Jun 13, 2012
Posted by Scripture Solutions on Jun 13, 2012 | 2 comments
Christians are confused about the place of Israel in the New Testament. Some believers are not sure if God has a plan for Israel as He did in the Jewish Scriptures. Others think the only plan God has for Jewish people is their salvation and nothing further. Still some Christians do not think Israel is a legitimate entity, having been replaced by the Church aka replacement theology.
Fact it, Christians are confused because their pastors are confused and pastors are confused about Israel because their seminary professors are confused.
God’s Promises to Israel Are Not Cast Aside in the Face of Israel’s Unfaithfulness
The assumption of many anti-Christian Zionist advocates is that Christians who believe God has promised the Jewish people the land of Israel as their homeland also maintain the government of Israel can do no wrong. As one anti-Zionist advocate told me, Israel seems to think since God gave them the Ten Commandments they can now make up any law they want . . . . Most of this comes from fear which they need not have since American is their number one protector and God is also on their side, according to Christian Zionism (paraphrased).
It is the belief of anti-Christian Zionists since I believe God promised the Jewish people the land of Israel that no matter what they do, God will always back Israel. Nothing could be further from the truth. The nation is still accountable to God.
When the Bible student reads through the Jewish Scriptures, he discovers the Lord God of Israel never ignored the sins of Israel. Even in the face of the Lord’s commitment to give the title deed of Israel to the Jewish people, He also removed the people of Israel from the land on many occasions due to their transgressions. In spite of the Assyrian Captivity in 721 B.C., the Babylonian Captivity in 586 B.C. and the conquest of Jerusalem and Israel in 70 A.D. by the Romans, there is no place in the First nor the Second Covenants of the Bible where the God of Israel revokes His promise to the Hebrews to give them the land and to expand the nation as stated in the covenant He made with Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3:
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you. ” (more…)
Jun 1, 2012
Posted by Scripture Solutions on Jun 1, 2012 | 1 comment
In my previous blog I introduced the Kairos Palestine Document (KPD). KPD,written by an ecumenical group of Palestinian Christians, was released publicly on December 11, 2009. This manifesto was released by the PCUSA to let the world know what is taking place in Palestine, according to Palestinian Christians.
The KPD was previously mentioned on a CBS 60 Minutes segment called “Christians in the Holy Land” aired in March 2012. In the segment’s attempt to demonstrate that the Christian population in the Holy Land is shrinking due to Israeli policies, the KPD was mentioned as a “good faith” example of how Arab Christians are attempting to practice non-violence in the face of IDF pressure and duress.
As mentioned in a previous blog about the KPD, the document portrays Palestinian Christians as peaceful and steering away from any form of revenge of terrorism in dealing with Israel. Once again, here are the words introducing the KPD from the 60 Minutes transcript:
In 2009, this group of Christian activists did something unprecedented. They published a document called Kairos, criticizing Islamic extremism and advocating non-violent resistance to the Israeli occupation which they called a sin against God. It was endorsed by the leaders of 13 Christian denominations including Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican. (more…)
May 24, 2012
Posted by Scripture Solutions on May 24, 2012 | 13 comments
In the 60 Minutes report “Christians in the Holy Land” in March 2012, CBS correspondent Bob Simon attempted painted Palestinian Christian leaders with as non-violent brush towards Israel especially the Israel Defense Force (IDF). Simon’s goal was to pin a “I support Martin Luther King” button on Palestinian Christians and portray Israelis as evil ” segregationists” standing in the way of Palestinian civil rights. Nothing could be further from the truth once we delve outside the small box of the 60 Minutes report.
Here are the words from the 60 Minutes transcript:
In 2009, this group of Christian activists did something unprecedented. They published a document called Kairos, criticizing Islamic extremism and advocating non-violent resistance to the Israeli occupation which they called a sin against God. It was endorsed by the leaders of 13 Christian denominations including Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican.
The CBS correspondent continued to explore the Kairos Palestine Document by interviewing Mitri Raheb, a Palestinian Christian, the pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem:
Mitri Raheb: They [the Israelis] are fearful of this document because they are afraid this might influence the Christian world
Reverend Raheb, who helped write the document, says it’s anything but anti-Semitic.
Mitri Raheb: This document is– doesn’t ask for violent. It doesn’t ask for revenge. The most powerful thing in this document actually is that asking for hope and love and faith.
But is this document merely asking for “hope and love and faith”? How much do we as Christians in the Western World know about the Kairos Palestine Document? (more…)
May 11, 2012
Posted by Scripture Solutions on May 11, 2012 | Comments Off on Is the Christian Population in the Holy Land Really Shrinking?
On April 22, 2012 the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes ran a controversial segment featuring correspondent Bob Simon, in which he stated, “the Palestinian Christians have been leaving [the Palestinian territories] in large numbers for years. So many, the Christian population there is down to less than two percent.”
Father Marwan Dides, a Franciscan, expressed this dire concern that the continuing presence of Christians in the Holy Land is non-negotiable, “If there is no people, no Christians here, it will never continue.” He offered no proof that Israel is making any attempt to rid the Holy Land of Arab Christians.
Theophilos the third, the patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church has witnessed the alleged decline of Christians in the land of the Bible. Simon asked the patriarch of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, “When you first came here in 1964, what was the percentage of Christians in the old city?” Theophilos responded, “There were around 30,000 of – Christians living in the Old City.” In response to Simon’s request for an update, the Greek Orthodox cleric said, “Very few.” Simon hmself added information from CBS’ research, “So few, some 11,000 Christians out of a population of almost 800,000 – just one and half percent.” 
I am blogging the 60 Minutes segment once again because the journalistic approach taken by CBS is very significant. The reporting of the major media outlets like CBS, ABC, CNN and NBC are quick to paint Israel as an “evil nation,” but offer no proof other than inferences. Their reporting lacks the data and figures verified by experts of the claims they are making about the shrinking Palestinian Christian population due to the “occupation.”
The underlying question is “why is the Christian population in the Holy Land shrinking?” Simon called the Palestinian Christian an “invisible people, squeezed between a growing Muslim majority and burgeoning Israeli settlements.”
The Underlying Anti-Israel Message by the Media
The message CBC correspondent Bob Simon is driving at is exposed in his discussion with Michael Oren, Israel’s ambassador to the United States. Oren argued the duress experienced by Palestinian communities in the West Bank is from Muslim extremists. Simon shot back, “And this duress is coming from Muslims, not from the Israel occupation?”
So is the shrinking Palestinian Christian population from Israeli policies due to what opponents of Israel call “the occupation” or is it due to Islamic mistreatment of Christians as we are currently witnessing in Egypt?
According to a report published by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the idea that Israel’s policies are causing a mass exodus of Palestinian Christians from Israel is a myth. In fact, the narrative of a decreasing population among Palestinians Christians is a major argument used to build support for and sympathy for their cause. When this message plays among evangelical Christians the results are even more serious. The more evangelicals Palestinian Christians can convince to support their cause, the more evangelical leaders will publicly criticize Israel and join the growing cry for anti-Israel initiatives including boycott, divestment and sanctions.
According to the JCPA report from August 2011 Christians in America are being sold a bill of goods by Palestinian Christians,
. . . the JCPA report reveals, the Palestinian Christian population has grown in both Israel and in the West Bank – and has growing been since 1967. This flies in the face of a misinformation campaign that has been used by anti-Israel groups to add “urgency” to their criticism of Israeli policies.
Debunking the Myths about the Shrinking Arab Christian Population in the Holy Land
Some of the fallacies used by those who want to make it appear as though Israeli policies are pushing the Palestinian Christians ut of the Holy Land are as follows:
- they over-report the population prior to Israel’s creation, sometimes by more than 200%. In turn, they underreport the current population, sometimes by comparing the entire region in 1948 with smaller areas today.
- they fail to report the West Bank Christian population dropped under Jordanian rule but has increased since 1967, when it came under Israeli and later Palestinian Authority control.
- they fail to report how Palestinian Christians are being persecuted by the Palestinian Authority. The First Baptist Church of Bethlehem, pastored by Rev Naim Khoury, who is openly supportive of the State of Israel, has been denied legitimacy by the Palestinian Authority. Fire-bombed fourteen times in the past, the church has been told that any birth, death, or marriage certificates it issues will not be recognized.
- They make a major blunder in not reporting that the Christian population in Israel proper has increased even more dramatically – in some years outpacing Jewish growth. This, of course, stands in stark contrast with surrounding Islamic countries in which the decrease of Christian communities is astounding and very real. Over and over I hear Israeli dignitaries claim Arab Christians living in Israel as Israeli citizens experience more freedom to worship than in any other Middle East country.
- they use questionable figures that fit their own view of how much the Palestinian Christian population should have grown. According to Palestinian Christian advocates, they state their population should have grown at 2% annually. However, it has not reached that growth due to emigration related to Israeli policy. However, the average growth worldwide today is almost half that.
I would recommend reading the full report put together by the JCPA. By reading this report one starts to realize all the issues not reported correctly or fairly by the CBS report. The JCPA admits to the pressures the Palestinian Christian community faces due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestinian Christians face restrictions on visas and travel, family reunification, poor economic opportunities and the difficulty of living everyday with checkpoints and the security. Let us not forget that most of these restrictions are in response to Palestinian terrorism. No one is wild about the security barrier that separates Palestinian communities from Israel proper. However, ever since the wall was erected, terrorism within israel by Palestinian terrorists has decreased 90% according to Michael Oren. Bob Simon had no response to that fact.
The Poor Conditions of Palestinian Christians Due to the Muslim Majority
The Palestinian Christian community also faces pressures related to the Muslim majority inside the territories as cited above. These factors also contribute to Palestinian Christians leaving the West Bank.
Let us not forget that Christian communities throughout the Middle East are decreasing. However, the Palestinian Christian narrative fails to focus on persecution they experience from Muslims. When confronted with the duress they experience from the Palestinian Authority or Muslim extremists, they blame the Israeli occupation for the “radicalization of Muslims.” No matter what the narrative of the Palestinian Christian, they are out to demonize Israel for their problems.
The Questionable Data Used to Verify the Shrinking Palestinian Christian Population
Then there is always the reality of faulty calculations in reporting changes in the Palestinian population. Once again, I quote from the JCPA report:
There are many complexities in analyzing changes in the Palestinian Christian population. First, the data are scarce. The PA either doe snot collect or doe snot broadly report information related to the Christian population. Second, demographic data are often inconsistent in how they treat cities and regions. Third, some data have been misreported in the past. These unsubstantiated data have been used in subsequent, inaccurate, analysis.
The JCPA report even states the PA Prime Minister reported that “data from 2009 indicates that for the first time in years, more Palestinians are returning than leaving.”
In the JCPA all the references for these statements are accurately provided. Many charts and graphs related to population growth among Christians in the Holy Land are included. In contrast, CBS’ Bob Simon failed to refer to any studies or reports from Palestinian Christian sources. He only relied on his “cleric on the street” interviews. The fact Simon did not provide any figures from the PA on the alleged shrinking Palestinian Christian population says it all. He was out to demonize Israel and he ignored any contrary evidence to his major premise that “occupation” is causing Palestinian Christian to leave the Holy Land.
Here’s the bottom line: Christians in America are being exposed to a steady stream of propaganda by Palestinian Christians aimed to convince the evangelical world to reject Israel as a legitimate state and to jettison their beliefs that the return of the Jews to the Promised Land is a fulfillment of biblical prophecy.
Apr 25, 2012
Posted by Scripture Solutions on Apr 25, 2012 | 4 comments
From the 60 Minutes report “Christians of the Holy Land” last Sunday night [April 22, 2012) moderated by CBS reporter Bob Simon, the viewer was fed the idea that Palestinians started Christianity and gave faith in Christ to the world.
Mitri Raheb, a Palestinian Christian and a Lutheran minister from Bethlehem accurately claimed, “Christianity started here.” Then Raheb adds, “The only thing that Palestine was able to export so successfully was Christianity.” Yet no where in the New Testament is name “Palestine” is ever used. The closest we come is in Matthew 15:22 where a Canaanite woman came to Jesus seeking healing for her daughter, “A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
According to Wikipedia, “The first clear use of the term Palestine to refer to the entire area between Phoenicia and Egypt was in 5th century BC Ancient Greece. Herodotus wrote of a ‘district of Syria, called Palaistinê” in The Histories, the first historical work clearly defining the region, which included the Judean mountains and the Jordan Rift Valley.”
In the Bible Palestine is never mentioned as another name for Israel or the original name of Israel prior to the Jewish exiles from Egypt entering the land under Joshua around 1400 B.C. We read, “The Hebrew name Peleshet (פלשת Pəlésheth)- usually translated as Philistia in English, is used in the Bible more than 250 times. The Greek word Palaistinē is generally accepted to be a translation of the Semitic name for Philistia; however another term – Land of Philistieim was used in the Septuagint, the second century BCE Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, to refer to Philistia. In the Torah / Pentateuch the term Philistia is used 10 times and its boundaries are undefined. The later Historical books include most of the biblical references, almost 200 of which are in the Book of Judges and the Books of Samuel, where the term is used to denote the southern coastal region to the west of the ancient Kingdom of Judah.”
Getting back to Mitri Raheb, he has the nerve to say, “Christianity has actually on the back a stamp saying, “Made in Palestine.” Raheb could not be more mistaken.
Given the tenor of the entire article, it appears that Arab Christians are the original followers of Jesus in the Holy Land. I find it odd that Bob Simon did not interview the other Christians living in the Holy Land – Jewish people who have embraced Jesus as the Messiah aka messianic Jews. (more…)
