Christian
leader questions group's sponsorship of 'anti-Israel' message
Michael
Carl
A
Christian leader in Brazil says he’s alarmed by what he regards as a campaign by
evangelicals to spread pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli propaganda.
Julio
Severo, a pro-family activist and blogger, told WND he’s concerned about a speaking tour in Brazil that
features Bethlehem Bible College President Emeritus Bishara Awad in support of
Open Doors, International.
Severo
told WND that at an event in Brazil, Awad spoke of “the Palestinian plight
provoked by Israel.”
“He
did not mention anything about Muslim violence against Christians,” Severo
said.
Severo
worries that the tour will gain credibility because of the
sponsorship.
“I
am only a very small Christian, and to expose Open Doors for opening doors to
such anti-Israel, Christian Palestinianism is a big challenge,” Severo
said.
He
said his concerns are both political and theological.
“In
the speech, he repeatedly mentioned that he and his people are under
occupation,” Severo said. “As a Christian, he didn’t give the Israeli point of
view.”
“Many
Christians support Israel whether it is right or wrong, but don’t look into the
issues of peace and justice,” Awad said. “If that’s being political then fine,
but unfortunately, some people, instead of coming and listening and
participating, just attack us. We want to have serious engagement with Zionist
groups, and have open forum for ongoing dialogue.”
Awad
told WND in an interview that his ethnic background is an important factor in
how he sees the Palestinian-Israeli issue.
 |
| Bishara
Awad |
“I
am an Arab and my people are under occupation. But I am also a Christian and
love the Lord Jesus,” Awad said. “My people are suffering greatly under the
occupation. The economy is terrible and my people are under great economic
stress.
“We
aren’t suffering at the hands of the Muslims in Palestine,” Awad said. “Some
people don’t want to believe this and that is their right.”
“We
have many problems in this land. We are under military occupation. The Israelis
built a wall around us and this wall goes around Bethlehem,” Awad
said.
But
the committee report points out that a map shows that the wall doesn’t
completely encircle Bethlehem.
However,
Awad added that he knows the situation would only be more severe for his people
if Bethlehem and the Palestinian Authority territory were under the control of
the surrounding nations.
“Looking
at the countries around us, like in Syria and in Lebanon, there certainly is
persecution of Christians, and Christians are leaving. The people here are
leaving because they don’t like to be under occupation,” Awad said.
“However,
if the tables were turned (and an Arab neighbor controlled the territory), I
would be very scared because of what I see around those countries,” Awad said.
“I see how the Muslims are treating people and how they’re ever treating their
own people. They’re killing their own people. There’s no mercy; there’s no
love.
“It’s
becoming more and more extreme with extreme Muslims. Even some moderate Muslims
are happy about what’s going on in Syria with Muslims killing Muslims,” Awad
said.
“The
Middle East is in an uproar altogether, and I’m afraid the table will be turned
around one of these days and the Palestinians will be under a worse regime than
right now under Israel,” Awad said.
But
Awad emphasized, “I don’t want my people to be under anyone’s control, under
anyone else’s guns.”
Open
Doors spokesman Paul Estabrooks said neither Open Doors nor Bethlehem Bible
College is anti-Israel.
“Bishara
thoroughly enjoyed his trip to Brazil celebrating OD-Brazil’s 30th anniversary.
He was there to promote OD, not to promote his school or Palestinian
causes.
“I
spent one week at BBC and heard not one word of negativity toward Israel,”
Estabrooks said.
Estabrooks
explained that there is a significant theological debate surrounding the
Arab-Israeli conflict and even whether Israel has a right to the land the modern
state of Israel occupies.
Awad
said he and Bethlehem Bible College reject what is termed by critics as
“replacement theology,” the belief that the Christian church has taken Israel’s
place as the inheritor of God’s covenant blessings and promises.
“I
do not believe in replacement theology, and I believe in the right of Israel to
exist,” Awad said.
Estabrooks
confirmed Awad’s claim.
“He
expressed that he does accept Israel as a nation and he does not personally, nor
does the Bible college, hold to replacement theology. In recall, he thought that
his emphasis at the meeting was just on the New Covenant, not on anti-Israel
propaganda as charged,” Estabrooks said.
In
a search of the Bethlehem Bible College website, the college’s “FAQ” page has
this comment about the relationship between the college and Israel: “Due to
Israeli occupation, Bethlehem residents have lost thousands of dunums of land
for the purposes of Israeli settlement construction and the building of the
separation wall.”
The
site says, “Political violence during the 2nd Intifada and the continual loss of
land have created a desperate economic situation in the city of Bethlehem, which
has an unemployment rate of 22.4 percent, the highest in the West
Bank.”
The
college has not responded to WND’s requests for comment.
Estabrooks
said: “Let me assure you that Open Doors also does not endorse or propagate
replacement theology nor are we in any way anti-Israel as a nation of God’s
chosen people. Neither have I heard this expressed or taught in my many
experiences at Bethlehem Bible College over a 20-year period.’
Estabrooks
explained Palestinian Christians have a different view of Israel, because they
are both Palestinian and Christian.
“Furthermore,
Christians I have met in Palestinian Israel are far more aggrieved at the
mistreatment they receive from Israelis than the minimal challenges presented by
Palestinian Muslims against them. Is it not understandable then that Palestinian
Christians might express publicly the frustrations under which they live each
day?” Estabrooks asked.
Estabrooks
said that Open Doors subscribes to Christian author and pastor John Piper’s
views of Israel. Piper’s seven points are as follows:
1
God chose Israel from all the peoples of
the world to be his own possession.
2
The land was part of the inheritance he
promised to Abraham and his descendants forever.
3
The promises made to Abraham, including the
promise of the land, will be inherited as an everlasting gift only by true,
spiritual Israel, not disobedient, unbelieving Israel.
4
Jesus Christ has come into the world as
the Jewish Messiah, and his own people rejected him and broke covenant with
their God.
5
Therefore, the secular state of Israel today
may not claim a present divine right to the land, but they and we should seek a peaceful
settlement not based on present divine rights, but on international principles
of justice, mercy, and practical feasibility.
6
By faith in Jesus Christ, the Jewish
Messiah, Gentiles become heirs of the promise of Abraham, including the promise
of the land.
7
Finally, this inheritance of Christ’s
people will happen fully at the Second Coming of Christ to establish His
kingdom, not before; and till then, we Christians must not take up arms to claim
our inheritance; but rather lay down our lives to share our inheritance with as
many as we can.
WE, CHRISTIANS, MUST DEFEND OUR BRETHREN PERSECUTED, BUT THIS DOESN'T GIVE US THE RIGHT TO BE AGAINST ISRAEL.
ISRAEL IS THE ONLY NATION OF THE MIDDLE EAST, WHERE THE CHRISTIANITY HAS GROWN AND MANY CHRISTIANS LIVE IN PEACE.
OUR DUTY AS CHRISTIANS IS TO BLESS ISRAEL AND NOT CURSE HER!
VIDEOS AND INFORMATION ABOUT THE PERSECUTE CHURCH:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BookIsaiah53/videos
GOD BLESSES THE PERSECUTE CHURCH AND ISRAEL!
SHALOM!
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