By now it's an old story, but a
destructive one nevertheless. On February 6, 2006, the Church of
England's highest decision making body, the General Synod, heeded
"the call from our sister church, the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem
and the Middle East, for morally responsible investment in the
Palestinian occupied territories and, in particular, to disinvest
from companies profiting from the illegal occupation, such as
Caterpillar Inc., until they change their policies." (1)
To smooth the waters and decipher the
gobbledygook of the decision, the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan
Williams, who supported the motion, wrote to British Chief Rabbi
Jonathan Sacks to express "deep regret" that "distress has been
caused, especially to our Jewish friends....The synod has not, by
its action, resolved to disinvest," but rather, he wrote, "to
register our concern." (2)
The day after the synod vote, former
archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, told the Jerusalem Post he
was "ashamed to be an Anglican" and that the decision was "a most
regrettable and one sided statement" that "ignores the trauma of
ordinary Jewish people" in Israel who endure terrorist attacks. (3)
The rap on Caterpillar, a responsible
and legitimate heavy equipment manufacturer, is that their
bulldozers have been used to level the homes of some Palestinians.
Never mind that this same machinery was also used by Israelis to
knock down Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, northern Samaria,
and Amona on the West Bank. What is at issue here has little to do
with moral justice; but it has much to do with radical, liberal,
leftist obsession.
For leftist zealots of instability and
chaos, the matter is not based on the facts of the case, but rather
on a predisposition to denigrate the State of Israel and its people
for their simple desire to stay alive.
The reason Israel demolished the homes
of suicidal Islamist radicals is well documented. In the Gaza Strip,
Israel destroyed homes having tunnels that were used as conduits for
weapons. Elsewhere, the homes of Palestinian suicide bombers
responsible for slaughtering innumerable civilians-Israeli, Muslim,
and others- fell to the blades of the dozers. The question is, "What
civilized country under attack would not have done the same?" The
answer is obvious.
Attacking Caterpillar and others doing
legitimate business with a sovereign state is nothing more than a
diversionary attempt to mask a true agenda and violently held
prejudices.
It's a Matter of Theological Bias
Let it be understood that the entire
left wing of the Protestant mainline establishment is hostile to the
very idea of a literal fulfillment of the biblical promises to
Israel. It contests Israel's future restoration, as well as the
promises of the Millennial Kingdom and a reigning Messiah over a
reconciled Israel and subdued Gentile world system. In fact, a
literal, resurrected Jewish Kingdom is wholly beyond mainline
Protestantism's concept of what new world theology is all about. It
considers the Scriptures antiquated, unacceptable, and passé and
contends that those who believe and accept the Scriptures as written
are ignorant, uninformed, and far removed removed from contemporary
realities.
For such Protestants, the biblical
promises, themes, pronouncements, and mandates are old and
irrelevant. Biblical revelation for them is an
aberration--particularly when it touches Israel and the Promised
Land.
Logically speaking, it doesn't make
sense for objectively sane people to portray little Israel as
militant, apartheid state panting to commit genocide against
innocent Palestinians.
Consequently, the bottom line must be
something else. In my humble opinion, it is what I term theological
anti-Semitism. Israel's very existence is an intolerable offense to
people who allegorize and spiritualize God's Word and attempt to
impose on it the theology that the church has replaced Israel as the
true heir of Abraham.
This school of thought has drawn an
increasing number of gullible, uninformed people to its side. It has
abandoned the literal, historical, grammatical interpretation of
Scripture and forsaken Scripture's clear dictates regarding end
times events and the glorious, future reconciliation of the Jewish
people and nation of Israel to the Messiah.
To say it plainly, we Gentiles are not
the be-all and end-all in the plan of God. And to infer as much is
to assume a degree of self induced arrogance and self esteem wholly
inconsistent with anything the Bible has ever taught! Israel's very
existence is a glaring contradiction to everything left wing,
theological pretenders believe and endorse. In fact, I believe the
entire liberal school of rejectionist thinkers would suffer no
regret or disappointment if the State of Israel passed off the
scene.
What is perhaps the most distressing in
the entire episode of bashing Caterpillar, the United States, and,
in the process, evangelicals is the aid and comfort passed along to
the enemies of, in essence, you and me. Here we are in a time of
war. And whether you believe it or not, it is a very real and
protracted conflict. Muslims affirm continually that they are waging
an all out jihadist war that will end in triumph over the
democracies of the West and in the establishment of an Islamist,
global caliphate.
The first step in realizing their
dream is Israel's destruction. Why? Because Israel represents the
only true, viable democracy in the Middle East. It is a democracy
imbued with all of the attributes of a functionally free state. To
Arab demagogues. its existence is an insufferable anomaly--one they
cannot tolerate. Thus we witness the invasion of Islamist fanatics
from other Muslim countries to wage war against the forces of
freedom and democracy in Iraq. From their point of view, freedom for
their people is simply unsupportable.
All of which raises a serious
question. Why would Americans side with an avowed enemy that is
determined to subjugate and destroy everything we hold dear as a
free people? It is indeed strange that those campaigning to destroy
Israel, a democracy attempting to survive in a hostile area, would
themselves be the first on the chopping block of those whose cause
they champion. No, it doesn't make any sense. Sanity and legitimacy
belong to those who stand with Israel and the establishment of
democracy, freedom of religion, and the rights and privileges of the
individual everywhere in the world.
Unfortunately, today we live in a world
of "posts"--the post-Christian era, the post-Zionist era, etc.
Strange, isn't it, that the "post" definition being popularized by
secular and liberal religious elitists repudiates everything
positive in the history of Judaism and biblical Christianity? But it
is, after all, merely the evidence of the chaotic, confused state of
the world in which we live.
What does it mean to be a Christian
Zionist? Simply this: It means to believe the Jewish people have an
inherent, God given right to possess a homeland sanctioned under
international law in the land divinely given in perpetuity to the
Jewish descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Such a belief is not radical or
subversive; it simply accepts what the Scriptures have declared
about the rights and legitimate possessions of the Jewish people.
It's as simple as that. In so saying, we do not diminish any of the
rights or privileges of believing Gentiles during this interim Age
of Grace in which the Gospel is extended to all people
everywhere--Jewish and Gentile. Having said that, we have nothing to
apologize for in declaring ourselves, based on biblical dictates, to
be Christian Zionists.
Yes, I am aware that the Presbyterian
(PCUSA) hierarchy, in its infamous decision to disinvest from
companies operating for profit in Israel, took a swipe at those
"ill-informed" evangelicals who identify themselves as Christian
Zionists and are so woefully out of step with reality. However, we
ill-informed Christian Zionists have the light of biblical
revelation and historical reality on our side. It is, rather, the
deserters from biblical truth who should declare what they really
are and retreat from the field. May God have mercy on you!
Leaving Your Friends Behind
When former Archbishop Carey told the
Jerusalem Post that the General Synod's decision made him "ashamed
to be an Anglican," he spoke for many thousands of Anglicans,
Presbyterians, Lutherans, Disciples of Christ, and others who felt
utterly betrayed by "leadership" that does not in any sense share
their sentiments on the issue. The beneficial aspect of the synod's
vote was that, for the first time, it definitively unveiled to the
people in the pews the anti Semitic views of its corrupted leaders.
Their agenda is radical as well as
political. If you doubt this fact, study the decisions they have
made over the last few decades. They have made themselves clear. Now
they have officially gone on record, and members can see the true
commitment of their leaders and those who control the expenditures
of the believing laity.
For thousands of people, there is an
awakening to the realities of what is taking place. Israel is a tiny
entity in a sea of militant nations devoted to its destruction.
American and coalition forces are fighting and dying to create
conditions conducive to the spread of freedom and democracy
throughout the Middle East.
The forces that defame the efforts
and sacrifices of people who are paying the ultimate price for our
survival and freedom are not the friends of liberty. In fact they
are quite the opposite. They are giving aid and comfort to enemies
who are out to destroy not only Israel, but all free people in the
Western world.
I cannot forget the poignant words
of humorist Art Buchwald who commented on the September 11, 2001,
attacks. Although he served on the European front in World War II,
Mr. Buchwald said that, on that morning, for the first time in his
life, he realized there were people out there who wanted, above all
else, to kill him.
That's the fact of life in our times,
friend. There are people out there who are enemies of everything we
represent, and they want to see us dead. We must not give them any
encouragement to accomplish their evil objectives.
Endnotes (1)
Ruth Gledhill "Synod in disinvestment snub to Israel" 2/7/06 timesonline.uk
(2)Ruth
Gledhill "Rowan Williams writes to chief Rabbi" 2/10/06 timesonline.uk
(3)George Conger"Lord Carey, Ashamed to be an Anglican" 2/8/06 Jerusalem Post
Special thanks to
Elwood McQuaid for notes instrumental in this message NKM has no financial
or any other ties to Caterpillar Inc.
