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Also posted today: Countdown to Armageddon by Stan Moody. Please click here. Pushback on Armageddonby Jane Hunter and Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak, JewsOnFirst.org, March 7, 2007 As the nation turns against war in the Middle East, Christian Zionists continue their agitation for attacking Iran as a way to hasten Armageddon, the end-time. And the most prominent Jewish organizations continue to embrace Christian Zionists as supporters of Israel, which Christian Zionists believe will be the scene of the end-times return of Jesus. Meanwhile, some Christians are warning of the consequences of the Christian Zionists' agenda. Dr. Stan Moody, author of Countdown to Armageddon, which we've just posted, writes with concern about a fundamentalist drive "to focus American hegemony on the Middle East to orchestrate the return of Christ." The Jewish organizations are silent about the fundamentalist Christian domestic agenda of their Christian Zionists allies. But that does not mean that Jews around the country are at ease with it.
The same disconnect pertains to the Jewish organizations' advocacy for an aggressive US policy toward Iran -- the more so because Christian Zionists also favor attacking Iran. Jewish organizational leaders laugh off the fact that their Christian Zionist allies see war with Iran as hastening the last battle, Armageddon, which will they say will destroy all Jews who don't convert to Christianity. The Jewish organizations, however misguidedly, view war on Iran as protective of Israel. Pastor Hagee
Hagee heads Christians United for Israel (CUFI) and has gathered a long list of top religious right leaders on its governing bodies. His book, Jerusalem Countdown: A Prelude to War, promotes attacking Iran. Hagee bases this "foreign policy" on cherry-picked biblical verses which he interprets to forecast the end-times battle of Armageddon. Christian Zionists believe that battle will take place in Israel and presage the return of Jesus. Hagee predicts it coming at the end of a war that begins in Iran. Also citing biblical verses, Hagee argues adamantly that Israel should not trade any land for peace in a settlement with the Palestinians. He embellishes his Middle East warmongering with crude attacks on Muslims and Islam. (Please follow the links below this essay for the details of Hagee's statements.)
Christian Zionists believe that Armageddon awaits the immigration of all the world's Jews to Israel. That explains Hagee's demand that Israel keep all the land it occupied in 1967. And it also undoubtedly explains -- though hardly excuses -- his statement in Jerusalem Countdown that the Holocaust resulted from Jews' refusal to move to Israel when bidden by Theodor Herzl: God then sent the hunters. The hunter is one who pursues his target with force and fear. No one could see the horror of the Holocaust coming, but the force and fear of Hitler's Nazis drove the Jewish people back to the only home God ever intended for the Jews to have -- Israel. I stand amazed at the accuracy of God's Word and its relevance for our time. What we can say about that is that it's an ironic counterpoint to the Satmar Hasidic Jews who blame Jews' embrace of Zionism for the Holocaust, as God's retribution. What Jewish organizations have said about it: absolutely nothing. After repeatedly quoting the Iranian president's denial of the Holocaust, perhaps they have no excoriating left in them. Hagee, for the record, has also said on National Public Radio's Fresh Air that Jews will drop their refusal to accept Christ when they see "him whom they have pierced." Zechariah very clearly says that they are not going to believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah until they see him. Zechariah says in the 14th chapter `and when they, the Jewish people, see him whom they have pierced'--and the word pierced there actually refers to his rib and side--`when they see him whom they have pierced, they will weep as one weeps for his only son for a period of one week. Jewish organizational leaders have said repeatedly that they have Hagee's promise not to proselytize Jews. Christian Zionists at Jewish Council for Public Affairs
The third panelist for the session was the Rev. John Wimberley, a steering committee member of Presbyterians Concerned for Jewish and Christian Relations. According to the JTA, Wimberly said that mainline Christians associate Christian Zionists' support for Israel with the religious right's oppressive doctrines on choice, homosexuality and church-state separation. The major Jewish organizations do not welcome Jewish criticism of their embrace of Christian Zionists. These Christians are seen as crucial to Israel's tourism industry and its domestic popularity. One exception is Abraham Foxman, the director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). In 2005 he urged the big Jewish organizations to take a stand against the Christian right, which, he warned, wants to establish a theocracy in the United States. Foxman's colleagues publicly rejected his call and he largely stopped his public criticism. Recently Foxman broke his silence with an op-ed in Time, in which he expressed gratitude for the Christian right's support of Israel and continuing disagreement with the religious right's domestic agenda. Foxman also made it clear that the Christian right sees its support for Israel as a quid pro quo for Jewish silence on its domestic agenda. [T]here are elements in the Evangelical community who would like to impose Christianity by government edict. Some openly call for the Christianization of America, claiming that America has always been a Christian nation and that all institutions should be Christianized. Others, less dramatically, are calling for policies that would amount to religious coercion. The ADL has called for Congressional hearings on religious coercion in the military. But, while the Christian right continues to advance, there is a great Jewish silence. Where there should be urgent discussion, there is none. Making conversational space
Today we are privileged to post Countdown to Armageddon, an essay by Dr. Stan Moody, a Baptist minister and former member of the Maine state legislature. We are taking this opportunity to recapitulate some of the more important items that we've posted over the past year in our section on Christian Zionists. (These "best of.." items are below the links to documents and websites referenced in this essay, which immediately follow.)
Please also see the sections on Christian Zionists and How Jews See Foreign Policy. Sources cited in the essay Countdown to Armageddon!
I believe that history will mark September 11, 2001, as the date that America lost its spirit, but for reasons that have little to do with terrorism. That was the date that galvanized a vocal segment of American Evangelicals to forsake their God and look to politics to implement their agenda – America as a theocracy and the Middle East as its final battleground. The 2006 national election was a small victory for the voice of reason, but objective reason is no worthy warrior in the battle against ideas and ideologies. Whether in religion or politics, unless you appeal with the passion of belief, you cannot speak to the hearts of people longing for deliverance. Continue. Jews should embrace evangelicals despite their differences, group toldBy Ron Kampeas, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, February 26, 2007 WASHINGTON (JTA) — Got a problem with evangelicals cozying up to the Jewish community? That’s perfectly understandable, their representatives say. And here’s their solution: Cozy on up. Two prominent representatives of the evangelical community who addressed a panel Sunday at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs’ annual plenum said that if Jews feel uncomfortable with evangelicals, the solution is to expand the dialogue, not limit it. “Our community does not know how to dialogue,” said Susan Michael, U.S. director for the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem. “We are very good at preaching, we are very weak at dialogue.” Her appeal: “Help us to learn.” David Brog, executive director of Christians United for Israel, acknowledged missteps by evangelical Christians who appear overzealous in their embrace of the Jewish community. But, he added, evangelicals who have encountered Jews are much less likely to offend them. Continue. Published too late to cite, but relevant (and quotes JewsOnFirst Co-Director Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak) Hardline Pastor Gets Prime AIPAC SpotRev. John Hagee’s appearance drawing criticism on eve of policy conferenceJames D. Besser, New York Jewish Week, March 9, 2007 Growing ties between pro-Israel forces and a controversial, hardline “Christian Zionist” movement will move into the national spotlight at next week’s policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the pro-Israel lobby. One keynoter at the event, which annually draws hundreds of lawmakers, administration officials, diplomats and political hopefuls, will be Pastor John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), author of several books about biblical prophecy and an opponent of new territorial concessions to the Palestinians on biblical grounds. Rev. Hagee, who will speak at a Sunday plenary, was also a leading backer of a controversial Christian broadcast venture in Israel that critics charge sought to convert Jews. And a time when pro-Israel forces are being accused of beating the drums for war with Iran, Rev. Hagee seems to believe such a conflict is both inevitable and necessary. In his apocalypse-oriented book “Jerusalem Countdown,” he predicted a nuclear showdown with Iran and said, “The end of the world as we know it is rapidly approaching ... rejoice and be exceedingly glad, the best is yet to be,” according to a Wall Street Journal report posted on the CUFI Web site. Last year, Rev. Hagee told the Jerusalem Post that “I would hope the United States would join Israel in a military pre-emptive strike to take out the nuclear capability of Iran for the salvation of Western civilization.” Continue. Straight Talk on EnergyForward Editorial, February 9, 2007 In its editorial on the divisions among Jewish groups over activism on global warming versus "energy independence," seen as stance defending Israel, the Forward twice expresses exasperation with the leadership of Jewish organizations. First, it urges, before they go to Congress advocating the environmentally unfriendly position, they should consult with their putative constituents. It’s only fair that the members of the Jewish public be given an opportunity in advance to understand what our leaders and lobbyists are getting us into this time. Now is the time to take the debate public and bring it out to the communities. The Forward returns to the issue of the body-less head in concluding, referring to the new Jewish populatin study by the Steinhardt Institute at Brandeis University, which, it said: appears to show definitively that America’s Jewish population is far larger, and far less engaged in Jewish communal affairs, than previously recognized. A long time will pass before the report’s full implications are digested, but one conclusion can be suggested at once: that the major Jewish organizations are even less representative of mainstream Jewish thinking in America than we had imagined. A great deal of reflecting, listening and outreach is required before Jewish organizations will be able to march into Washington and present the views of the Jewish community with any real confidence and credibility. Click here to read the editorial. New Study Affirms Jewish Population Above 6 Millionby Nathaniel Popper, Forward, February 9, 2007 A study that posits itself as the new authority on Jewish demographic data says that the American Jewish population is between 6 million and 6.4 million, and potentially as high as 7.5 million. The new figures are the latest and most powerful refutation of the 2000-2001 National Jewish Population Survey, which found a Jewish population of 5.2 million, sparking furious discussion about the decline of American Jewry. “A community experiencing growth, rather than decline, presents the challenge of serving an additional 1.3 million individuals,” the authors of the new study wrote. “To the extent that the population has been overestimated, we may have also overestimated the success of programs and the degree to which they adequately serve the population.” The new study was released by Brandeis University’s Steinhardt Social Research Institute, which was created, in part, to help correct flaws in past Jewish demographic surveys. Where the National Jewish Population Survey relied on a single phone study, the Brandeis study is built on an analysis of some three-dozen existing surveys from the government and from private agencies, which the Reconsidering the Size and Characteristics of the American Jewish Population: New Estimates of a Larger and More Diverse CommunitySSRI's newly released study "Reconsidering the Size and Characteristics of the American Jewish Population" finds the Jewish community in the United States is not only larger than previously believed, but more diverse as well. Over six million Americans currently identify as Jewish or are children of Jewish parents, almost 20% larger than earlier assessments. Researchers also discovered that the U.S. Jewish population includes a higher number of non-Orthodox individuals than indicated by past demographic studies. The study points to the need to reconsider our views of American Jewry and the need for greater investment in the community. Click here for the report download link, and see, particularly, the conclusions starting at page 31. AIPAC Policy Conference 2007from the website of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee In just weeks, the American pro-Israel community will gather in Washington for its largest annual gathering -- the AIPAC Policy Conference. This year's Policy Conference will include all of the elements that traditionally make the event a can't-miss experience for anyone committed to ensuring the future of the U.S.-Israel relationship. Key American and Israeli elected officials and thinkers will address plenary sessions, and the top leadership of Congress will be on hand for the Gala Banquet -- a one-of-a-kind celebration which annually draws half of the Senate and a third of the House. Continue. The Silent Debate: Jews on the WarRabbi Arthur Waskow, Huffington Post, March 5, 2007 What to do about the Iraq war has made for the sharpest and most important disconnect between the political behavior of large Jewish organizations and the opinions of the flesh-and-blood Jews who actually make up the American Jewish community. Surveys by the American Jewish Committee in the fall of 2005 and 2006 showed about two-thirds of American Jews thought the war a mistake. The Gallup Poll reports that over a three-year span, more than three-fourths of American Jews - the most in any religious group - thought the war a mistake. The nearest there is to a grass-roots gathering of the largest organization, the biennial convention of the Union for Reform Judaism, in September 2005 overwhelmingly adopted a resolution vigorously critical of the war. Yet neither the URJ nor any other of the organizations that call themselves "the community" and claim to represent these people has taken any serious political action to demand that the war be ended. The Jewish Council on Public Affairs, which claims to carry out the policy agenda of the "Jewish community," had a major convention in Washington just days ago, and scheduled a "discussion" of Iraq so late at night that only thirty people showed up. As for a policy decision - the hottest and most consequential issue facing the American people was not even on the JCPA agenda. Continue. Jews and Evangelicals: Support for Israel Isn't EverythingOp-ed by Abraham H. Foxman, Time Magazine (counterpoint to Zev Chafets op-ed, below) January 16, 2007 At a time when Israel is once again under siege — physically from terrorists and Iran's nuclear threat, and psychologically from Islamic extremists and other anti-Israel forces around the world — the pro-Israel perspective of Evangelical Christians is much appreciated. The theological reasons for why they stand with Israel, as a precursor to the Second Coming and Armageddon, take a backseat to current realities. The support comes voluntarily, and we welcome it, as long as it comes without a quid pro quo. Still, none of this obscures our concerns about certain views among the religious right. Unfortunately, there are elements in the Evangelical community who would like to impose Christianity by government edict. Some openly call for the Christianization of America, claiming that America has always been a Christian nation and that all institutions should be Christianized. Others, less dramatically, are calling for policies that would amount to religious coercion. Continue. Can Jews and Evangelicals Get Along?Op-ed by Zev Chafets, Time Magazine (Counterpoint with Abraham Foxman of ADL, above) In early November 2005, the Prime Minister of Iran stated his intention to wipe Israel off the map. At almost exactly the same time, leaders of the American Jewish community declared war on the Christian Right. Abe Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League, issued the first call to arms. The Jews, he said, faced an organized, sophisticated coalition of enemies. He described as "openly arrogant" the supposed Evangelical goal: "To Christianize us, to save us!" Within a few weeks, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, leader of the liberal Reform Movement, America's largest Jewish denomination, and Rabbi James Rudin of the ultra-establishment American Jewish Committee, reprised Foxman's complaint. Never before in U.S. history had Jewish leaders shown such bold hostility toward Evangelical Christians, the largest Protestant community in America and, by most measures, the most philo-Semitic and pro-Israel. In normal times, this would be paradoxical. In an age of jihad it was dangerously perverse. Continue. Previous original work by and for JewsOnFirst.org Jewish-Christian Difficulties in Challenging Christian Zionismby Rev. Robert O. Smith, February 6, 2007, introduced here by Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak of JewsOnFirst.org
So begins Rev. Robert O. Smith in this essay. Writing as a committed Christian and academic, Smith reminds Christians that, to borrow Rabbi Leo Baeck's phrase, "Jews look at history with old eyes." (Baeck [1873 - 1956] was the leader of German Jews until 1942, when he was taken to Terezin concentration camp.) For Baeck, Jewish memory served as a cautionary and an antidote to despair. Smith is cautioning Christians that, no matter how well intentioned their theology, there is a complexity that must be acknowledged and they must be patient in building their post-Holocaust relationship with Jews. Currently Jews are seeking political support in an increasingly hostile world for Israel. Many Jewish leaders are not hearing Christians who offer responsible criticism of the Israeli government's policies. Instead they are embracing other Christians, Christian Zionists, who are seeking their vision of the return of Jesus through the end-times battles. Jews reading Smith's essay might wonder, which is better: The old pre-World War II "replacement" theology, in which Christians take over Jews' role as the "chosen" people -- or the new Christian Zionist theology? Replacement theology, teaches that Jews do not have a role in history. They are superceded and superfluous. Christian Zionism grants Jews a temporary "stay," until the demand for Jews to cease being Jews -- conversion -- is issued by a returning Jesus. Smith writes that most Jews will say neither choice is a good one. He seems to be searching for a third alternative on which to build a just mutuality for Jews and Christians. Please click here to read Smith's essay. The Dangers of Christian Zionists: Conversation with Mel Whiteby JewsOnFirst.org, February 6, 2007
This is JewsOnFirst's second conversation with White. Click here for his discussion about televangelist Pat Robertson's predictions of a terrorist attack. Christian Zionist leader mobilizes against the Iraq Study Group: warning evangelicals to "Beware Baker"By H. Malone for JewsOnFirst.org, December 19, 2006 Televangelist John Hagee recently added his voice to the conservative chorus slamming the findings of the Iraq Study Group. Hagee, founder of the Christian Zionist lobbying group Christians United for Israel (CUFI), emailed a warning to his evangelical supporters saying they should "beware" the group's chairman, former Secretary of State Jim Baker. Hagee slammed Baker for supposedly promoting the position "that America's problems can be settled if the Israel-Arab affair is settled." Hagee also claimed that, as Secretary of State in the George H.W. Bush administration, Baker enlisted Syria's support for the first Iraq war by giving Damascus "a free hand" in Lebanon. Continue. Rabbis disagree on cooperation with Christian Zionist groupDebate flourishes on rabbis' listserv on whether to participate in events with Pastor John Hagee's Christians United for Israel
Following the gala weekend held earlier this month by Christians United for Israel (CUFI) in San Antonio, a rabbis' listserv became the forum for discussion about the value of participating in such events. CUFI, founded by San Antonio megachurch pastor John Hagee, is led by some of the biggest names on the religious right. It has scheduled similar galas in other cities and rabbis in those cities are being pressed to participate. Some rabbis have no problem with the events, while others object. We have posted some of their letters. Please click here. JewsOnFirst discussion: Dealing with Christian Zionists and their "Nights to Honor Israel"Recorded conversation led by Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak, August 18, 2006 Following up on our July 31st report, Christian Zionists lobby for US attack on Iran Right-wing Christian Evangelicals, End Times and Israel, Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak, JewsOnFirst co-director, moderated a discussion about how rabbis are dealing with Christian Zionist "Nights to Honor Israel." These "nights" are a project of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), an agglomeration of powerful religious right leaders assembled by San Antonio televangelist John Hagee. Most commonly, local Jewish federations and congregations jointly host the Night to Honor Israel with CUFI. Participating in the hour-long conversation are: Rabbi Barry Block of Temple Beth-El in San Antonio; Rabbi Neal Katz of Congregation Beth El in Tyler, Texas; Rabbi Paula Reimers of Congregation Beth Israel in Lebanon, Pennsylvania; Prof. Yaakov Ariel of University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; Rabbi Jeffrey Ronald of Beth Israel Congregation in Florence, South Carolina (who was on the call, but unfortunately, the audio on his line did not work). Rabbi Beliak introduces all the participants several minutes after the recording begins. Their discussion ranged beyond the honor-Israel nights to a discussion of Christian Zionism which touched on dissent in the Jewish community, the religious right and inter-religious relations. To listen to the conversation, please click here. h5>Observer returns to Cornerstone Church Rev. Art Preisinger, a Lutheran pastor who reported on Pastor Hagee's "Night to Honor Israel" last month, reports on a second visit to Hagee's Cornerstone Church. "If John Hagee downplays, yea ignores, Christianity when he is with his [Christian Zionist and Jewish] friends," writes Preisinger, "he reverts to 'end time' type among his local followers on Sunday morning and evening." Click here. Responses To Hagee's "Night To Honor Israel"A report from the CUFI event and an essay, The Institute For The Study Of Christian Zionism, October 2006 The Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism has posted two major articles on CUFI's "Night to Honor Israel," held the weekend of October 21st.
To see both these articles, please go to the home page of the Institute's website, Challenging Christian Zionism, and look in the center column. Christian Zionist leader Hagee depicts Jews as Christ killersby JewsOnFirst, September 26, 2006 John Hagee, the megachurch pastor who is the current face of Christian Zionism in the United States, depicted Jews as Christ killers in a recent interview. Hagee also stated that Muslims have a "mandate" to kill Christians and Jews and that God caused Hurricane Katrina to destroy New Orleans to prevent a scheduled gay parade. Continue. Eyewitness: Sunday morning at Christian Zionist organization leader's churchPastor John Hagee, head of Christians United for Israel, preaches hatred of IslamBy an anonymous attendee, special to JewsOnFirst.org, August 23, 2006 I was at Cornerstone Church last Sunday -- this for the fourth time, which means I must be some kind of masochist. The "sermon," lasting over an hour, was the first of a three part series entitled, "A Family Feud." I expect you will know that refers to Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Isaac and Ishmael. Sunday's diatribe featured an analysis of the current political situation, next Sunday (dare I go again?) will tell us how it all started and who's to blame, and on Sept. 3 the true believers will be treated to the Armageddon scenario. First, the whole thing was purely political; nothing "religious" whatsoever, except the repetitious excoriation of Islam. Of course, there was a nod to "good Muslims," but the constant reminder that the enemy is Islamo-fascism (and you should hear how Hagee pronounces "fascism"; just as he mispronounced "Martin Niemoeller") lets it be known to his hearers that really all Islam and all Muslims are the enemy. He skewed history time and again, e.g., he said Hamas was led by Arafat. Continue. Christian Zionists lobby for US attack on IranRight-wing Christian Evangelicals, End Times and Israelby JewsOnFirst, July 31, 2006
The calls for aggressive action against Iran wouldn’t amount to much more than laugh lines for Comedy Channel newscasts, were it not for the involvement of some highly influential, right-wing Christian evangelical leaders in a new Christian Zionist organization, Christians United for Israel, or CUFI. Religious right groups typically support aggressive foreign policies because of their identification with the Republican Party and their interest in missionizing where the US intervenes. But CUFI, which recently brought 3,500 citizen-lobbyists to Washington, is advocating confrontation with Iran based on "cherry-picked" Biblical interpretations. Continue Comment: Christian Zionism raises questions among Jewish communityby Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak and and Jane Hunter, San Antonio Express-News, Web Posted: 10/19/2006 The leaders of major Jewish organizations have enthusiastically welcomed the Rev. John Hagee's Christians United for Israel, or CUFI, which is holding a "Night to Honor Israel" in San Antonio this weekend. But some aspects of Hagee's effort do not bode well for Israel or American Jews. CUFI brings together powerful leaders of the Christian right (the Revs. Jerry Falwell and Benny Hinn and former presidential candidate Gary Bauer, to name a few) whose domestic agenda is opposed by the majority of American Jews. Continue. Significant reports, links and statements Effect of socially conservative 'values voters' in questionBy Peggy Fikac and Gary Scharrer, The San Antonio Express-News, November 5, 2006 "Gov. Rick Perry, campaigning for re-election, sat on a stage at the left hand of San Antonio minister John Hagee on Sunday as the televangelist urged the estimated 90 million viewers of his ministry to go vote Tuesday." So begins this report which also quotes Hagee saying "If you live your life and don't confess your sins to God Almighty through the authority of Christ and his blood, listen to me, I'm going to say this very plainly -- you are going straight to hell with a nonstop ticket." Gov. Perry said his faith agreed with that statement. Continue. 5,000 pack church in Israel's honorBy Abe Levy, The San Antonio Express-News, October 23, 2006 Five thousand people packed Cornerstone Church on Sunday night, clapping and cheering for Israel with speeches and songs of solidarity led by a Christian congregation thankful for its Hebrew roots. On the stage sat about 20 men, a mix of Christian pastors and Jewish rabbis and leaders who have united in a special service of Judeo-Christianity started 21/2 decades ago and called the Night to Honor Israel. And while much time was spent honoring the Jewish people and their homeland, the main message of the night was the global war on terror and Israel's role as the key defender of freedom.Continue. Christian Zionists rally in San AntonioSpeakers say Islam is the enemy and advocate attacking IranMargot Patterson, The National Catholic Reporter, November 3, 2006 In 1981, Texas pastor and televangelist John Hagee put on the first Night to Honor Israel at his church in San Antonio. Israel had a few months before bombed Iraq’s nuclear reactor at Osirak, and the Christian Zionist preacher wanted to show his support for Israel after its destruction of the nuclear reactor had been criticized around the world. Twenty-five years later, Hagee, who now advocates a strike by the United States or Israel on Iran’s nuclear installations, observed the silver anniversary of the Church of the Cornerstone’s annual Night to Honor Israel, an event that was part of a three-day celebration Oct. 20-22 designed to show solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people and to advance the message that Israel and America are in danger. For the first time, Christians United for Israel, CUFI, a lobbying group Hagee established nine months ago, presented the event. It was billed as the first "national" Night to Honor Israel, an event that CUFI directors are taking to other U.S. cities. Such evenings have already been held in Berkeley, Sacramento and Pasadena, Calif.; St. Louis; Arvada, Colo.; and Carlsbad, N.M., and are scheduled for several other cities. Continue. < Christians have a biblical duty to support Israel in time of needJohn C. Hagee, JTA, July 18, 2006 SAN ANTONIO, July 18 (JTA) — This week, more than 3,000 Christians representing all 50 states gathered in Washington for a truly historic event. Without the traditional rally on the Capitol steps or demonstrations that bring Washington traffic to a halt, Christians United for Israel held a banquet saluting the State of Israel and met with members of Congress to urge greater support for the Jewish state. Christians United for Israel, or CUFI, is not a lobbying group; we are a national Christian organization that urges stronger U.S. support for Israel, especially in light of growing international tensions. Delegates came to Washington at their own expense to exercise their right to meet with members of Congress. Continue When friends aren't really friends: Be wary of evangelical support for IsraelBarry Block, JTA, July 9, 2006 American Jews should be wary about engaging with extreme right-wing Christian supporters of Israel. As a congregational rabbi, serving in San Antonio — home of the leader of Christians United for Israel, the Rev. John Hagee — I am most wary of these efforts. No, I am not worried that Hagee will try to convert us in the process. The entire American Jewish community may trust the reliable testimony of my Orthodox colleague in San Antonio, Rabbi Aryeh Scheinberg, who insists that Hagee doesn't utilize his pro-Israel activities to proselytize Jews. Hagee has earned the enmity of some colleagues in the process. Continue San Antonio pastor a champion for IsraelBy Abe Levey, San Antonio Express-News, July 22, 2006 Interview with San Antonio megachurch pastor John Hagee about his activities on behalf of Israel and his foreign policy views. Click here. Defining Christian ZionismDonald Wagner, www.ChristianZionism.org Briefly stated, Christian Zionism is a movement within Protestant fundamentalism that understands the modern state of the country-region Israel as the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy and thus deserving of political, financial, and religious support. Christian Zionists work closely with the Israeli government, religious and secular Jewish Zionist organizations, and are particularly empowered during periods when the more conservative Likud Party is in control of the Knesset. Continue Pastor John Hagee spearheads Christians United for IsraelCUFI to set up working groups in all 50 states, lobby Congress, become Christian AIPAC
Charismatic televangelist Pastor John Hagee thinks that the Rev. Pat Robertson's suggestion that Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was payback from God for withdrawing from Gaza was "insensitive and unnecessary." But he nevertheless appears to share Robertson's concern that Israel may be giving up too much land to the Palestinians. To prevent the Bush Administration from pressuring the Israelis into turning over even more land, Hagee, the pastor of San Antonio's Cornerstone Church, and the head of a multi- million dollar evangelical enterprise, recently brought together 400 Christian evangelical leaders -- representing as many as 30 million Christians -- for an invitation-only "Summit on Israel." Continue 'End Times' Religious Groups Want Apocalypse Soon'End times' religious groups want apocalypse sooner than later, and they're relying on high tech -- and red heifers -- to hasten its arrival.By Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times, June 22, 2006 For thousands of years, prophets have predicted the end of the world. Today, various religious groups, using the latest technology, are trying to hasten it. Their endgame is to speed the promised arrival of a messiah. For some Christians this means laying the groundwork for Armageddon. Continue Poll: One in Four Says Jesus May Return in 2007By Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service via BeliefNet, January 2007 Twenty-five percent of Americans believe it is at least somewhat likely that Jesus Christ will return to Earth in 2007, a new poll from the Associated Press and AOL News shows. The poll, conducted by the international polling firm Ipsos, looked at the public's predictions about what will occur in 2007. Pollsters found that 11 percent of those surveyed said it is "very likely" that Jesus will return to Earth this year. An additional 14 percent said it was "somewhat likely." Continue. Please also see the sections on Christian Zionists and How Jews See Foreign Policy. |
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Last month we saw the influential Jewish weekly, the Forward, reminding Jewish organizational leaders that they may have Congress's ear, but they do not speak for the nation's Jews. The Forward takes as a case in point the environmentalism popular with Jews (and much of the rest of the public) versus the "energy independence" stance of the Jewish organizations, which is seen as being supportive of Israel.
by Stan Moody for JewsOnFirst.org, March 7, 2007
"In our post-Holocaust era, many Jews have identified with the State of Israel as their last line of defense should the community again come under the threat of eradication. Most Christians, especially in North America, are unable to begin fathoming this possibility. Their communities simply have not been under such a threat."
The Rev. Dr. Mel White, a co-founder of 
