The day I returned from Paris turned out to be the day that America decided to give up on truth and morality. Last Tuesday, the country I love so much decided to give another chance to a man that has proven very little in the last four years. But America has been undergoing a huge demographic shift and along with it, an ideological face lift that has left conservatives across the board pretty much without a plan, at least for now. The result seems to be an attraction to a leader that doesn’t have to prove anything except that he is always up to the next photo op or media event. America has just elected an image of a president and I fear that like most images it has no substance. Does it matter? To most it seems that it doesn’t, but if you have any shred of ethics left in your being, it should!
Our second-term president was no friend of Israel during his first four years, and that was then, when he had to make sure he wouldn’t jeopardize his re-election. He never visited Israel under his first term as a president, but was always available to tour a myriad of Arab countries and bow to sheiks and emirs right and left. So now that he has absolutely nothing to prove, it makes me wonder how far he is willing to go in widening the divide between the USA and Israel? Much is at stake here with Syria, Egypt, Libya and of course the ever volatile and increasingly explosive Iran.
Mr. Obama might very soon lead the USA outside of God’s blessing as he continues to spit in the face of “the apple of God’s eye”. Compromising with the enemy of Israel is only going to ignite God’s ire. Frankly, I think that God has possibly already started to display His discontentment with America in the last few weeks.
Israel’s enemies are becoming emboldened by the apathy of those who once supported the tiny democracy of the Middle East. Do these enemies truly think they are bigger or stronger than God or simply that they are God? What a delusion!
So, for those of us left with a love for God and thus a love for Israel and her people, we have no choice but to PRESS ON AND NOT COMPROMISE. If we are going to undergo persecution (and I believe it is imminent), it might as well be because of our undivided allegiance to the King of kings and Lord of lords and as a result, a love for His people according to the flesh: The Jews. We might even learn a thing or two from the French (I know, it is highly unusual for me to praise my country of origin considering how antisemitic they have been, both historically and recently).
But, it so happened that during WWII in France, there was a small village known as Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, only 40 kms south of Vichy. The village comprised about 5,000 people who for the vast majority were direct descendants of French Huguenots (16th and 17th centuries French members of the Reformed Protestant Church). These people were the closest thing to genuine bible believing Christians France ever saw.
Against all odds, in a France ruled by the hugely antisemitic government of Vichy, Le Chambon went on to take in, protect and help escape about 5,000 Jews. The small village story is one of humility, biblical love, compassion and NO COMPROMISE. But none of the villagers were heroes in their own eyes, they were simply disciples of Yeshua (Jesus) and saw their actions as normal displays of biblical behavior towards mankind.
Their incredible story was miraculous in so many ways. It is retold in a superb documentary titled Weapons of the Spirit. (see preview of the movie here, directed by French Jew Pierre Sauvage who was born and protected in the village during WWII). As you listen to the testimonies of these simple villagers, you come to realize that their respect for the Bible, their commitment to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their love for the chosen people of God were so strong that nothing–not even Nazi Germany or the Vichy Government of Maréchal Pétain–could stop them.
In the next four years, while we cannot stop Barack Obama from being president of the United States and while we cannot make decisions for him and his cabinet, we certainly can do a few things that will resonate with God.
• We can pray for our president to make the right choices
• We can pray for God’s protection over those who respect Him and His Word
• We can chose to NOT COMPROMISE when it comes to supporting Israel.
The villagers at Le Chambon-sur-Lignon never compromised and against all odds were able to save thousands of lives. We have much to learn from a small French village of Huguenots who really put into practice the biblical adage of “loving your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:18, Galatians 5:14, James 2:8), and as the Pierre Sauvage puts it:
You never know who might get caught up in a conspiracy of goodness once you launch it”?
Archives for 2012
Was the Fate of WWII Jews Sealed by the Allies?
While in Paris this week, I had a chance of viewing a new documentary on the Holocaust that caused me to ponder on the fate of my people during WWII. It was extremely uncomfortable to watch, as I discovered what even I had subconsciously buried deep into my own mental archives of the Shoah.
All Christians Are Anti-Semites! Right?
About three weeks ago, I wrote a commentary following a new request made by some Christian leaders and lead by the Presbyterian denomination, asking the US congress to investigate how Israel is using funds and possibly “violating human rights”. In it, I exposed the double-standard used by Presbyterian USA in falsely pointing the finger at Israel. But far worse was done by completely ignoring some real human rights issues such as the $450 million given to Egypt’s leadership while they clearly are tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt’s president Mohammed Mursi has since then showed his true colors as he responded “amen” to an Egyptian cleric’s prayer to destroy Israel. That’s worth 450 million of our American dollars, right?
To be sure, the letter sent to congress wasn’t only signed by Presbyterian leaders. Some Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Mennonites and members of the Church of Christ were quick to join the ranks of the Presbyterian USA denomination and became co-signers. It goes without saying that the statement they made garnered much criticism from the Jewish community.
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) who has been known for being in favor of inter-faith dialogue, finally decided to sever their ties with the “Christian leadership team”. They in turn, wrote a letter back, and cancelled an upcoming interfaith meeting that they would like to see replaced by a summit of all key Church leaders and Jewish community leaders to resolve the issue and build an interfaith future together. JCPA Chair Larry Gold said it best:
Anti-Semitism: From Nuclear Bomb to Cyber Bomb!
Having spent the first 27 years of my life in France, I take pride saying that French people make the best pastries in the world, if not the best food overall. Culturally speaking, over the centuries, France has provided the world with some of the most talented artists, composers, writers, musicians and other creative minds. Frankly, even though I have now been an American citizen for almost eight years, I still very much appreciate my French heritage. There is truth in the statement”You can take me out of France but you can’t take France out of me!”.
This being said, there is one aspect of my heritage that I despise wholeheartedly, and that is the chronic anti-Semitism that has plagued the French people for centuries. Being born out of a Jewish family in Paris and having lost part of that family in the Holocaust, anti-Semitism has been a permanent dark cloud over my family and my people, and as it appears, the cloud is thickening and darkening on an almost daily basis in France. To be sure, France is a symptom of the disease and the rest of the world is certainly not imune.
We have heard from historians that before he was stopped, Hitler was only months away from acquiring the atomic bomb. Had he gotten his hands on the bomb, the consequences would have been catastrophic for Europe in general and Jewish people in particular. Then again if you ask me, for someone “without the bomb” he did a pretty thorough job in his attempt to completely annihilate European Jewry!
The question I have come to ask myself is: What would have Hitler done if he had the “cyber bomb” at his disposal?
Hitler might be long gone, but his disciples live on. Today’s anti-Semites might not be in a position to drop a nuclear warhead on the Jews (except maybe Iran on Israel if we don’t stop them very soon). Nevertheless, the advent of the Internet has allowed Jew haters to spread propaganda against my people at warp speed and to more people than Hitler could have ever dreamed of. The recruiting of a global army against the Jews has never been easier than in our age of world wide web, Internet and social medias. The technology is constantly moving forward, and the creative minds of those who seek to demonize the Jews are flowing with ideas. These ideas are translated into slander, libel and hate crimes faster than one can push the “enter” key on their keyboard. As the old monster of Jew hatred is getting a global face lift, anti-Semites around the globe gather in a constant virtual community where they congregate and conspire against Israel and the Jewish people.
On October 10, Twitter® was bombarded with tweets originated from France and connected to #unbonjuif, meaning “a good Jew”. A plethora of tweets were received, sent and re-tweeted and are now causing the authorities to discuss if and where the line was crossed between freedom of speech and hate crime. One is to wonder how much damage can be done in the short string of words constituting a tweet, I will let you decide as you read some of them here:
• A good Jew is a dead Jew
• A good Jew should be done medium/rare
• A good Jew doesn’t exist
• A good Jew is hard to cook
Of course, if that doesn’t convince you, maybe tweets linking to a picture of a concentration camp or to a picture of a pile of ashes will help you see the sickness in all this. Critics of the tweets were quickly told that the people behind the messages were “spoofing kindly”. I’d hate to see what they would say if they were really anti-Semitic?
Tweets are the cyber-graffiti of the 21st century. They allow people to express their opinions, but with much more danger than the old school spray paint on the building wall.
• While painted graffiti expressed an opinion that mostly remained anonymous, tweets are attached to people and always have an identity.
• While graffiti became disconnected from their author the moment he/she left the area where the slogan had been placed, tweets become instantly interconnected to a global network of millions. All we have to do is look at how the “Arab Spring” was kept informed to understand the power of the social media.
• While it is still possible (yet often difficult) to catch and stop the author of a graffiti in the act and charge him/her accordingly (including making them clean the surface they had defaced), it is somewhat impossible to stop Twitter® from spreading a tweet once it has gone viral.
Twitter® and Facebook® currently provide a platform that unfortunately is legally uncharted. Much remains to be discovered, monitored and controlled. In the meantime, the old monster of anti-Semitism will continue to tighten its grip on my people. Propaganda, recruiting and calls to action will only increase in occurrence and intensity.
Anti-Semitism has been viral in the hearts of many for centuries, and I am terrified to see the damage it could do once it really goes viral in cyberspace. I am afraid that it is well on its way already, and once again, it would behoove us to speak up against it. After all, if Twitter® and Facebook® can be used for evil, they certainly can be used for good. The choice is ours!
Christians Demand for Israel’s Hands to be Tied!
Israel’s foes have always been numerous. From the day God orchestrated the birth of the People and Nation of Israel, her enemies have been working overtime towards her complete annihilation. One creative way after another, the enemies of God’s people have attempted to eradicate Israel and the Jewish people from the face of the earth. Every angle imaginable, being historical, geographical, racial, political, has been used. I am always amazed at the energy consumed by the world to demonize Israel. The scapegoats of humanity continue to be the recipients of the world’s hatred (directed behind the scene by the ultimate enemy of God: Satan himself).
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- …
- 9
- Next Page »