by Gerald A. Honigman

There’s been an on-going debate among Jews for quite some time about organizations like Pastor John Hagee’s Christians United For Israel (CUFI).

Pastor Hagee, a prominent Evangelical Minister and tireless friend of Israel, was among those who delivered speeches at the relocation of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. This coincided with President Trump’s recognition of at least part of the holy city as Israel’s capital, on May 14, 2018–the 70th anniversary of Israel reborn.

Millennia of forced conversions, blood libels, massacres, anti-Semitic sermons, expulsions, ghettoization, inquisitions, autos-da-fes, dehumanization, demonization, being labeled “G_d-killers, and so forth–frequently done in the name of the Christian Prince of Peace–have taken their toll. The road to Auschwitz was indeed paved with many of such “religious” stones.

Several friends, after hearing Pastor Hagee’s moving May 14th presentation, once again resumed a discussion we had years ago about Christian support for Jews and Israel. None of us are naïve, and all are seasoned observers of the Jewish and world scenes.

I remember, as a small child, having Christians knocking on my door telling me that my family was going to Hell…in Philadelphia, no less–with half million Jews in its environs…Imagine what it’s like out yonder ways.

As a doctoral student in Middle Eastern Affairs, I remember studying Christian theology as part of my related interest in 1st century C.E. Judaism and the revolts of Judea for freedom against Rome. I recall contrasting different guidelines for how to handle Jews prescribed by various early Church Fathers, such as St. John Chrysostom, stating that the only thing Jews were fit for was slaughter (exact words–Homily 1). Martin Luther would echo this centuries later. St. Augustine, on the other hand, wanted Jews kept alive–but in such a lowly state that when looked upon, others would surely see Jews as the “deicide people,” eternally doomed to perpetual wandering in others’ lands. Indeed, the Father of modern political Zionism, Theodor Herzl, was told just that by the pope when he sought the latter’s support for a resurrected Israel at the turn of the 20th century. And following Augustine’s lead, the “ghetto” was born, the filthiest, most unhealthy place in a city to dwell–perfect for “Perfidious Jews,” and derived from Italian for iron foundry… ghetto.

I’m aware of things like “Replacement Theology,” and that Jews are a necessary ingredient in the recipe for the 2nd coming of Jesus in many a Christian’s beliefs. Their return to Zion is a precursor for the Parousia. So, you can scorn Jews but still use them.

For the sake of peaceful interfaith relations, I won’t stir the pot further and get into what awaits Jews who don’t convert and see the Christian light after the Parousia in this theology. Indeed, Pastor Robert Jeffress, who delivered another presentation at the embassy celebration, is on record stating (as he said, true to his faith) that Jews (and other non-Christians) are all rejected by G_d. “Ye do not get to the Father except through the Son,” and so forth.

Now, as a side note this, I must add what most readers have probably never seen or heard before. You see, Jews cannot accept Jeffress’s assertions because, like him, they too must be true to their own faith–without which much, if not most, of the rest of the world would still be practicing fertility rites and child sacrifice. Jews are not just blind and stiff-necked, as such folks as Jeffress have claimed throughout the ages. So, let’s see what a pagan “neutral”observer, a major Roman historian who had much to say about Jews during the Roman suppression of their freedom and independence in Judea some two millennia ago, had to comment on this subject. Here’s The Works of Tacitus, Volume II, Book V…

“The Jews acknowledge one God only, and conceive of him by the mind alone (Ruach HaKodesh–The Holy Spirit), condemning, as impious, all who, with perishable materials, wrought into the human shape, form representations of the Deity. That Being, they say, is above all, and everlasting, neither susceptible of likeness nor subject to decay. In consequence, they allow no resemblance of Him in their city, much less in their temples. In this way they do not flatter their kings, nor show their respect for their Caesars.”

That above passage, involving the Jews’ absolute prohibition of the deification of man, explains the main schism between Judaism and Christianity. It occurred not because Jews have been blind; not because they’re stiffnecked…but because pagan civilizations around them deified their great men and added them onto a list of other gods. Jews bent over backwards to avoid this, to the point of making sinners out of their two greatest leaders so they wouldn’t be worshipped–David in the political sphere, and Moses in the religious one. And they recorded this for all future generations to see and learn from. In any other culture surrounding Israel, David and Moses would have been turned into gods.

Hence Tacitus’s bewilderment. Please read his above passage again…slowly.

And this schism was not mainly due to Yehoshua’s/Jesus’s (overwhelmingly Jewish) teachings; not his disagreements with some Jewish leaders; and, despite what many believe, not even claims of his Messiahship (the later Divine Christian Logos/”Christ” and the original Hebrew human “Messiah” are not the same and have very different roles and relationships to man).

The leader of the Dead Sea Scrolls Qumran sect, the Essenes, as just one of many examples, was the group’s messianic leader who was caught by the Romans and the “wicked priests” and was crucified–as many other Jews (including Shimon Bar Kochba, leader of the second major Jewish Revolt) who were killed after being perceived as dangerous to Judea’s Roman overlords and their Jewish collaborators. The Essenes could not accept their leader’s death and expected his resurrection. The difference? As Jews, the Essenes never equated their “Teacher of Righteousness” with the one and only Hebraic, totally spiritual G_d. Indeed, that would have been blasphemous for the people who introduced the G_d of Eternity to the world in the first place…Understand, Pastor Jeffress & Co.?

So, I know very well the reasons–both good and not so good–for at least some Christian support for Israel. Luckily, not all Christians espouse such things as Replacement Theology–or at least they don’t admit to it. Ergo, when it comes to skeptics on this “friend or foe” issue regarding Christian support for Israel, I’m no greenhorn.

Having said this, I’m still convinced that groups like Pastor John Hagee’s Christians United For Israel (CUFI), International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), and Richard A. Hellman’s Christians’ Israel Public Action Campaign (CIPAC) are among the best friends both Israel and Jews have right now–at a time when such friends are a rarity. Check out CUFI’s many “Nights To Honor Israel” and tell me you see something other than good here…

In years past, current and former organizations like my dear friend, Al Springer’s, Romania-based Bible group, AGS Consulting; the Battalion of Deborah; Anglican Friends of Israel; Christian Action For Israel (CAFI); and others have helped me spread literally hundreds of my articles throughout the world…

Still, few things are clear cut or risk free, and many Christians, unfortunately, continue to embrace Replacement Theology. Additionally, in a post-Auschwitz era, at least some of these folks (and/or others) find it more acceptable to mask their age-old, ingrained animosity for the Jew as eternally-damned, G_d-killing individual for the Jew of the Nations…Israel. Check out many of the mainstream churches’ relationship to such things as the BDS movement (Google it, this article is already too long), for example.

Voila: they’re not anti-Semites, “just” anti-Zionists–as if in many, if not most, cases there’s any real difference.

Regardless, the plain fact of life is that here in America (and elsewhere), tens of millions of these folks have more clout than a relative handful of Jews–over half of whom don’t really care about Israel themselves anyway.

I’ve worked closely with local pastors involved in John Hagee-type activities for years now. I’ve seen tears in their eyes as they and their flocks embraced Jews and asked them for forgiveness for past Christian sins. Huge numbers of folks–mostly Christians–attend such events all around the country. They’re the ones who have mostly blocked the Big Oil-greased Arabist State Department from having America abandon Israel–not Jews. The latter are mostly too busy raising money and voting for anti-Israel candidates to be bothered. And all of these programs are Christian-sponsored, raising huge amounts of $$$ for Israel at same time.

But, again, as I’ve repeatedly stated, I’m not naive. I understand Christian theology at least fairly well. They believe what they believe, we believe what we believe. And as long as they’re not forcing it down our throats (as was done too often in the past and in some places still occurs) and emphasizing the good that they’re focusing on instead, I don’t know what else could be asked for.

Groups like CUFI are not actively proselytizing us. Indeed, I have openly discussed this with them, including some of its top leaders. And they say that they have rejected Replacement Theology and frequently speak of this rejection. Most of Pastor Jeffress’s folks, on the other hand, are probably another story. I’ve met them too and heard their message right in their own churches. Yet these folks also knock on the doors of government in defense of Israel.

If one has never seen thousands of Christians rally for Israel, lobbying Congress, the President, and the like, then please try to imagine that reality. I have…

Such support is critical, especially since we’ve had too many Hebrews who, like Secretary of State James Baker III’s various “Jew Boys”(his own words) or President Obama’s assorted Jewish attack dogs, either due to their allegedly “Progressive” agenda or to advance in their careers, accepted their bosses’ hostility to Israel. Given this, I’ll take my chances with Pastor Hagee any day over such Tribal members.

CUFI, CIPAC, and like organizations are fighting for a better here and now for Israel and its Jews–something too many Jews themselves don’t think twice about undermining. Are they concerned about the Here After too.? Sure! So am I. But the deal is that they don’t get the latter without the former… And that means that, along with my Christian friends (and not all are our friends), I’ll worry about the World To Come after this one is made safer for Israel and Jews–and the rest of the world–in the here and now.