Page 4 - TORCH #1 - Autumn 2015

As for Israel and the Jewish people, they are alive and well. They thrive, prosper and grow. Even in the face of adversity, they remain a light unto the nations.
Unfortunately, Christians have not always stood with the Jewish people. In fact, from an historical perspective, Christian Zionism is the exception, not the rule.
Throughout the past 2,000 years, under
the banner of the cross, Jews have been persecuted and murdered. We cannot change this history, but we must learn from it. We must return to God’s literal word - not the contortions of men - and recognise that anti-Semitism is sin and that Christians must stand up to it at every turn. To quote Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
At times anti-Semitism is naked. Those who desecrate holocaust memorials and paint swastikas on synagogues are more easily identified. But in recent years, organised anti-Semitism has largely cast off its white hood and is now hiding in plain sight under the guise of opposition to Israel and to those who stand with her.
Rather than hurling disgusting epithets,
this new brand of anti-Semitism hides behind buzzwords like justice and peace, and misuses them to single out the Jewish state for criticism. This deceptive brand of anti-Semitism is the cyanide that lures the misinformed Christian.
From the United nations to newsrooms, campuses and even pulpits across the nations, it has become all too common to accuse Israel of the very sins committed against her. For example, some accuse
the Israeli military of harming civilians, yet Israel takes great risks to minimise civilian casualties in conflict. As one senior British military office said “No other army in the world has ever done more than Israel is doing now to save the lives of innocent civilians in a combat zone.” Conversely the Jewish state’s enemies intentionally attack Israeli civilians while hiding behind innocent women and children.
Likewise, Israel’s detractors accuse her
of discrimination, yet from its founding Israel enshrined in its basic laws “dignity and liberty” for all of its citizens. As one prominent Israeli Christian leader told the United Nation’s Human Rights Council, “The Jewish state is the only safe place where the Christians of the Holy Land live in safety.”
Conversely Israel’s enemies regularly
SAVE THE DATE
CUFI NIGHT TO HONOUR ISRAEL
Thursday
16 June 2016 – 7pm in Central London