Louis Lapides's Blog, page 5

The Seed of Abraham and the Middle East Part 3

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 Still some Christians do not think Israel is a legitimate entity, having been replaced by the Church aka replacement theology. I maintain Christians are confused because their pastors are confused and pastors are confused about Israel because their seminary professors are confused.

Where is the Love in the Kairos Palestine Document?

Let it the truth be told that the desire of the Presbyterian leaders of the PCUSA who recommended the KPD was for others to hear the "often neglected voice of the Palestinian Christian." Unfortunately, the Palestinian Christian voice managed to distort the Israeli perspective and gave the PCUSA a dangerously one-sided perspective on the Middle East conflict.

The Truth about the Kairos Palestine Document

In order to grasp the impact of Kairos Palestine Document, I need to provide some background regarding the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s participation when it comes to Israel. Existing within the church is a bloc of anti-Israel activists who have tried to portray Israel as the chief culprit for the problematic Arab/Israel conflict. These individuals have submitted several anti-Zionist overtures to meetings of local presbyteries.

Is the Christian Population in the Holy Land Really Shrinking?

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.

Arab Christians Rewrite the New Testament on 60 Minutes

Sadly, many statements by Arab Christians in the 60 Minutes piece remained unchallenged especially when it came to the Jewish roots of Christianity in the Holy Land. Rather, viewers were left with the false view the roots of Christianity lie with Palestinian Christians.