“Palestinian Messengers”: How Christ and Christians Are Used for the Palestinian Cause
By Julio
Severo
Last Christmas,
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Jesus was a “Palestinian” messenger.
Even though
Jesus was never a Palestinian or an advocate of a Palestinian cause, Abbas and
his Muslim colleagues want to use Him to “ecumenically” unify Christians and
Muslims to secure their cause.
Christ has never
been a Palestinian messenger, but there has been a number of Christian
individuals and groups associating themselves with a Palestinian message.
Knowingly or not, they have been used as Palestinian messengers.
WCC and Liberation Theology
The most
notorious group is the World Council of Churches (WCC), which espouses
Liberation Theology, which “portrays
Israel as the colonial oppressor and the Palestinians as the victim of
imperialism.” Its ecumenical meeting in Brazil in 2006 “ecumenically” gathered
together gay, witchcraft and Palestinian activists.
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| Ecumencial WCC meeting in Brazil in 2006: witches with gay activists |
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| Rev. Walter Altmann at WCC |
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| Ecumencial WCC meeting in Brazil in 2006: Palestinian banners |
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| Prominent gay activist Luiz Mott in the largest Lutheran theological seminary in Brazil |
Altmann celebrated that Liberation Theology had strongly influenced the ecumenical
movement and the WCC during the 1970s and 1980s.
In Brazil,
Pentecostalism and orthodox Roman Catholicism are hostile to Liberation
Theology, ecumenism and the Palestinian cause. In contrast, old mainline
Protestant denominations, like the Lutheran Church in Brazil, which was headed
by Rev. Altmann, embrace Liberation Theology, Palestinian activism and leftist
political involvement.
When Cuban
tyrant Fidel Castro hailed Jesus as a “great social revolutionary” to Altmann
in 1999, the Lutheran minister, who had several dinners with Castro, saw no
problem. Why, then, would the WCC see any problem with Abbas saying that Jesus
was a “Palestinian messenger”?
Under ecumenism,
it is very easy to accept Jesus as a “great social revolutionary” or
“Palestinian messenger.”
Bethlehem Bible College and “Christ at the CheckPoint”
Under ecumenism,
Christian-Muslim efforts have been developed by the World Council of Churches,
the Vatican and the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), as noted by the “WEA
Theological News” (October 2012 Vol 41 No 4). Some of these efforts involve
Palestinian Protestants who are adherents of Palestinian Liberation Theology.
Bethlehem Bible
College hosts the “Christ at the CheckPoint” conferences, partly to advance
Christian-Muslim relations. Many of its speakers are prominent Western leftist
Protestant leaders and Palestinian prelates adherent to Palestinian Liberation
Theology.
“The last several years anti-Israel evangelicals have
hosted a ‘Christ at the Checkpoint’ conference in Bethlehem featuring some
prominent U.S. evangelicals. Last year's included evangelist Tony Campolo, a
spiritual counselor to President Bill Clinton, and Florida mega church pastor
Joel Hunter, a spiritual counselor to President Barack Obama. The next ‘Christ
at the Checkpoint’ is March 2014 and will feature Geoff Tunnicliffe, head of
the World Evangelical Alliance. There will also be a Dallas Southern Baptist
pastor, despite his denomination's strong support for Israel. Additionally speaking
is Gary Burge of Wheaton College, himself a prominent author critical of Israel
who teaches at America’s most prestigious evangelical college. Anti-Israel
sentiment among evangelical elites is strongest in academia and in
international relief and missions groups.”
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| Bishara Awad, founder of the Bethlehem Bible College |
“That movement has developed a staggering, frightening
pace in recent years. I was in Bethlehem March 2012, at an evangelical
conference called the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference. Over 700
evangelicals, all the names I’ve mentioned already, Gary Burge [and] Stephen
Sizer were there; there was Joel Hunter, who’s one of the spiritual advisors to
Barack Obama; Tony Campolo, the chairman of the World Evangelical Alliance was
there, the head of the Lausanne Movement was there, all giving support to the
Palestinians, all condemning the Israeli occupation.”
Another World
Evangelical Alliance leader involved in “Christ at the Checkpoint” is Thomas
Schirrmacher, who was a speaker at this conference in 2012. Schirrmacher
rejects the charge that “Christ at the Checkpoint” is anti-Israel. Instead, he
argues, it is about “reconciliation.”
Messianic Jews Reject “Christ at the Checkpoint”
His view is a
far cry from the official view of conservative Jews. Leaders of the Messianic
Jewish Alliance of America, Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, International
Messianic Jewish Alliance and the International Alliance of Messianic
Congregations and Synagogues, representing the mainstream Messianic Jewish
movement, issued a joint statement prior to the 2012 Christ at the Checkpoint
conference. They declared the following, “The conference claims to seek peace
and reconciliation, but reflects biblical interpretations that deny the ongoing
validity of God’s covenants with the Jewish people… We recognize and are deeply
concerned with the struggle of Palestinian Christians. What we object to is a
conference that is explicitly pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel, which seeks to
promote itself as a conference on peace and reconciliation.”
Their statement
also said:
“The Messianic Jewish community worldwide, standing in
the place of our forefathers Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the prophets and
apostles who authored the Scriptures, view the modern re-emergence of
supersessionism/replacement theology as a serious theological error, which has
fueled anti-Semitism throughout history. It needs to be exposed and rejected by
Christians worldwide. This theology, if left unchallenged, will eventually
result in the continued suffering and persecution of our Jewish people, whether
inside or outside Israel. Any effort for peace and reconciliation between Jews
and Gentiles, even within the Yeshua-believing community, must recognize that
the gifts and calling of God toward our Jewish people are irrevocable and still
in effect today.”
Stephen Sizer: Churches that Side with Israel Are an “Abomination”
Even though
Schirrmacher chose not to listen to these conservative Jews, there were other
red flags. The Jerusalem Post reported:
“Among the speakers was Rev. Stephen Sizer, a British minister who has spoken
out harshly against Israel and met with radical Muslims, including Hezbollah.”
Sizer is not alone in championing the cause of Palestinian liberation theology
throughout the Muslim world. Two of his closest friends and colleagues within
the anti-Israel ecumenical movement are Gary Burge and Donald Wagner, one of
whom was also a speaker at “Christ at the CheckPoint.” Burge and Wagner are
ordained ministers within the Presbyterian Church (USA), the world’s biggest
pro-abortion and pro-homosexuality Presbyterian denomination, which has called
for boycotts against Israel. They have been very active in the ecumenical
Evangelical Christian-Muslim Dialogue.
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| Yasser Arafat and Stephen Sizer |
“Let us commit ourselves in prophetic word and
practical deed to a courageous settlement whose details will honour both
peoples’ shared love for the land, and protect the individual and collective
rights of Jews and Palestinians in the Holy Land.”
The original,
supreme Declaration on Israel, the Bible, makes no provision for joint
possession of the Holy Land by Jews and Romans, Jews and Canaanites, Jews and
Palestinians, etc. Such joint possession violates the original and only intent
of Israel’s Creator. On the contrary, His promises for Israel throughout the
Bible, even in the New Testament, have no room for a joint venture between Jews
and Palestinian-Arab-Muslims or Liberation Theology Christians.
Even so, Sizer’s
Declaration was signed by many Calvinists and other traditional Protestants,
including Geoff Tunnicliffe, General Secretary of World Evangelical Alliance. Although
the Declaration and Sizer seem to defend “reconciliation,” there other
motivations. The Rosh Pina Project said, “If you are a Messianic Jew or Israeli Arab
Christian who support the government of Israel, which is inherently Zionist by
its very history and nature,” Sizer says:
“There are certainly churches in
Israel/Palestine that side with the occupation, that side with
Zionism. One of my burdens is to challenge them theologically and show
that they’ve repudiated Jesus, they’ve repudiated the Bible, and they
are an abomination.”
According to the
Rosh Pina Project, in a November 2013 telephone debate between Messianic Jewish scholar Michael Brown, who
is an American Pentecostal leader, and Stephen Sizer hosted by Moody Radio
asking if Christian Zionism is Christian, Brown at 50:20
minutes challenges Sizer about claiming Jewish and Arab Israeli followers
of Jesus who support their nation, Israel, are an abomination. Initially Sizer
flat-out denies he even said it. Brown provides the quote that the Rosh Pina
Project broke in 2011, Sizer
accepts he said it, but he added that he was “comfortable” with it being a true
quote.
Is Thomas Schirrmacher
“comfortable” with this liberal gang? Schirrmacher is a Calvinist and director
of the Martin Bucer Theological Seminary in Europe. Yet, just because Burge and
Wagner are also Calvinists, should he close his eyes to be with them as a
speaker in a Palestinian event dominated by Palestinian Theology Liberation
adherents?
Walid Shoebat, Palestinian and Former Muslim Brotherhood Member
Palestinian
Christian Walid Shoebat, in a piece in WorldNetDaily
entitled “Evangelicals for Hamas,” has also denounced “Christ at the CheckPoint,”
whose motto is “resistance against the Israeli Zionist occupation.” He has
denounced specifically the relationship of this conference with Hamas. According to International Christian Concern (ICC), “Hamas, in association with
the Muslim Brotherhood, is controlling the Gaza Strip by force of arms, and is
cracking down on Christians and restricting their freedom of worship. It is
also trying to force them to abandon Christianity and convert to Islam.” ICC
also explains that “there are ongoing attacks on churches and Christians in the
Gaza Strip because Hamas considers Christians ‘infidels.’”
“Christians are declining in Palestinian controlled
areas. Bethlehem was 80 percent Christian and today it is less then 1 percent.
Yet Israel is blamed even though the decline has not affected Muslims, while
the Christian population in Israel has not declined a single percentage point.
The Christian emigration is a result of persecution by Muslim Hamas and the
Palestinian Authority that began their program of intimidation and land grabs,
including Christian centers that were turned into headquarters for terrorists
and thugs. In Gaza, the only Christian bookstore was closed and its owner, Rami
Ayyad, was shot in the head by a Hamas fanatic. The birthplace of Christ,
Joseph’s Tomb, and Joshua’s grave were all desecrated by Muslim terrorists.”
Christians and
even Muslims in Israel are not immigrating to “Palestine.” But, if given the
opportunity, Christians (and even Muslims) in the lands occupied by the
Palestinian Authority would immigrate to Israel.
Shoebat says:
“Historically and biblically, there was never a
Palestinian civilization or culture. Yet this is the core of the Bethlehem
Bible College doctrine. Palestinianism, including the twisted brand of
Christianity it incorporates, is designed to eradicate the Jewish presence and
nothing more. This theology supports a divided state solution for Israel
and even supports recognition of the Hamas terrorist organization as the ‘legitimate
representative of the Palestinian people.’ Hamas is a terrorist group which seeks
the destruction of Israel. According to the United States government, Hamas is
considered a terrorist group.”
Shoebat also
explains what students are taught in Bethlehem Bible College, founded by
Bishara Awad:
“So how does the Awads view Zionism? Yousef Ijha, a
graduate from Bethlehem Bible College (Awad and Ijha can be seen [here]),
presented his dissertation titled
Study on Christian Zionism which was accepted for his graduation. He
writes in his dissertation: ‘Herzl established the first Zionist Congress in
1897, and succeeded in gathering the Jews of the world around him including the
shrewdest of Jews to issue forth the most dangerous plan in the history of the
world The Protocols of the Elders of Zion derived from sacred Jewish
teaching.’ All that, while ignoring that The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is
a fraudulent document.”
Not only
fraudulent, but probably the main tool used by the KGB to spread anti-Israel
hatred in Muslim nations. According to Daily Mail:
“The Protocols book, Pacepa claims, became ‘the basis
for much of Hitler’s anti-Semitic philosophy.’ The KGB, he writes, disseminated
‘thousands of copies’ in Muslim countries during the 1970s.”
“Christ at the CheckPoint” and Its Propaganda against the Israeli Wall
Obviously, its
dissemination was not designed to bring “reconciliation” between Israel and
Palestinians. So why did Bethlehem Bible College never repudiate it? In fact,
why does Bethlehem Bible College portray the Israeli Wall, even in its “Christ
at the CheckPoint” propaganda, as an “apartheid wall”?
“In 2005, a young Palestinian woman called Wafa
al-Biss was badly burned in a domestic fire, taken to Israel’s Soroka Hospital,
and treated there for months. When discharged, she was given a permit to return
as an out-patient. Some time later she headed for the hospital wearing a
suicide belt with the aim of exploding it among the doctors and nurses who had
treated her, as well as however many children she could find. She was caught at
a checkpoint and imprisoned. Earlier this year she was released as part of a
prisoner release agreement [under US pressure]. Within hours she was speaking
to Palestinian children, urging them to put on suicide vests and kill as many
Jews as possible. And some people wonder why the Israelis need a security
barrier.”
“It is a lie to say that Israel is an apartheid state
and that the wall is an apartheid wall. It is a security barrier, just like
dozens of others around the world, none of which is ever called an ‘apartheid
wall.’”
Yet, Bethlehem
Bible College and its founder, Bishara Awad, insist on depicting the Israeli
checkpoints, not the radical Muslim Palestinians, as the real problem.
Thomas Schirrmacher and Confusion in Brazil
If Thomas
Schirrmacher believes that “reconciliation” is a key component of “Christ at the
CheckPoint” conferences, and its efforts to overthrow the Israeli wall, how
will he be able to counter the liberal, Marxist and anti-Israel orientations in
the ecumenical movement? How will he be able to see anti-Israel feelings in Burge
and Wagner, who were his comrades and speakers at “Christ at the CheckPoint”?
His personal
website has an exclusive ecumenical page and has also a page devoted to
“Christ at the CheckPoint,” and Paul Wilkinson, in his booklet “The Church at
Christ’s CheckPoint,” exposes the true agenda behind this conference. He quotes
Schirrmacher saying:
“The WEA [World Evangelical Alliance] is ‘willing to
do everything,’ including co-operate with the Palestinian Authority.”
ANAJURE has had enough problems. In fact, the most important test for ANAJURE,
founded in 2012, and its interest to defend fundamental civil freedoms was when
Congressman Marco Feliciano, who is also a Pentecostal minister opposed to
abortion and the gay agenda, was viciously attacked by the powerful Brazilian
Left because he had been appointed to head the Human Rights Committee in the
Brazilian Congress in March 2013. In a press release, the ANAJURE president did
not defend him, but questioned his appointment and personal motivations. In an exclusive interview, Congressman Feliciano explained that he was betrayed
by ANAJURE.
ANAJURE has had enough
problems. Its event with Schirrmacher has been propagandized by Ultimato,
an old Protestant Liberation Theology magazine founded by Presbyterians in
Brazil. Its positions on Israel are similar to Sizer’s views, focusing on
“reconciliation.”
How then would Schirrmacher’s
“reconciliation” views help ANAJURE and Brazil? How would his pro-Palestinian-Arab-Muslim
ecumenical experiences help ANAJURE and Brazil?
Brazil has had enough
of pro-Palestinian-Arab-Muslim and anti-Israel sentiment in its socialist
government and many of its Protestant leaders, including Walter Altmann.
I hope Schirrmacher’s
participation in an ANAJURE congress will not undermine the important Pentecostal
resistance to the leftist Protestants’ overture to Liberation Theology,
including its Palestinian-Arab version, and to anti-Israel sentiment, allegedly
in the name of “reconciliation.”
Schirrmacher has
been involved in high-profile Christian-Muslim ecumenical efforts with the
Vatican and the World Council of Churches. In fact, he has been a speaker at
WCC events.
Under the banner
of ecumenism, it is very easy to embrace replacement theology, which says that
Israel was replaced by the Church and all God’s promises to the descendants of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are now invalid for Israel. Some high-ranking
Calvinist theologians in ANAJURE espouse this stance. These theologians are
from the Mackenzie Presbyterian University. In fact, the main sponsor of the
ANAJURE event is Mackenzie. You can learn more about this Calvinist university here
and here
and here.
Mainline
Protestant churches and members are the main victims of ecumenism and its
apostasies. In 2008, then US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice, the famous daughter of an American Presbyterian minister, visited Brazil. Her Israeli-Palestinian politics
were guided by her Calvinist replacement theology. She came to Brazil to
strengthen the roots of the Afro-Brazilian religions, which are considered
“witchcraft” by the Bible.
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| Brazilian sorceress and Condoleezza Rice |
Ecumenism Fosters Palestinian Cause
Ecumenism has
been a catalyst for the Palestinian cause. The Lutheran Church of Altmann and
other mainline Protestant denominations played a major role in the “World
Social Forum - Free Palestine” in 2012. This event, held in Brazil, was the world’s biggest pro-Palestine socialist event.
Palestinian
Liberation Theology adherents and Latin American Liberation Theology
Protestants and Catholics gathered together, in their common leftist faith, to
advocate their common Palestinian cause.
In May 2013, Bishara Awad, the Palestinian activist behind “Christ
at the CheckPoint,” visited Brazil and some of its churches. He was the main speaker at Open Doors and at a
major ministers’ meeting, under the ecumenical cloak of “reconciliation.”
The Brazilian
socialist government sees the socialist and Palestinian claims as legitimate,
including any reference to Jesus as a “great social revolutionary” or
“Palestinian” messenger. The “World Social Forum - Free Palestine” had the same
view. Of course, Awad and his “Christ at the CheckPoint” colleagues just would agree
too. As to Schirrmacher, does he see just “reconciliation” in all of this?
Excepting for
Altmann and his mainline Protestant comrades (who have become socialist and
Palestinian messengers), Brazilian evangelicals, who are mostly Pentecostals
and neo-Pentecostals, have resisted the ecumenical efforts to align themselves
with the socialist political view and the Liberation Theology view of Jesus being
a “great social revolutionary” or “Palestinian” messenger.
I am indebted to three articles by Dr. Mark Tooley as
sources for my article. I am indebted also to Paul Wilkinson, James Sundquist,
Don Hank, Ingo Haake and to Walid Shoebat and their documentation.
Portuguese
version of this article: “Mensageiros
palestinos”: Como Cristo e os cristãos são usados para promover a causa
palestina
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