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Evangelical Christians see Israel as an ally of the U.S. and a democratic country that offers freedom of worship to all faiths. This fact is a thorn in the side of many segments of the “old-school” Christian establishment.
Dror Eydar
Chrstian pilgrim visiting Qasr Al-Yahud, the site of Jesus' baptism. |Photo credit: Lior Mizrahi
Chrstian pilgrim visiting Qasr Al-Yahud, the site of Jesus' baptism. |Photo credit: Lior Mizrahi
Completely by coincidence, the same week that Jews will be celebrating the holiday of Purim, an international Christian conference entitled “Christ at the Checkpoint” will be taking place in Bethlehem. The goal of the conference, according to its organizers, is to raise “proper awareness of issues of peace, justice, and reconciliation in the context of the realities on the ground in the Palestinian Territories.” It sounds perfectly innocent. Indeed, even the Van Leer Institute, a Jerusalem-based center for interdisciplinary study and discussion, is assisting the conference despite vigorous protests from the city’s B’nai B’rith leaders.
A closer look reveals some harsh things about the conference. One has only to consider its title to understand its actual goals. The title could be rendered “Jesus at the Roadblock,” referring to the issue of the roadblocks in Judea and Samaria. The conference’s logo depicts a church beside the separation fence. This is how the conference organizers have turned the Palestinians into Jesus crucified by the Jews once again. The checkpoints, of course, are, symbolically speaking, the Via Dolorosa upon which the wicked Israelis force the innocent Palestinian lambs to walk.
This is no insignificant conference. Well-known Christian leaders from all over the world will be attending. Among them are Pastor Tony Campolo, Bill Clinton’s former “spiritual adviser,” and Pastor Joel Hunter, who heads an empire of tens of thousands of adherents, was a “spiritual adviser” to Barack Obama and a member of the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
Polls have shown that the majority of evangelical Christians are enthusiastic supporters of Israel not only for religious reasons but also for moral and practical reasons. They see Israel as an ally of the United States and a democratic country that offers freedom of worship to all faiths, something that does not exist in neighboring Arab countries. This fact is a thorn in the side of many segments of the “old-school” Christian establishment.