An article in today’s Ha’Aretz highlights the activities and thoughts of a Christian preacher who has been a lifelong supporter of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. In fact I have recently seen his infomercial asking Christians to financially support the Pidyon Shvuyim of Russian Jews still left behind in Russia who are too poor to afford passage to Israel. It is nothing short of amazing.
I assume Pastor John Hagee is an Evangelical Christian. This is in large part how most of them feel. It should be noted, however, that the mainstream Protestant Christian hierarchy does not take his approach and in some cases have expressed an antagonistic view towards Israel. But the fact is that the vast majority of religious Christians are either Evangelical or are sympathetic to their views.
I wrote a post about this some time ago and my views have not changed. If anything, they have become stronger precisely because of stories like this one. The Christian Right has displayed closeness to Israel and her people that is simply astounding. There is no better way to describe it. It should be embraced and seen for what it is. It is a "180" from what it was just a few decades ago where Evangelicals were in the forefront of trying to convert us. Today only fringe elements try to do that.
The motivation for the newfound Christian love of the Jewish people has little to do with their end-times theology. But it is this theology that is repeatedly cited by many well intentioned Jews when anyone says anything good about them. They say that it is their end-times theology that Jews must be in-gathered and the Beis HaMikdash re-built, before Christ's second coming... that motivates them. Sure... their theology is one that denies the kingdom of heaven to non-believers in Jesus. But that is not what their support for Israel and the Jewish people is all about. It is about following the biblical directive to praise the Jewish people. They read the "old" testament and they believe it speaks the word of God. And so, too, are Christians admonished in the “New” Testament. As Pastor Hagee states in the article:
“Thus, in response to all those who suspect that what he really intends to do is to convert the Jews to Christianity, he quotes verses from the New Testament, such as Romans 11:1, "I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid”
But their support is even more than theological. These Christians actually identify with Israelis and see them as a westernized democratic society whose values are pretty much the same as theirs while seeing Islam in terrorist terms ...as evil incarnate.
What about their beliefs that Jews ...as non believers... will be denied Olam Haba? Well, they feel sad about it and pray for us to "see the light". But so what? Let them pray. Who cares?! Why should their prayers which they see as benefiting our welfare, concern us? They do nothing but support us until end-times and until then, they are literally our greatest allies... more pro Israel then many Jews! What’s more, they do so with complete love and sincerity. When "end-times" arrives and Moshiach comes, they will be the ones who are most surprised. It is irrelevant what their belief is before then. What is relevant that their theology tells them to embrace us. And they do so lovingly. I can’t say this often enough: We ought to accept them and stop being so paranoid.
