Israel needs to reclaim all land set forth by the biblical boundaries that Yahweh set and quit trying to please everyone else. G_d bless Israel and the United States, these few leaders do NOT speak for the true body of Christ!
Just a reminder: 1. God has made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth. Acts 17:26. There is but one race of people in the earth, the human race. 2. Prophecy must be fulfilled, as in the book of Revelation the end time “church” will be apostate and believe in replacement theology, and embrace other false religions. That is why there is a surge in this one world religion goal. When Messiah returns for His body of believers, we are from every ethnic group in the world and we are of one body, one spirit. We are one new man in Yeshua. He will save us from the wrath to come as in the tribulation period. However, until that time, we are to pray for and love one another as the times become more wicked and believers in Christ are persecuted and killed.
Your headline is not backed up by the article which seems to be a collection of information from different sources. I think that Palestinian Christians point of view is very valid and it seems to me the right path for them to engage with fellow Christians. Not sure where your organisation stands regarding Christian believers who happen to be Arab and or Palestinian. Are you suggesting that they renounce their nationality or are you suggesting that they give up their faith. Christ came to bring peace to the world. Peace will not happen without justice.
God forgive the ones who spew forth these untruths. May we as born again, spirit filled believers stand strong with Israel in these troubling days and always pray for the peace of Jerusalem!!!
Two comments:
1) It is not about arguing anymore, now it is about action. The anti -Israel group in the church are a misled group of serious christians,but they are taking their beliefs to action. We still reason with them and are holding back because we don’t want to destroy unity. t is too late for that. We need to be more assertive and start to actively engage into pro Israel actions by ALL means. For one it will be to directly oppose the anti Israel lobby, in public. We are way too polite and are soft on the isuue; this is a anti-Christ spirit at work and will be bad news the more powerful it gets. Our time is limited and the forces of evil has infiltrated right up to the city gates. No more soft actions!!!
The Palestinian believers are in a difficult position, I agree with comment #2. We need to pray for them a lot more, as indeed for the persucuted church. However, they need to get in line with the purposes of YHWH and not get entangled with the misled ambitions of Arab Islamist leaders. For this the church in the west is even more guilty for enticing the battered Palestinian believers into a false hope and anti Israel sentiment. God will forgive the Palestinians, but not the western leaders, I feel. In Israel this is the only difficult issue for the church to handle. The rest is just uncomfortable.
So lets get busy and get innline with YHWH’s purposes, even if the world is shouting the contrary. As a South AFRICAN, I know what the cost of world opininon is.
Americans stand with Israel. We pray daily and send help often.
The problem is that America has been taken over from within by it’s present Government, they are Tyrannical Traders that have Communist roots and Evil ties. The Clinton’s, Obama and many others are in on this for the purpose of a New World Order take over by a few self appointed Elites. Their Associations are with the UN and CRF. The entire Democratic side and partial Republican side of Government is in on the take over. True Freedom loving Christian Americans are in the fight of our lives against them. They are trying to take away all of our Freedoms and are quite successful. They are attacking our Christianity every day. We are all in great danger and on the brink of a civil war against this evil satanic Regime.
Americans in the masses are standing with Israel and fighting our own Government that is now without a question against all of us of faith. We will stand for Israel to the end and for our Biblical freedom to the end. All of our Media has been taken over and we are being lied to and they are now going after (monitoring) our internet communications and as you are well aware of, our lives. They have Concentration Camps built and are ready to go after the Christians and anyone that doesn’t go along with their Communist plan. Which is 90% of the American people. Do not be deceived by these ULTIMATE DECEIVERS. May God Bless and stand with all believers.
Christians worldwide have made a disconnect with the origins of the faith. We weren’t called “Christians” in the beginning, but either “believers” or “people of the way”. The root of Christianity was and is still Jewish. Those first believers were Jews. Jesus, who we are supposed to be following was and is Jewish. The Old Testament is of a people who God called out of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel). It seems that the modern “Christian” believes that he is a product of invitro fertilization rather than from the root of Judaism. I believe that people like Tony Campolo who preach and teach about Jesus have lost their way to Him. They talk about him but they may not really know him. Jesus never denied his roots in the flesh, and we shouldn’t either. Israel belongs to the Jew!! Whether she shares that land with others, is really up to Israel. For any so-called “Christian” to deny the rights of Israel, is for that same “Christian” to deny the Old Testament of the Bible, and more rightly, to deny the God who he is supposed to believe in. There is no Bible without the Jew. There is no Israel without the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. There is no salvation without Jesus, who is and was a Jew. Therefore, for these people to come together to denounce Israel as having no right to their land that God Himself gave to them thousands of years ago, the same land that they fought over and were victors, to call them inhumane and other names is “stupid” and unjust. Forther those so-called “Christians” should look at their real roots, and see that they are a product of the Jewish Nation, Israel!!
Thanks for this Frank!
For any American to side with Muslims against Israel is irrational, politically and ideologically. For a person who claims to be a Christian to do so is preposterous to the point of lunacy. The only explanation is that the spirit of Anti-Christ has blinded them. (I John 4.3)
Genesis 12.3 “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” How plain is that?
America, as a nation and a culture has broken covenant with God. Each is going their own way to an extent that God will no longer bless and protect her as in the past. The consequences of our disobedience will be dire. We are headed for tyranny. “People who refuse to govern themselves will be ruled by a tyrant.” – Alexis de Tocqueville. I pray for and support Israel, now and always.
God Bless Israel
Herod lives through the church of Satan even today. He is still looking for that precious Baby to slaughter in Bethlehem. But He has already been slaughtered, willingly permitting His life to be taken for my sin so that I can be grafted in to The Branch of Jesse. Wise men and women do not still seek Him. They have already found Him. And they know that He is the Messiah, and soon returning King of Israel. Wave the Blue Star and sing Hosanna!