+ Wallace Benn: Confessing Anglicans

Last night we hosted + Wallace Benn, Bishop of Lewes and President of the Church of England Evangelical Council at Christ Church, Virginia Water. + Wallace spoke on Confessing Anglicans in Global and Local Mission. You can view his two presentations here:

+ Wallace Benn: Contend for the Faith from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

+ Wallace Benn: Be Faithful from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

THE launch in the UK and Ireland of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCA), an orthodox Anglican movement for mission at global and local level, is to take place on July 6 in London.

The Fellowship is the outworking of last year’s GAFCON conference in Jerusalem, at which 1200 delegates signed up to the Jerusalem Statement. Those attending Gafcon 2008 represented some 40 million Anglicans world-wide, 70% of the total active membership of 55 million.

The launch event, entitled ‘Be Faithful! – Confessing Anglicans in Global and Local Mission’ will be held at Westminster Central Hall from 10.30am-5.30pm. The aim is to encourage and envision Anglicans who are committed to the orthodox teachings of the Anglican Church and who are passionate about global and local mission. It will be the first of regular ‘fellowship’ events both in the UK and across the world.

Speakers at the July 6 gathering, where around 2,300 bishops, clergy and laity are expected, will include contributors from across the Anglican Communion, including Bishops Keith Ackerman (President of Forward in Faith North America), Wallace Benn (Bishop of Lewes), John Broadhurst (Chairman of Forward in Faith UK) and Michael Nazir-Ali, Dr Chik Kaw Tan plus Archbishop Peter Jensen (secretary of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans www.fca.net). They, and others yet to be announced, will also lead gatherings in London churches on Sunday July 5th. the day before the launch.

For further information about the event, email befaithfulanglicans@gmail.com, or book on-line here

Confessing Anglicans: Resources

GAFCON Jerusalem Conference: June 2008

Audio recordings of the presentations made at the Global Anglican Futures Conference in Jerusalem. (the videos are accessible here)

1. Welcome Address: Archbishop Akinola

2. Opening Sermon: Archbishop Orombi

3. The Gospel and Secularism: Dr Os Guiness

4. The Nature and Future of the Anglican Communion: Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali

5. The Gospel and Religion: Professor Lamin Sanneh

6. Genesis 12: The Promise of God: Archbishop Akrofi

7. Exodus 24: The Presence of God: Revd David Short

8. 2 Samuel 1:1-17: The King of God: Revd Vaughan Roberts

9. The Jerusalem Declaration

10. Closing Sermon: Jesus Christ is Lord: Archbishop Venables

GAFCON Jerusalem Report Consultation, 1st July 2008

Orthodoxy & Effective Mission : Archbishop Henry Orombi
Orthodoxy & Global Connections : Archbishop Greg Venables
Orthodoxy & Personal Experience : Dr Jim Packer
Questions to the Panel – Henry Orombi, Peter Jensen, Greg Venables & Jim Packer

Links

Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans

GAFCON

Anglican Mainstream

The History of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans

Life After Lambeth

Christ Church, Virginia Water Pass Resolutions on the Jerusalem Declaration

Hollow Men, Lambeth 2008. What Happened and Why

Former Pittsburgh bishop warns Church of England

Fellowship Broken: Statement made at City of London DEF

In Solidarity with Orthodox Vancouver Anglicans

Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) and TEC

The Jerusalem Declaration: Why Anglican Churches should endorse it

GAFCON and the Future of the Church of England

Q&A with Dr Jim Packer

Anglican leaders offer support for Bishop Bob Duncan

10 Reasons Why Now Is the Time to Realign

Statement by the Primates’ Council of GAFCON

Comment From Bishop of Birkenhead on TEC Decisio

Screwtape Proposes an Episcopal Toast

The Future of the Church of England

Anglican Archbishops and Bishops in Solidarity

GAFCON and the Future of the Church of England

GAFCON, the future and the Jerusalem Statement

“The Church cannot heal this crisis of betrayal”

Anglican Pastoral Forum: Lets play Happy Families

GAFCON, Boundary Crossing and the Councils of Nicea

GAFCON’s 40 million vs. Lambeth’s 5 million

Homosexual bishops face Anglican Church ban

150 Lambeth Bishops agree Robinson should resign

Chris Sugden explains: Why many bishops did not attend Lambeth

A New Traditional Anglican Province of North Ameria

The Great Commission or New Millennium Goals?

Conscience and logic: ‘I can do no other’

Gene Robinson should resign: Statement of the Sudan

Dr. James Packer Speaks Out on Homosexuality

Evangelical Fellowship in the Anglican Communion

GAFCON Archbishops Respond to the Archbishop of Canterbury

Prayer for Lambeth Conference

Evangelical Alliance Statement on GAFCON

Homosexual Practice? The Biblical Answer

Why has the Archbishop of Canterbury compromised

Happy Families

Have you ever played the card game “Happy Families”? I think it was the first game I ever played with my grandparents. The game dates from about 1860 although I’m not that old. There are many varieties today. Even Barbie, the Incredibles and Wall-e apparently have a family. We all want to have a happy family don’t we? To be a happy family? To create a happy family for our children? And that is God’s will too. God wants us all to be in a happy family.

Over 4,000 years ago, through his prophet Moses, God gave his people Ten Commandments. They came with a promise. “You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land you shall possess.” (Deuteronomy 5:33)

The commandments were not given to stop us enjoying life – quite the reverse. They were given to protect and provide for a long and fulfilling life. They are literally the ‘makers instructions’. God wants us to be happy and fulfilled, safe and secure. But happy families don’t just happen do they? Whether or not we experienced a happy family when we were growing up, we can build one for our children and grandchildren. How? God has given us three simple steps.

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:5-9)

Parents are to impress their children. How do we impress our children? By how much we earn? By how much allowance we give them? Where we live or take our holidays? No. By loving God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength. “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.” Says God. This is how we ‘impress’ our children. This is how we make a lasting impression on them. By our love for God and our desire to please him. This is what we are to impress on our children. We can’t lead them where we have not gone ourselves. They won’t learn the value of God’s commands unless we model them. Faith is not so much taught as it is caught. Children learn from what we say but they learn a whole lot more, and a whole lot faster, from what we do.

Becoming a happy family is not rocket science. God gives parents here three simple instructions on how to impress their children. The Three ‘T’s of happy families.

Talk – “Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deut. 6:7). Specifically, God tells us to talk about the commandments and what they mean from when we get up in the mornings to when we go to bed. But by application, reading the Bible together – and discussing what it means – and asking God to help us apply it – in the mornings and before bedtime – This is our first priority.

You may feel a failure but you can start again today. You may feel your life is too busy – then it is too busy. We take this seriously as a church and offer lots of resources to help you bring up your children in the Christian faith.

Tie – “Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.” (Deuteronomy 6:8). Some Jewish people take this literally and tie little boxes with these verses inside to their forehead and wrists. Some Christians wear a wrist band or a cross round their neck or in their lapel. I wear a ring with a cross on it. It reminds me to live for God and keep his commands where ever I go. Symbols help us remember we belong to the Lord. Do whatever it takes to tie yourself to the Lord – to love him with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, all day, every day.

Tell – “Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:9). The Christian faith is a personal faith but it was never intended by God to be private. It should be obvious to friend & neighbour that you and your family belong to the Lord. This is how children grow up confident to share their faith – when they see their parents not ashamed to be known as Christians. In Palestine Christians often place a sign on their houses to tell everyone that theirs is a Christian home. Some people place a cross or a fish symbol on their car as a sign that they are Christians. What about you and your family?

Talk – Tie – Three ‘T’s to a happy family. This is how we build a happy family. This is how we maintain a happy family. Whether you are married or a lone parent. Whether you are single or widowed, married or divorced, with brothers and sisters or an only child, orphaned, with one, two or more parents, you are not alone. God has provided us with an extended family in the Church. That is what Christ Church aspires to be.

We become children of God when we trust in Jesus..”Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12). When we are born again, we are adopted into the family of Jesus. ^“Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:49-50). That means every other Christian is like a brother or sister, like a mother or father, an aunt or uncle, or even a grandparent. We exist as a Church to be an extended family – to help parents bring up their children in the faith.

Our crèche, Sunday Clubs, Cherubs, Scallywags, youth groups, parenting course, marriage course – these are all designed to help you fulfill your primary role as parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles – but not replace you. We encourage you to come next Sunday and find out more about God’s wonderful plan for yourself and those you care for.

Colin Buchanan is Back

SIONISMO CRISTIANO. ¿Hoja de Ruta a Armagedón?

A Spanish edition of my book Christian Zionism: Roadmap to Armageddon? has been published by Bosforo Libros in Madrid, Spain.

Foreword to Spanish Translation

I am delighted that you are reading my book in Spanish – something regrettably I cannot do – at least not yet. I wrote this book for three reasons – truth, justice and reconciliation.

My first motivation is the need to speak the truth. Jesus said, “...you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32). Sadly the Christian faith has, for many centuries, become equated with colonialism and empire in many parts of the world. In the Middle East, this is largely due to the influence of European Christians who, nearly 200 years ago, believed it was their destiny to assist the Jewish people in colonising Palestine. This movement which became known as Christian Zionism, gave rise not only to Zionism and the founding of the State of Israel, but also to the Palestinian Nakba and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Many Christian Zionists see the coming of Jesus as the postponement rather than the fulfilment of the promises God made to the Hebrew people. Their emphasis on Israel and end-times prophecy, rather than upon Jesus and the gospel, is a distortion of the Bible.

My second motivation is justice. Micah asks, “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8). It is too easy and convenient for Christians to blame others, especially the Arabs or Islam for the ills of the world. The Middle East conflict is being perpetuated largely by American Christians who have popularised the notion that God blesses nations that support Israel. We must be honest about our historical complicity in the conflict and commit ourselves to working for peace with justice for all, irrespective of their race or religion, and based on the rule of international law.

My third motivation is reconciliation. Jesus is described as “The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). He has commanded his followers to pursue a ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5). We are called to be peace-makers not widow-makers. Christian Zionism in its most extreme form is pathologically confrontational and apocalyptic about the future. It is in danger of becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. God’s word instead tells us to “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” (1 Peter 3:11). At the end of the Book of Revelation there is a beautiful image of paradise restored in which the Tree of Life bears fruit every month. We are told “And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” (Revelation 22:2). If this is God’s view of the future, then we need no greater motivation to work for reconciliation now.

I believe that when we re-examine our history and repudiate the false ways in which some of our leaders have abused the Scriptures for destructive political ends, we will be better able to contribute to justice, peace and reconciliation in the Middle East. By the grace of God, I pray that this book will motivate you to contribute to that process.

If you find it helpful, you can access further resources, text, audio and video at www.stephensizer.com as well as read my latest blog and view my photographic gallery of the Middle East. The sequel to this book is entitled, Zion’s Christian Soldiers, and addresses in more detail, the relationship between Israel and the Church in Scripture. At the moment it is only available in English but I hope a Spanish edition will be published soon.

Sinopsis

Apenas conocido en Europa, el fenómeno del sionismoⁱ cristiano en Estados Unidos vive en los últimos años un auge cuyas reales dimensiones podemos comprender con una sola cifra: los más de 65 millones de libros vendidos por los 16 volúmenes de la serie Left Behind, de Tim LaHaye y Jerry Jenkins, una ficcionalización de las doctrinas del sionismoⁱ cristiano respecto a Israel y el fin de los tiempos.

Surgido como corriente milenarista en la Inglaterra decimonónica, implantado en los Estados Unidos por el pastor John Nelson Darby y crecido al calor del fundamentalismo evangélico norteamericano, el sionismoⁱ cristiano considera que sólo cuando el pueblo elegido de Israel esté en posesión de todo el territorio comprendido entre el río Éufrates y el río Nilo (Eretz Israel, el Gran Israel, tal como lo recoge el Génesis) tendrán lugar los acontecimientos anunciados por las profecías bíblicas: el Armagedón (la batalla final) y la segunda venida de Cristo para instaurar el Reino de Dios. A falta de datos precisos, los expertos consideran que hay decenas de millones de personas en Estados Unidos que comparten estas creencias.

El sionismoⁱ cristiano ha jugado un papel histórico determinante en la creación y sustento del Estado de Israel. Este rol se ha reforzado en el curso de las últimas décadas, y en la actualidad continúa desempeñándose de las más diversas formas, desde la presión política en Washington y el adoctrinamiento masivo a través de los medios (véanse los casos de Pat Robertson y del finado Jerry Falwell, o la citada saga de los Left Behind) a la financiación directa de la emigración judía a Israel y de los asentamientos de las ocupadas Cisjordania y Jerusalén Este.

Sionismoⁱ cristiano: ¿Hoja de Ruta a Armagedón?, fruto de la investigación doctoral del teólogo británico Stephen Sizer, se ha convertido en el texto de referencia para todo aquel interesado en conocer el origen y desarrollo histórico del sionismoⁱ cristiano, las razones de su identificación total con el proyecto sionistaⁱ del Estado de Israel y su decisiva influencia en el devenir cotidiano del conflicto, tanto en las altas esferas de la administración estadounidense como en su contribución sobre el terreno a las políticas de limpieza étnica y expansionismo israelíes. En definitiva, para entender en gran medida por qué la paz y la justicia parecen aún inalcanzables en Oriente Próximo.

Leer un fragmento

Introducción

Índice

Prólogo
Prólogo a la edición en español
Prefacio
Agradecimientos
Listado de figuras

Introducción
¿Qué es el sionismoⁱ?
¿Qué es el sionismoⁱ cristiano?
La importancia del movimiento sionistaⁱ cristiano
Un análisis crítico del sionismoⁱ cristiano

1. Las raíces históricas del sionismoⁱ cristiano
Los primeros indicios: el sionismoⁱ cristiano primigenio
El nacimiento del sionismoⁱ cristiano y su contexto socio-político
Los orígenes del restauracionismo premilenarista histórico en Gran Bretaña
Los orígenes del sionismoⁱ cristiano dispensacional en Gran Bretaña
Lord Shaftesbury y la influencia del restauracionismo en la política exterior de Gran Bretaña
El cristianismo británico y su apoyo político al movimiento sionistaⁱ judío
La Declaración Balfour y la implementación del sueño sionistaⁱ
El dispensacionalismo y el nacimiento del sionismoⁱ cristiano en Estados Unidos (1859-1945)
El antisemitismoⁱ y el sionismoⁱ cristiano liberal en Estados Unidos (1918-1967)
El sionismoⁱ cristiano evangélico en los Estados Unidos de hoy (1967-2002)
La proliferación y diversificación de las organizaciones sionistasⁱ cristianas
Las raíces históricas del sionismoⁱ cristiano: conclusiones

2. Los fundamentos teológicos del sionismoⁱ cristiano
La Biblia: una hermenéutica literal y futurista
Los pueblos elegidos: la relación entre Israel y la iglesia
El restauracionismo: regreso de los judíos a Sion
La Tierra de Israel: reclamando Judea, Samaria y más allá
Jerusalén: la capital eterna y exclusiva del pueblo judío
El templo: reconstrucción y profanación
El futuro: la escatología del sionismoⁱ cristiano
La singular teología del sionismoⁱ cristiano: conclusiones

3. Las implicaciones políticas del sionismoⁱ cristiano
El pueblo elegido: apoyar el colonialismo israelí
El restauracionismo: facilitar la emigración de los judíos de Rusia y Europa oriental
La Tierra de Israel: apoyar los asentamientos de Cisjordania
Jerusalén: los grupos de presión y el reconocimiento internacional
El templo: identificarse con el sionismoⁱ religioso
El futuro: rechazar los procesos de paz y precipitar el Armagedón
Las implicaciones políticas del sionismoⁱ cristiano: conclusiones

4. Conclusiones
Observaciones acerca de la evolución del sionismoⁱ cristiano
Variantes del sionismoⁱ cristiano
Aspectos constructivos y destructivos del sionismoⁱ cristiano
Evaluación crítica del sionismoⁱ cristiano
El sionismoⁱ bíblico y su alternativa en la teología de la Alianza

Glosario
Apéndice
Bibliografía
Índice de personas
Índice de temas
Índice de referencias bíblicas

El autor

Stephen Sizer (1953, Lowestoft) es doctor en Teología, miembro y antiguo director de la International Bible Society y miembro fundador del Instituto para el Estudio del Sionismoⁱ Cristiano (www.christianzionism.org). En la actualidad ejerce como vicario en la parroquia de Christ Church, Virginia Water (Surrey, Inglaterra).

Asiduo visitante de Oriente Próximo y máxima autoridad internacional en cuestiones vinculadas al sionismoⁱ cristiano y sus implicaciones teológicas y políticas en el conflicto palestino-israelí, Stephen Sizer ha expuesto sus argumentos en buen número de artículos y conferencias –en Oxford, Cambridge, Glasgow, Chicago, Yakarta, El Cairo o Teherán–, cuya culminación es el presente volumen, que sintetiza para el gran público siete largos años de trabajo doctoral en instituciones académicas.

Stephen Sizer es además autor de otros libros: A Panorama of the Holy Land (Eagle, 1998), A Panorama of the Bible Lands (Eagle, 2002), In the Footsteps of Jesus and the Apostles (Eagle, 2004) y Zion’s Christian Soldiers: The Bible, Israel and the Church (IVP, 2007).

Reseñas

Reseñas sobre el libro (en inglés)

The Gary Demar Show

The Gary DeMar Show on American Vision is your 15 minutes of sanity each weekday. Four out of five doctors surveyed recommend this show along with a large dose of commonsense to help combat the insanity served up by the mainstream media.

Gary DeMar serves your daily recommended allowance of rationality. Gary’s Show is where you will hear current events, pop culture, politics, religion, and bunches of other stuff examined through the lense of a biblical worldview.

Gary DeMar and Stephen Sizer discuss Christian Zionism and its impact on the Middle East in a series of 15 minute audio/video interviews recorded in April 2009.

Christian Zionism and the Middle East Conflict

An Overview of the History of Christian Zionism

Christian Zionism and the Middle East

The Rise of Christian Zionism

Culture Wars of Middle Eastern Civilizations

American Vision’s (AV’s) mission has been to Restore America to its Biblical Foundation—from Genesis to Revelation since 1978. AV realizes that this task requires a strategy to “Make disciples (not just converts) of all nations and teach them to obey and apply the Bible to all of life” (Matt. 28:18-20). So AV developed a method to accomplish this in our lives by way of illustration to understand all that encompasses God’s plan for spiritual growth. In doing so, it also became the way in which we now recognize the ministry with our new trademark (see the top left of the website).

To follow our train of thought, the structure (on the left) is a bottom up approach to developing a fruitful Christian life. By way of a Biblical Education—knowing what the Bible has to say—we study the four essential parts of knowledge: history, apologetics, ethics, and eschatology. Once we gather a solid understanding of the Bible and gain knowledge in these four essential areas of life, Christian worldview and character sinks in to personally develop maturity and wisdom. By way of Christian maturity, we can exercise “Servanthood Dominion” over all God’s world as He has commanded us to do. This is what American Vision is all about.

A Palestinian Litany for Jerusalem

A responsive reading with Scripture and song

Reading from Psalm 85

Almighty and eternal God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we glorify and praise you. You are our only refuge in this troubled world.
We glorify and praise you, our God.

Merciful God, in the birth of your Son Jesus Christ in Bethlehem you became one of us, sharing and understanding our humanity, our suffering and problems.
We glorify and praise you, our God.

We thank you that you took refuge to Egypt, identifying yourself with all who are refugees and victims of political power.
We thank you, our God.

We thank you that you grew up in Nazareth and ministered to the people in Galilee, and spread your kingdom in a new way.
We thank you, our God.

We thank you that you were crucified in Jerusalem, identifying yourself with every person who suffers and lives under occupation and injustice. On the cross you carried the sin and the suffering of all human beings and reconciled us with you and with our fellow human beings.
We thank you, our God.

Reading from Isaiah 40:28-31

Our Heavenly Father, we come before you with all the troubles and pains experienced by your people in the Middle East.
Lord, have mercy on us.

We pray for all the victims of injustice and violence in the present situation. We pray also for those who are responsible for injustices and all forms of violence.
Lord, have mercy on us.

We pray for laborers who cannot enter to their places of work. We pray for youth who are losing their hope for the future.
Lord, have mercy on us.

We pray for mothers who are fed up with bloodshed, killing, and the use of arms. We pray for the bereaved families, who lost their dear ones. We pray for the quick recovery of the injured. We especially pray for those who live with permanent disability.
Lord, have mercy on us.

We lift up to you the names of children whose lives were cut short by violence: Ahmed Ismail Khatib, Yasser ‘Adnan al-Ashqar, Noor Faris Njem, Odai Tantawi and the hundreds of other Palestinian and Israeli children who remain unnamed.
Lord, hear our prayer.

Jesus, our Savior, our eyes look to you, our only help in these troubled times.
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray, that you open the eyes of the world, and of Israelis and Palestinians, for justice and reconciliation. Help us all to see that the security and freedom of the one people is depending on the security and freedom of the other.
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for the politicians, that they may realize that the security and peace we all long for will not come by the use of arms and force, but by having justice done so that the two peoples can reconcile and together work out an equitable coexistence for the future.
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for leaders around the world who have power to work for peace: Benjamin Netanyahu, Mahmoud Abbas, Barak Obama, Gordon Brown, leaders of the European Union, and leaders of other Arab countries.
Lord, hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, you have called us to be your followers. Give us your love for our fellow human beings. Free us, and our children, from hatred, bitterness, and the denying of the rights of others; and fill us with love, truth, and justice, so that we can recognize and respect the dignity and the rights of one another.
Lord, hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, you have shown us that forgiveness is not forgetting one’s rights but asserting them. We know that forgiving is to see Christ in our enemies, and to love them as our neighbors. Help the Palestinians to see you in the Israelis, and help the Israelis to see you in the Palestinians. Help all of us to see you in one another. Lead us all to affirm and respect that our humanity is a gift from you, as we are all created in your image, and give us courage to mutually recognize one another’s human, religious, civil, and political rights.
Lord, hear our prayer.

Reading from Ephesians 2:11-22

Holy Spirit, giver of life and new beginnings, help us to faithfully respond to God’s call to be ministers of reconciliation.
Come, Holy Spirit, renew us all.

Help your people everywhere find ways of encouraging people to open their hearts and confess their part in the past injustices and find ways to build a just and secure future for our children. Give us wisdom and courage in this difficult task. When the pressures of the situation make us despair, come with your Holy Spirit and renew our strength and hope.
Come, Holy Spirit, renew us all.

Sustain with your power those who in the midst of all difficulties are quietly building the culture of reconciliation, justice, and peace. They may not be many right now, but we remember that the work for God’s kingdom among us started with only a handful of faithful and committed people.
Come, Holy Spirit, renew us all.

We pray for those who people and organizations in the Holy Land who are committed to building peace: Naim Ateek, Sabeel, Mitri Raheb, International Center of Bethlehem, Michael McGarry, Rabbi Ron Kronish, Elias Jabbour, Bishop Suheil Dawani, Arik Ascherman, Rabbis for Human Rights, Bishop Munib Younan, Douglas Dicks, Catholic Relief Services, Givat Haviva, Joudeh Majaj, Suhaila Tarazi, B’tselem, and others whose steps toward peace are overlooked.
Come, Holy Spirit, renew us all.

Come, Healing Spirit, and change us and open ways for us to change others. Remove all injustice and fill our land with just peace. Remove all hatred and fill us all with true love.
Come, Holy Spirit, renew us all.

Remove all insecurity and bring in real security. Remove all occupation and bring in freedom for all.
Come, Holy Spirit, renew us all.

Merciful God, accept our prayer and yearning. You are the only strength we have. No one can take the power of prayer away from us. In the name of Jesus – our Liberator and Redeemer – we pray.
Amen

Written by Munib A. Younan, the Lutheran Bishop in Jerusalem. Also used at the Triennial Clergy Conference of Guildford Diocese, May 2009.

Seattle Pacific University hosts lecture on Christian Zionism

Stephen Sizer expands on the roots of Christian Zionism and its political implications during his lecture on Wednesday in Demaray Hall.

By BETH DOUGLASS, News Writer

Published: April 29 2009

The United States’ support of Israel is built on faulty principles and is hurting the country’s foreign policy, evangelical Anglican pastor and London author Stephen Sizer said.

Yesterday afternoon, Sizer spoke in Demaray Hall 150 at an event called “Christian Zionism: What is it? Its history, theology and political impact on the world today.”

Throughout the Israel-Palestinian conflict, the United States has offered unwavering support to Israel, Sizer said. Much of this is due to the prevalence of Christian Zionism, or Christians who support the modern political state of Israel, established in 1948, he said.

There is an antipathy toward the Arabs and Palestinians within Christian Zionism, Sizer said. He countered that the Bible calls us to reconciliation and tells us to love our enemies, he said.

“This theology is impacting attitudes and opinions in the Middle East,” he said. There is a view that God is blessing America because the nation is helping Israel, he said, resulting in the demonizing of Islam and the characterization of Arabs as dogs and liars.

Giving Israel a geographic homeland in Palestine may not be the correct fulfillment of God’s Old Testament promise to Israel, he said.

Palestine was turned into a secular state for Israel after World War II, according to the Rooftop Productions film “With God on Our Side.” From then on, Israel continued to take over Palestinian land, leaving many refugees.

Israelis then engaged in what some call an “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians, the film stated.

Growing up in the church and hearing many Old Testament Bible stories, U.S. Christians tend to idealize and romanticize Israel and Israeli culture, the film said.

When Americans hear about a conflict involving Israel, it seems obvious whose side they are on, the film said.

SPU is a very social justice-minded campus, yet there is little conversation about the situation in Palestine, said junior Kristin McCarthy, who helped plan the event.

“I think it is so sad how few people actually know about what is happening in Israel and Palestine,” she said.

Twenty to 40 million Americans support the Christian Zionism movement, according to the Pew Forum on Religion.

“I argue that it is shaping your foreign policy in the Middle East,” Sizer said.

Pro-Israeli groups are probably the most powerful lobbyists on Capitol Hill, Sizer said. Many of these lobbyists are Christian organizations.

Two-thirds of U.S. foreign aid goes to either Egypt or Israel, said John Berg, director of ministry advancement and development for a nonprofit organization called the Middle East Fellowship. The U.S. gives $10 billion per year to Israel, consisting of both official and unofficial foreign aid, he said.

“So much of our taxpayer money does go to the state of Israel,” said Professor of English Doug Thorpe. This makes U.S. Christians deeply invested in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, he said, and people are suffering because of how American foreign policy supports Israel.

No U.S. senator will speak against Israel, Sizer said, because to criticize Israel would be political suicide.

Some people have said Sizer’s viewpoint is anti-Semitic. However, he firmly upholds that this is not the case.

“I repudiate anti-Semitism unequivocally. Anti-Semitism is a form of racism,” Sizer said.

Fear of being anti-Semitic should not keep us from thinking critically about Christian Zionist ideas, Berg said.

There is a difference between Jewish ethnicity, Jewish religion and the modern country of Israel, Berg said. Historic anti-Semitism was against the Jewish ethnicity, he said, and Christian Zionism has redefined anti-Semitism.

The purpose of having Sizer speak on campus was not to advocate one particular viewpoint, but to start a conversation about the issue, McCarthy said.

“I think this is a really important conversation for the Christian community to be having,” she said.

Source: The Falcon Online

Peacemaking in Washington DC

World Vision’s executive director for international relations until March 1, 2009, Thomas Getman managed World Vision’s liaison activities with the UN and the World Council of Churches and was responsible for diplomatic relations with UN government member missions in Geneva and with countries on sensitive negotiations.

He served until recently on the board of principals for the UN Deputy Secretary General for Emergency Relief and as chair of the premier NGO consortium International Council of Voluntary Agencies.

From 1997 to 2001, Getman served as director of World Vision’s programs in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip where he was responsible for $5-8 million a year in relief and development projects in Palestine and Israel and advocacy for peace with justice.

Previously, Getman served for 12 years as director of government relations and special assistant to the president of World Vision United States at which time he founded WV’s office in DC. Getman interpreted U.S. government policy, pressed for needed foreign assistance, and advanced human rights, relief and development concerns.

From 1976 to 1985, as a Congressional staff member, Getman helped negotiate protocols with the presidents of Uganda and Zambia and encouraged warring factions to move forward with peace negotiations. In the mid-1980s, Getman played a central role to persuade the South African Foreign Ministry to cease support for the Mozambican rebel group Resistencia National Mocambicana (Renamo). He also was an adjunct speech writer for other national political figures, including President Gerald R. Ford.

Before joining World Vision, Getman served as legislative director and senior speech collaborator to U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield. In the US Senate, his primary assignments were African foreign policy and social justice, human rights and welfare issues. His most notable legislative contribution was to participate in the drafting team for the Anti-Apartheid Act of 1985. Getman also served as a regional director for Young Life for nine years in New England.

I caught up with Tom at St Mark’s Church on Capitol Hill in Washington and asked him about the role of Christian Zionism, his hopes for the new US administration and the changes needed in US policy in the Middle East.

I also inteviewed Joan Drake of Partners for Peace, Jim Vitarello of Sharing Jerualem

Christian Minorities Living Under Muslim Rule: Fuller Seminary

A paper delivered at the third evangelical Christian-Muslim Conference sponsored by North Park University in Chicago, Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena and the World Islamic Call Society of Tripoli.

“Clearly the status of Christians living under Muslim rule is a controversial subject. Some might even call it a ‘minefield’. It has evoked strong opinions on both sides. There are some within the Islamic community who seem to be in denial as to the contemporary difficulties faced by Christian minorities. And there are some within the Christian (and Jewish) community who exaggerate and exacerbate these tensions for their own purposes.

I will begin with a brief history of the development of dhimmi status for Christian minorities; I will present two contrasting interpretations, give an assessment of the status of Christian minorities today, and then offer a (middle) way forward that neither ignores the anxieties of Christian minorities nor demonises Muslim majorities for the tensions that still exist between our two faith communities.”

You can read the full paper here or download a pdf here.

Read Tim Morgan’s Christianity Today blog of the conference here.

Meet some of the participants here.