Christian Attitudes

Link: http://www.israpundit.com/2006/?p=1667#more-1667

Did you know that the Archbishop of Canterbury is a Christian Zionist? I expect that came as a surprise to him, too. The extremists in Sabeel will condemn someone merely for pointing out that terrorism is wrong. A Christian Zionist ? a Christian who believes in a Jewish right to self-determination in a state of their own ? is a reasonable and just thing to be, but Sabeel demonizes them.

Sabeel?s attack on the Archbishop occurred during its fifth international conference in 2004, according to Shelley Neese of The Jerusalem Connection The conference addressed what Sabeel ?perceives as one of the world?s biggest threats: Christian Zionism.? The members accused Christians who support Israel of failing to complain about Israeli actions, while Sabeel carefully avoids even a whisper of criticism of terrorist acts. Well, there was just a faint whisper, but that soon turned into a murmur of admiration for terrorists.

There is certain hypocrisy though to Sabeel?s accusations against Christian Zionists for turning a blind eye. While reading Challenging Christian Zionism, it does not take long to notice the apparent censorship of criticism for Palestinian terrorism. Excluding one lecture by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, in 328 pages of enumerating the problems that plague the region, terrorism is mentioned only four times. To be sure, counting those four references, totaling fifteen lines, is being very generous because at no point is Palestinian violence ever referred to as terrorism. ?Resistance? is the term of choice and ?suicide bombings? are never named. Also, Palestinian violence is never actually denounced. Instead, it is excused in subsequent sentences as an understandable reaction to the ills of ?occupation.?

And the faint whisper?

Out of the four speakers who mention terror, Revd. Dr. Elias Chacour is the only one to say ?we cannot agree with terror? and to acknowledge the fact that there are Israeli civilians who have died. Immediately after this disclaimer, however, he refers to terrorists as martyrs.

In contrast with the immoral approach of the creeps around him, Rowan Williams stands out as heroic and honest. But all he does is tell the truth.

Only one of the conference?s thirty-one speakers denounced terrorism for its ugliness or acknowledged the holocaust and centuries of Jewish persecution. In any other setting Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams would not be considered a pro-Israel sympathizer, but in the company of the other self-censoring speakers Williams was accused of what in Sabeel?s opinion is the worst of crimes?being ?a kind of Christian Zionist.? This label was forced on him because he made due reference to Scripture as proof that Jews do have a special place under God. His speech provoked so much ?outrage? and ?disappointment? that the last three chapters of the book are critical responses to his address.

Sabeel is a heretical Christian organization. Its beliefs are based on the old heresy of Marcionism and on hatred (which is opposed to Christ?s law of love). Being heretical but also blind to its own obvious faults, it screams: ?Heresy!? at others whose right behaviour puts them at variance with Sabeel. Even denouncing terrorism and acknowledging the Holocaust is heretical to the twisted souls who occupy the Sabeel movement.

More on Sabeel and Marcionism here.