People have, in the name of Christ, persecuted Jews for centuries. It's a terrible, embarrasing and damning fact of history of the religion of Christianity. The Roman Catholic church has been the largest vendor of anti-Jewish sentiment, but even among Protestant Christianity, it's been a sad, very un-Christ-like story over the last millenia or two.
It's no surprise, then, to see how Judaic Jews look at the new influx of support for Israel coming from gentile Christianity: caution, suspicion, defense, even some mocking. After being persecuted by Christians for the last 1500 or so years, I can't say I blame them. It's a sad irony that followers of Messiah have so badly persecuted the race that produced not only our Messiah and master, Jesus, but also all the apostles, Paul, and the author of every book in the New Testament, barring perhaps Luke.
It was not until last year (after being a Christian since 1990) I even knew of how horrible the Christians treated the Jewish people. It made my stomach churn!
ReplyDeleteHow could anyone that is a Christian be against a Jewish person, they are family!
This is one area the Christian world needs have a lot more education.
Yes. It seems to me those people weren't living at all like Messiah, therefore they should not even bear the title "Christ-ian".
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me God is repairing bridges though, and Christian support of Israel is just one area. Things are improving.
Here's a question: is it possible to love our Jewish neighbors and treat them as we must treat all people, with kindness and respect and honor and still be critical of the nation state of Israel particularly when it comes to their mistreatment of their Palestinian neighbors? Is the litmus test for Christian love an unconditional support for the abuses of a militarized nation state called Israel?
ReplyDeleteHere's an answer: yes you can be critical of Israel, absolutely. Christian Zionism should not be about unconditionally supporting the state, but rather, supporting the natural branches of God's tree in their Scriptural right to get back to the land God's promised to them.
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