EVERYONE who is Christian is a "Zionist Xian" to you Plain Ol'!
---
wrong again ... some xians aren't zionists and will put the welfare of the
USA before that of israel.
At least one in four American Christians surveyed recently by
Christianity Today magazine said that they believe it is their biblical
responsibility to support the nation of Israel. This view is known as
Christian Zionism. The Pew Research Center put the figure at 63 per cent
among white evangelicals. Christian Zionism is pervasive within mainline
American evangelical, charismatic and independent denominations including
the Assemblies of God, Pentecostals and Southern Baptists, as well as many
of the independent mega-churches. It is less prevalent within the historic
denominations, which show a greater respect for the work of the United
Nations, support for human rights, the rule of international law and
empathy with the Palestinians.
The origins of the movement can be traced to the early 19th century when a
group of eccentric British Christian leaders began to lobby for Jewish
restoration to Palestine as a necessary precondition for the return of
Christ. The movement gained traction from the middle of the 19th century
when Palestine became strategic to British, French and German colonial
interests in the Middle East. Proto-Christian Zionism therefore preceded
Jewish Zionism by more than 50 years. Some of Theodore Herzl’s strongest
advocates were Christian clergy.
Christian Zionism as a modern theological and political movement embraces
the most extreme ideological positions of Zionism. It has become deeply
detrimental to a just peace between Palestine and Israel. It propagates a
worldview in which the Christian message is reduced to an ideology of
empire, colonialism and militarism. In its extreme form, it places an
emphasis on apocalyptic events leading to the end of history rather than
living Christ’s love and justice today.
Followers of Christian Zionism are convinced that the founding of the State
of Israel in 1948 and the capture of Jerusalem in 1967 were the miraculous
fulfillment of God’s promises made to Abraham that he would establish
Israel as a Jewish nation forever in Palestine.
Tim LaHaye’s infamous Left Behind novels, together with other End Times
speculations written by authors such as Hal Lindsey, John Hagee and Pat
Robertson, have sold well over 100 million copies. These are supplemented
by children’s books, videos and event violent computer games.
Burgeoning Christian Zionist organizations such as the International
Christian Embassy (ICEJ), Christian Friends of Israel (CFI) and Christians
United for Israel (CUFI) wield considerable influence on Capitol Hill,
claiming a support base in excess of 50 million true believers. This means
there are now at least ten times as many Christian Zionists as Jewish
Zionists. And their European cousins are no less active in the Zionist
Hasbarafia, lobbying for Israel, attacking its critics and thwarting the
peace process. The United States and Israel are often portrayed as Siamese
twins, joined at the heart, sharing common historic, religious and
political values.
Pastor John Hagee is one of the leaders of the Christian Zionist movement.
He is the Founder and Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Church, a 19,000-member
evangelical church in San Antonio, Texas. His weekly programmes are
broadcast on 160 TV stations, 50 radio stations and eight networks into an
estimated 99 million homes in 200 countries. In 2006 he founded Christians
United for Israel admitting,
“For 25 almost 26 years now, I have been pounding the evangelical community
over television. The Bible is a very pro-Israel book. If a Christian admits
‘I believe the Bible,’ I can make him a pro-Israel supporter or they will
have to denounce their faith. So I have the Christians over a barrel, you
might say.”
In March 2007, Hagee spoke at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee
(AIPAC) Policy Conference. He began by saying:
“The sleeping giant of Christian Zionism has awakened. There are 50 million
Christians standing up and applauding the State of Israel…”
As the Jerusalem Post pointed out, his speech did not lack clarity. He went
on to warn:
“It is 1938. Iran is Germany, and Ahmadinejad is the new Hitler. We must
stop Iran’s nuclear threat and stand boldly with Israel, the only democracy
in the Middle East… Think of our potential future together: 50 million
evangelicals joining in common cause with 5 million Jewish people in
America on behalf of Israel is a match made in heaven.”
Christian Zionists have shown varying degrees of enthusiasm for
implementing six basic political convictions that arise from their
ultra-literal and fundamentalist theology:
1.
The belief that the Jews remain God’s chosen people leads Christian
Zionists to seek to bless Israel in material ways. However, this also
invariably results in the uncritical endorsement of and justification for
Israel’s racist and apartheid policies, in the media, among politicians and
through solidarity tours to Israel.
2.
As God’s chosen people, the final restoration of the Jews to Israel is
therefore actively encouraged, funded and facilitated through partnerships
with the Jewish Agency.
3.
Eretz Israel, as delineated in scripture, from the Nile to the
Euphrates, belongs exclusively to the Jewish people, therefore the land
must be annexed, Palestinians driven from their homes and the illegal
Jewish settlements expanded and consolidated.
4.
Jerusalem is regarded as the eternal and exclusive capital of the Jews,
and cannot be shared with the Palestinians. Therefore, strategically,
Christian Zionists have lobbied the US Administration to relocate its
embassy to Jerusalem and thereby ensure that Jerusalem is recognised as the
capital of Israel.
5.
Christian Zionists offer varying degrees of support for organisations
such as the Jewish Temple Mount Faithful who are committed to destroying
the Dome of the Rock and rebuilding the Jewish Temple on the Haram
Al-Sharif (Noble sanctuary of Al-Aqsa).
6.
Christian Zionists invariably have a pessimistic view of the future,
convinced that there will be an apocalyptic war of Armageddon in the
imminent future. They are deeply sceptical of the possibility of a lasting
peace between Jews and Arabs and therefore oppose the peace process.
Indeed, to advocate an Israeli compromise of “land for peace” with the
Palestinians is seen as a rejection of God’s promises to Israel and
therefore to support her enemies.
Within the Christian Zionist worldview, Palestinians are regarded as alien
residents in Israel. Many Christian Zionists are reluctant even to
acknowledge Palestinians exist as a distinct people, claiming that they
emigrated to Israel from surrounding Arab nations for economic reasons
after Israel had become prosperous. A fear and deep-seated hatred of Islam
also pervades their dualistic Manichean theology. Christian Zionists have
little or no interest in the existence of indigenous Arab Christians
despite their continuity with the early church.
In 2006, I drafted what became known as the Jerusalem Declaration on
Christian Zionism signed by four of the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem: His
Beatitude Patriarch Michel Sabbah, Latin Patriarch, Jerusalem; Archbishop
Swerios Malki Mourad, Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate, Jerusalem; Bishop Riah
Abu El-Assal, Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East; and Bishop
Munib Younan, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. In
it they insisted:
“We categorically reject Christian Zionist doctrines as a false teaching
that corrupts the biblical message of love, justice and reconciliation.
We further reject the contemporary alliance of Christian Zionist leaders
and organisations with elements in the governments of Israel and the United
States that are presently imposing their unilateral pre-emptive borders and
domination over Palestine. This inevitably leads to unending cycles of
violence that undermine the security of all peoples of the Middle East and
the rest of world.
We reject the teachings of Christian Zionism that facilitate and support
these policies as they advance racial exclusivity and perpetual war rather
than the gospel of universal love, redemption and reconciliation taught by
Jesus Christ. Rather than condemn the world to the doom of Armageddon we
call upon everyone to liberate themselves from ideologies of militarism and
occupation. Instead, let them pursue the healing of the nations!
We call upon Christians in Churches on every continent to pray for the
Palestinian and Israeli people, both of whom are suffering as victims of
occupation and militarism. These discriminative actions are turning
Palestine into impoverished ghettos surrounded by exclusive Israeli
settlements. The establishment of the illegal settlements and the
construction of the Separation Wall on confiscated Palestinian land
undermines the viability of a Palestinian state and peace and security in
the entire region.”
* The patriarchs concluded:*
“God demands that justice be done. No enduring peace, security or
reconciliation is possible without the foundation of justice. The demands
of justice will not disappear. The struggle for justice must be pursued
diligently and persistently but non-violently.” The prophet Micah asks,
“What does the Lord require of you, to act justly, to love mercy and to
walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8).
It is my contention after more than 10 years of postgraduate research that
Christian Zionism is the largest, most controversial and most destructive
lobby within Christianity. It bears primary responsibility for perpetuating
tensions in the Middle East, justifying Israel’s apartheid colonialist
agenda and for undermining the peace process between Israel and the
Palestinians.
The closing chapter of the New Testament takes us back to the imagery of
the Garden of Eden and the removal of the curse arising from the Fall:
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as
crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb… On each side of
the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding
its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of
the nations.” (Revelation 22:1-2) Surely this is what Jesus had in mind
when he instructed his followers to act as Ambassadors of peace and
reconciliation, to work and pray that God’s kingdom would come on earth as
it is in heaven.
* The Revd Dr Stephen Sizer** is the Vicar of Christ Church in Virginia
Water and the author of Christian Zionism: Road-map to Armageddon?
<http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christian-Zionism-Armageddon-Stephen-Sizer/dp/1844740501/>
(InterVarsity Press, 2004); Zion’s Christian Soldiers?
<http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zions-Christian-Soldiers-Israel-Church/dp/1844742148/>
(2007) and In the Footsteps of Jesus and the Apostles
<http://www.amazon.co.uk/Footsteps-Jesus-Apostles-Stephen-Sizer/dp/0863475833/>
(Eagle, 2004). For more information see www.stephensizer.com
<http://www.stephensizer.com/>*
On Thursday, October 9, 2014 12:25:53 PM UTC-5, KeithInTampa wrote:
>
> Again, EVERYONE who is Christian is a "Zionist Xian" to you Plain Ol'!
>
>
> On Thu, Oct 9, 2014 at 1:21 PM, plainolamerican <[email protected]
> <javascript:>> wrote:
>
>> Perry Says Terrorists Could Be Entering the U.S. From Mexico---
>> at least he didn't blatantly lie like Bennett.
>> he is also a zionist xian to ignore.
>>
>>
>> On Thursday, October 9, 2014 11:42:30 AM UTC-5, KeithInTampa wrote:
>>>
>>> Of course, Governor Perry is just another crazy damnable Jew Zionist
>>> who should be ignored...(According to Plain Ol)
>>>
>>> Perry Says Terrorists Could Be Entering the U.S. From Mexico
>>>
>>> By EMMARIE HUETTEMAN
>>> <http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/author/emmarie-huetteman/> and DAVID
>>> MONTGOMERYAUG. 21, 2014
>>>
>>>
>>> Photo
>>> Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, at the Heritage Foundation in Washington on
>>> Thursday. He discussed immigration, as well as the indictment last week
>>> accusing him of abuse of power.CreditDoug Mills/The New York Times
>>>
>>>
>>> -
>>>
>>> WASHINGTON — Gov. Rick Perry of Texas warned Thursday that militants
>>> from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and other terrorist groups may
>>> have already slipped across the Mexican border.
>>>
>>> Mr. Perry said there is “no clear evidence” that terrorists have entered
>>> the United States illegally across the southern border. But he argued that
>>> illegal immigration should be considered a national security issue as well
>>> as a social and economic problem, and as evidence he cited the increase in
>>> violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants.
>>>
>>> “I think there is the obvious, great concern that — because of the
>>> condition of the border from the standpoint of it not being secure and us
>>> not knowing who is penetrating across — that individuals from ISIS or other
>>> terrorist states could be,” he said during a conference on border security
>>> and immigration at the Heritage Foundation.
>>>
>>> pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of abusing his power on Tuesday
>>> after being indicted by a grand jury last Friday
>>> <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/16/us/gov-rick-perry-of-texas-is-indicted-over-veto-of-funds-for-das-office.html>,
>>>
>>> making him the first Texas governor to face criminal charges in nearly a
>>> century. Mr. Perry has called the charges a “farce,” and he is
>>> contemplating a second run for the Republican presidential nomination. He
>>> is scheduled to appear in New Hampshire this weekend.
>>>
>>> To bolster security, the United States should add more law enforcement
>>> personnel at the border and use drones to monitor the situation, Mr. Perry
>>> said.
>>>
>>> But he also said the nation should step up its military involvement in
>>> Iraq to eliminate the threat from ISIS with more airstrikes before they can
>>> launch an attack on American soil. “Air power is a major part of it, but
>>> it’s also going to take more special operations, intelligence and advisory
>>> support than we’ve offered so far,” he said.
>>>
>>> Mr. Perry aimed much of his criticism at President Obama, for everything
>>> from abuse of his executive authority to failing to better aid Syrian
>>> rebels.
>>>
>>> “When laws are treated this way, what usually follows are chaos and
>>> grief, and that’s exactly what we’ve got right now,” he said.
>>>
>>> Mr. Perry opened his remarks by addressing the indictment, saying he was
>>> “very confident” and dismissing the charges for what he called “an exercise
>>> of my constitutional veto authority.”
>>>
>>> The charges stem from the governor’s attempts to force out Rosemary
>>> Lehmberg, a district attorney, after she was arrested on a drunken-driving
>>> charge. Mr. Perry threatened to cut off the funding for her office unless
>>> she resigned, and when she refused, he vetoed $7.5 million designated for
>>> the Public Integrity Unit, an organization tasked with fighting corruption,
>>> which she led.
>>>
>>> Critics allege Mr. Perry abused his power by pressuring Ms. Lehmberg
>>> while the unit was investigating the Cancer Prevention and Research
>>> Institute of Texas, one of the governor’s signature initiatives. Mr.
>>> Perry’s supporters accuse Democrats of criminalizing politics.
>>>
>>> Mr. Perry’s defense lawyers on Thursday released an affidavit from a
>>> former county investigator, who said the unit did not target or find
>>> evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the governor or anyone in his office
>>> as part of its investigation of the scandal-ridden cancer center.
>>>
>>> edit Democrats’ story line that the real reason Mr. Perry wanted to veto
>>> funding for the anticorruption unit was to avoid being implicated, pushing
>>> back against what the defense called an “outrageous,” weak case against the
>>> governor.
>>>
>>> The governor’s office also announced Thursday that the rest of Mr.
>>> Perry’s legal bills would be paid using funds from his campaign account,
>>> not with taxpayer money, as had previously been the case.
>>>
>>> “Further legal bills will be paid for with campaign funds,” said Lucy
>>> Nashed, Mr. Perry’s spokeswoman.
>>>
>>> She said Mr. Perry had more than $4 million in his campaign account at
>>> the end of June, and has spent about $80,000 in taxpayer funds so far on
>>> legal fees.
>>>
>>> Mr. Perry’s high-profile legal team
>>> <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/20/us/texas-gov-rick-perry-enlists-help-of-high-profile-lawyers.html>
>>> is
>>> led by Tony Buzbee, who wasonce described by The New York Times Magazine
>>> <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/magazine/07oil-t.html> as one of the
>>> most successful trial lawyers in the country. It also includes Ben
>>> Ginsberg, a well-known Washington lawyer who served as counsel to the
>>> campaign of George W. Bush, whom he represented during the 2000
>>> presidential election recount.
>>>
>>> Emmarie Huetteman reported from Washington, and David Montgomery from
>>> Austin, Tex.
>>>
>>> A version of this article appears in print on August 22, 2014, on page
>>> A17 of the New
>>>
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