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Before he was president-elect, Donald Trump sat down with CBN's David Brody to talk about issues Christians face both in the United States and abroad. As Trump prepares to take office, we're looking back at his religious liberty statements that eventually got him elected.
In an exclusive interview with The Brody File, Donald Trump says that if he runs for president of the United States, he will be the "greatest representative of the Christians they've had in a long time."
He says he's outraged over the fact that many Christians are stuck in Syria and Iraq even though they want to come to the United States.
Trump sat down with The Brody File in Iowa this past weekend. Watch the clip below along with a transcription.
David Brody:Conservative Christians are concerned about the deterioration of this culture. They are concerned about the marriage issue. What is your message to them on religious liberty and on religious freedom? What are your thoughts about that? What is your message to them specifically?
Donald Trump:Well, it's a very big message. As you know, I am Protestant. I am Presbyterian. Most people don't know that. They have no idea. I'm proud of it. I'm very proud of it.
One of the things I learned this weekend being in Iowa, I met with a lot of national security experts and everything else, that if you're a Christian living in Syria you can't come into this country. Yet, if you are a Muslim living in Syria, who are not under attack, they can come in.
But we have Christians being beheaded all over the world by ISIS. In Syria and in Iraq, in particular, those Christians can't come into this country.
You say what you want but this is really something. That's a lack of respect for us. If you're a Muslim, you can come into the country very easy. If you're from Europe and you're a Muslim, you can come in. But if you are from Europe and you're a Christian you can't come in, meaning it's almost impossible.
So you tell me about religious liberty and freedom. The Christians are being treated horribly because we have nobody to represent the Christians. Believe me, if I run and I win, I will be the greatest representative of the Christians they've had in a long time.
If you're wondering what Trump is referring to above, read these articles here and here to get up to speed on his thinking.
Brody File Analysis
Hey look, you may not think of Donald Trump and evangelicals as being the perfect fit, but that would be a lazy misread of the situation. I'm not saying Trump is a hit with all evangelicals. I know his egotism can rub some the wrong way. But let me clue you in to a little secret: Trump's ability to cut through the clutter and paint the world in "absolutes" attracts quite a few evangelical voters.
Remember, evangelicals hold true to their "biblical absolutes" so to see a person like Trump let it rip and tell it like it is becomes a somewhat endearing quality to some evangelicals. Trump takes hits for his boldness and evangelicals take hits from society for their biblical boldness too.
See the parallel? Those who think Trump would just be a presidential sideshow may want to think again if he jumps in. Let's be honest: He has a huge megaphone and so he's going to make news wherever he goes. Trump's challenge (if he gets in) will be to lay out a cohesive message that becomes less about him and his personality and more about the voters he's looking to attract.
I think a "Donald Trump Listening Tour Across America" would be in order. This way Trump makes voters the priority. It would throw the media off their tired narrative and give Trump the upper hand. Having the upper hand is always good in business negotiations and, to coin a phrase, it can also be the "art of the deal" in politics too.
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Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign staffers don't have a very nice opinion about Catholics, evangelicals or socially conservative Christians. (Reuters photo)
What Do the 'Catholic Emails' Say About the Clinton Campaign's View on Evangelicals?
By now, everyone has heard about the emails between Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, and a liberal advocacy group that was bent on launching a "Catholic Spring" uprising.
The goal: to get the Roman Catholic Church to "soften" its positions on key social issues, such as abortion and same-sex "marriage." And not surprisingly—according to a batch of "Podesta emails" released by WikiLeaks—the Clinton camp thought that would be a splendid idea.
The "Catholic Emails" weren't just an attack on Catholics, but rather an attack on Christians in general.
One particular email included mockery and bigotry that would have been deemed unbearable if they had been uttered by someone with an "R" behind his or her name. In it, John Halpin, a "senior fellow" at the Center for American Progress, asserted:
Friggin' Murdoch baptized his kids in Jordan where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. Many of the most powerful elements of the conservative movement are all Catholic (many converts) from the SC and think tanks to the media and social groups. It's an amazing bastardization of the faith. They must be attracted to the systematic thought and severely backwards gender relations and must be totally unaware of Christian democracy.
The email was sent to Podesta and Clinton Campaign Communications Director Jennifer Palmieri. Palmieri—who at the time the email was sent was also working for the Center for American Progress—was the first to respond:
I imagine they think it is the most socially acceptable politically conservative religion. Their rich friends wouldn't understand if they became evangelicals.
Podesta then chimed in:
Excellent point. They can throw around "Thomistic" thought and "subsidiarity" and sound sophisticated because no one knows what the [expletive] they're talking about.
Donald Trump's campaign convened a meeting of its Catholic Advisory Group on Wednesday to address the issue. And several members of the group released the following statement:
For 30 years, Hillary Clinton has harbored open and extreme hostility to issues of importance to Catholics. She is for partial-birth abortion and thinks taxpayers should pay for it. She also supports denying full and free exercise of the Catholic faith of the Little Sisters of the Poor, who have taken care of the elderly poor since 1839, through Obamacare's HHS mandate, recently struck down by the Supreme Court. The mandate would have forced these Catholic sisters to pay for contraceptives and abortion pills in their health care plan or else face crippling government fines that would have shut their doors and ended their charitable work if they refused to abide by this onerous and unconstitutional rule.
The emails published by WikiLeaks reveal the depths of the hostility of Hillary Clinton and her campaign toward Catholics, and the open anti-Catholic bigotry of her senior advisors, who attack the deeply held beliefs and theology of Catholics.
These Clinton advisers, viciously mocking Catholics as they have, turn the clock back to the days of the 20th century "No Catholics Need Apply" type of discrimination.
Hillary Clinton and her campaign should be ashamed of themselves and should immediately apologize to all Catholics and people of good will in the United States.
The same could apply to evangelicals too.
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Evangelical historian David Barton, founder of WallBuilders, suggested recently that Donald Trump "may be God's guy for right now." (WallBuilders Official Image)
Last week, during a broadcast of the "WallBuilders Live" program, David Barton addressed a question on many evangelical Christians' minds.
One listener named Pat, who claimed to be a delegate to the Republican National Convention from Washington State, wrote in that he didn't think he could vote for GOP presidential nominee-in-waiting Donald Trump. He then asked if there was anything delegates could do to stop Trump's nomination.
Barton—who formerly ran one of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz' Super PACs—offered an answer the caller likely wasn't expecting to hear.
"There's a lot of people frustrated with Trump," he said. "So, what do we do as Christians? There's several things we can do. One is we can look for biblical examples, and a biblical example is you have a lot of times that God chooses people who aren't God-fearing people to be people who really help His people."
He pointed to the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who "wasn't a God guy," but was declared to be the Lord's servant. He added that while Trump has acknowledged some Christian leanings, he hasn't exhibited a "relationship with Christ" in the manner in which he conducts himself.
"Is it out of the realm of possibility that this is God's guy for right now, even though he really is not a God guy?" he asked rhetorically. "The answer is 'no.' It's not outside the realm of possibility."
Barton said, regardless of who wins the election, Trump has already "busted the back of political correctness" and Americans now feel compelled to speak out about things they might not have previously.
"He's spoken out, and he takes a beating, and people keep liking it," he said. "The bigger the beating he took, the greater his numbers became, and the polls showed he really tapped into people being angry and tired of political correctness."
As a result, Barton said, Trump isn't "beat up" quite as often about his statements, because there's an understanding that he's got the people on his side. A "regular God guy" might not have been able to have had the same impact on political correctness.
"So that's already one good thing that has come."
Barton's co-host, Rick Green, added: "So really you're saying is we don't know necessarily the pieces of the puzzle God is moving around here. It's not always the piece we might've necessarily wanted to pick up and use, but that's how He's wiser than us. Who are we to say whether or not this is a Cyrus or a Nebuchadnezzar, or those kind of situations where God can still use him if he's the nominee?"
"Well, one thing I know for sure is that in this race of primaries, we had a lot of really good God guys in there," Barton responded. "And we had a huge turnout of professing Christians and evangelicals and others, so there is nothing to complain about about 'We didn't get a voice, we didn't have a candidate.' We had great candidates to choose from, and this is who the people chose with a really high turnout of evangelicals, so I kind of look back and say, 'Hmmm. I wonder where God's fingerprint is in all this.'"
Trump's political rise isn't necessarily a failure of the church, he added. And while he may not have been committed Christians' preferred candidate, that doesn't mean he may not be God's candidate.
"We may look back in a few years and say, 'Wow, he really did some things that none of us expected,'" he said. "So I am fully open to the possibility that because we did everything as Christians we could—we can't complain about our turnout, we can't complain about our quality of candidates, and this is what the people chose—I'm a whole lot more open to the fact that God may have something going here that is bigger than what we think or see."
Barton also pointed out Trump is a successful CEO who manages a wide array of business entities, and there are very few people in the world "worth $5.6 billion." He said the GOP nominee-in-waiting got to be successful by picking people who knew what they were doing and could get the job done.
He also said the nomination of judges is another key factor to consider. He said he was pleasantly surprised by Trump's "short list" of 11 potential Supreme Court nominees.
Addressing the remainder of the original question, Barton said Cruz would not support any effort to derail the nomination process. And, he noted the Republican National Committee is unlikely to allow any opening for rules changes during next week's convention in Cleveland.
"In 1 Timothy, we're told when you're running a race, you don't get crowned the winner unless you run according to the rules," he said. "That's process. You may be a great athlete, but if you don't compete within the rules, you won't win."
Instead, Barton said the focus should be on preventing efforts to change the GOP platform in ways that take it away from defending life and biblical marriage. He doesn't think that will happen, but acknowledged there are several well-funded efforts to try.
"We certainly know that from a worldview standpoint as a Christian, Hillary's worldview is much more contrary to where we are on religious liberty, rights of conscience, life, and traditional marriage," he said. "So, we'll see what happens."
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NEW YORK -- Donald Trump seemed to help his case after meeting with hundreds of evangelical leaders in Times Square on Tuesday. He's going to need that crucial voting bloc to have a real shot at winning the presidency.
From mega-church pastors to longtime stalwarts, they heard Trump speak out about defending religious liberty, including his desire to get rid of IRS restrictions that muzzles political talk from the pulpit. Trump said a repeal may be "my biggest contribution to Christianity."
In that room, among the 900 or so evangelical leaders, there were quite a few who were not for Trump going into the meeting. After the meeting some minds seemed to change.
"The ball has moved forward a little bit. And I appreciate Mr. Trump's willingness to reach out to the evangelical community," said Matt Barber, founder and editor-in chief of BarbWire.com.
"After hearing him today, I will prayerfully consider it as a possibility, in light of the alternative," reflected Barber.
That alternative is Hillary Clinton. Trump made clear his Supreme Court picks would make them proud, unlike what Clinton might bring to the table.
Trump also talked about how evangelicals need to band together because their rights and values are under attack.
What pleased some attendees was that Trump didn't appear to make any major mistakes or give reason for pause.
"I can't remember any time during the several hours this morning that his answer disappointed or that there was chagrin about it," recalled Gary Bauer, president of American Values.
Trump's senior adviser, Sarah Huckabee, also attended the event.
"He did something that most Republican nominees in the past have refused to do and that's walk into this room and be willing to sit down, take their questions and really interact with them in a very big way," Huckabee told CBN News.
With some evangelicals still wary, the brash outsider will need more outreach, but for now at least, it seems to be working.
"As it pertains to the evangelical vote and the candidacy of Donald J. Trump, today's meeting may very well be a tipping point," predicted Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.
A pro-family leader, Rodriguez says he knew plenty of pastors who were skeptical before the meeting, but inside, something changed, he said.
"After hearing his commitment, his very well-defined, articulated commitment to religious liberty and life, the Supreme Court especially, I think you saw a number of the same pastors walk out going, 'that's what I needed to hear," Rodriguez said.
And that's something the Trump campaign needed to hear after a rough few weeks of headlines.
It will be important for them to build on any progress here by getting evangelicals to move beyond words and work actively for Trump among their flocks.
*CBN neither supports nor opposes any candidate for public office.
“For Zion’s sake will I not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her triumph go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a torch that burneth.” Isaiah 62:1 (The Israel Bible™)
There are nearly one million Israelis living in the United States forming roughly one third of the entire pro-Israel Jewish camp. However, Adam Milstein, chairman of the Israeli-American Council (IAC), hopes to have an even larger voice in support of Israel, by connecting Israelis living in America with Evangelical Christian Zionists.
Sitting down with Breaking Israel News, Milstein explained that the IAC sees the Evangelical community as natural allies in the fight for Israel. “We share the same values, the same beliefs and share a common enemy.”
While the American Jewish establishment has been slow in accepting the friendship and support of the Christian Zionist community, Milstein sees the IAC differently: “Israelis are more pragmatic”.
Adam Milstein speaking at an Israeli-American Council event. (Photo: Adam Milstein Facebook)
The real estate entrepreneur and philanthropist is one of the leading voices in the fight against BDS through his prolific presence on Social Media. Milstein was named one of the 25 most influential people on ‘Jewish Twitter’ and writes a regular column for the Huffington Post.
“I look at BDS as a movement to eradicate the State of Israel. It’s not about the economy. They want to destroy us,” Milstein told Breaking Israel News.
However, Milstein’s warning about BDS takes the argument a step further. He has used his platform on social media to call out notorious leaders of BDS for not only their anti-Semitic vitriol, but their animosity towards America.
“BDS leaders hate America’s leadership role around the world,” Milstein wrote in the Huffington Post, quoting Purdue University professor Bill Mullen, who said, “We can build a still-stronger BDS movement beginning in the name of Palestinian freedom and ending in a permanent blow against American empire.”
Milstein warned, “BDS leaders hate America’s democracy – and have even called for violent attacks to overturn our democratic system.” He cited Berkeley Professor Hatem Bazian, the founder of Students for Justice in Palestine who incited a San Francisco rally, who said, “Are you angry? Well, we’ve been watching intifada in Palestine, we’ve been watching an uprising in Iraq, and the question is that what are we doing? How come we don’t have an intifada (armed struggle) in this country…and it’s about time that we have an intifada in this country that change[s] fundamentally the political dynamics in here…They’re going to say [that] some Palestinians are being too radical; well, you haven’t seen radicalism yet!”
For these reasons, it’s a mistake to see BDS as a Jewish problem, claims Milstein.
Adam Milstein (standing, right) along with Sheldon Adelson (seated, right) and Chaim Saban (seated, left) in Las Vegas at the Campus Maccabee Summit in June 2015. (Adam Milstein Facebook)
Of late, Milstein has expanded his network from the influential Jewish mega donors such as Sheldon Adelson and Chaim Saban, with whom he co-founded the Campus Maccabees in June 2015.
For his most recent article, Milstein joined forces with Pastor Carlos Ortiz and co-authored “A Common Fight: Why Christians and Jews are Coming Together to Defeat Hate and Intolerance”.
In the article, the Israeli-American Jew and the Hispanic Pastor warn, “We must not be fooled: BDS was born from a radical Islamic ideology in the Middle East that not only hates Judaism, but also Christianity and America.”
Christians are perhaps drawn to Donald Trump because of the lack of genuine church prophets speaking bluntly in congregations. (Reuters)
Lack of Genuine Church Prophets Birthed Trump Phenomenon
Innumerable it seems are the issues facing the nation. Abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, self defense and ownership of guns, marriage, parental rights, pornography, gambling, alcohol use and abuse, drugs, the environment, crime, corruption in government, government assistance, national defense, foreign policy, freedom of speech, religious liberty, etc., etc., etc.
What seems glaringly scarce are genuine prophets. The prophets of old were God's spokesman for their day. They interpreted the times according to the revelation of God.
There is a sense in which every pastor must play the role of the prophet. Yet today such preaching would be enough to put goose bumps on the back of the pews of most churches.
W. Phillip Keller has eloquently written:
"In so many places the pastors and teachers are well-nigh silent about social ills. They make no strong stand against those elements that are destroying their people. They carry no deep conviction about the corruption all about them. They will not risk a confrontation with the forces of evil. Their silence gives tacit approval to the wrong influences and human philosophies which are tearing us to pieces.
"The leaders are fearful lest they be blamed eccentrics, puritans, or prophets of doom. They much prefer to be popular."
Some evangelical leaders seem mystified by presidential candidate Donald Trump, and his lead in the polls among evangelical voters. Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association has accurately stated that there is really "little to be liked in the Donald's worldview and personal history."
I would agree, but perhaps it's that a vast host of evangelicals are drawn to something Trump does that they rarely hear in the pulpits of their own churches. He speaks with passion, boldness, and authority. Americans, including evangelical Christians, are tired of leaders who have little or no moxie.
I suggest the nation has been deprived of prophets — prophets like those described in the Scriptures — men who had great capacity for emotion — men who were capable of deep feelings. Men who had fire in their bellies and their words could breathe fire in righteous indignation. At other times there utterances would be mingled with tears.
The late G. Earl Guinn, who was once the Chairman of the Department of Preaching at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, put it this way: "The true man of God can weep at suffering, he can get downright mad at sin, and he can rejoice at moral progress."
Richard Baxter wrote: "I preach as though I were never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men."
Too much preaching today fails to be based solidly in the moral authority of God's Word and delivered out of deep conviction. Instead, it is made up of nice little warm fuzzy remarks sprinkled with a few anecdotes meant to make us feel good about ourselves, when the very wrath of God abides on us. The results of such preaching are devastating on more levels than we can know.
It is not hyperbole to say that our culture is quickly headed for destruction. The hope for our restoration lies in remedies of the heart, where our problems really exist. The sickness killing us is our willful rejection of God and his order.
But to quote again from G. Earl Guinn: "Apparently instead of hearing prophets of God sounding a trumpet call to obedience and faith, they have heard inoffensive little men tooting piccolos and then running to the door [of the church] to grin like Cheshire cats at those whose compliments are demanded by their itching ears."
Indeed. Where are the prophets?
Jesus was the ultimate prophet. He wasn't concerned about being palatable or appealing. His message was distinct and divergent from a corrupt society. His zeal for the Father's way so consumed Him that at times it must have seemed as though He was trying to prevent the possibility of followers.
He made tall demands, calling for hardship and cross-bearing. He warned that anyone who would be His disciple would experience alienation from friends and even family members.
He spoke against entrenched evil and misguided powers; powers that precipitated injustice, powers that, humanly speaking, He could only offend to his own disadvantage and never possibly overcome.
He demonstrated by both His life and words that the Creator God is Holy and demands the same of those made in His image. Moreover, in the end, He was willing to lay down everything to redeem the ones who failed to understand Him and were hostile to His ministry.
Where are the prophets like Jesus?
During the War of 1812, the fate of our nation depended on Andrew Jackson's trusted messenger, Holdfast Gaines, an Indian scout.
Gaines was encamped with the American army on Mobile Bay when word came to Jackson that a large British force had set sail for New Orleans. The one chance was for the General to swiftly get word to General "Dandy" Carroll in Nashville, so he could rally the long rifle frontiersman of Tennessee and Kentucky to rendezvous with him in New Orleans.
But how was this to be done with 600 miles of wilderness between them?
General Jackson's prospects of stopping the British lie with one man — Gaines. So he gave his trusted messenger the assignment and said, "I'll give you ten days to get there! May the Lord of hosts bless your legs!"
At sunset, as General Carroll sat dining, Holdfast Gaines stumbled through the doorway, making the 600 mile trek in six days and five nights!
General Carroll rallied the long riflemen and met up with General Jackson in New Orleans. The British were defeated. New Orleans was saved because the messenger laid everything on the line to deliver his message.
The fate of our nation hangs in the balance again. It's not an enemy from without that threatens this time, but the enemy from within our sinful souls. Our hope, in large degree, is dependent on whether we have prophets of God willing to pay any price to deliver his message.
Mark H. Creech is the Executive Director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina, Inc.
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Amid the recent eruption of violence and the escalating threat of war in the Middle East, a new poll found 79 percent of evangelicals believe "unfolding violence across the Middle East is a sign that the end times are nearer."
In comparison, only 43 percent of non-evangelical Christians believe terrorism in the Middle East is a sign of the apocalypse.
The poll, conducted by the Brookings Institute's Center for Middle East Policy, also found that 63 percent of evangelicals believe that for the rapture or Second Coming to occur, it is essential for current-day Israel to "include all the land they believe was promised to Biblical Israel in the Old Testament."
"These numbers are very striking on the end of days theology that these respondents claim motivate them," Politico editor Susan Glasser said during a discussion after the release of the poll at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
So what does this mean for us? Watch the video to see!
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Netanyahu: 'Israel Has No Better Friends' Than Evangelicals
Black lights and sensational music. Dancing. Prayer. Charity. A march of thousands of colors from more than 80 nations—a march in solidarity with Israel. In essence, it's Jerusalem's Christian Zionist Super Bowl.
Such was the scene of the 36th annual Feast of Tabernacles conference and celebration, hosted by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) from Sept. 27-Oct. 1. The event brought more than 5,000 people to the Israeli capital, including more than 50 pro-Israel Christian parliamentarians and government officials from more than two-dozen countries. Several African nations sent a large delegation of cabinet ministers and members of parliament (MPs) to officially represent their countries.
According to Dr. Jurgen Buhler, executive director of ICEJ, the median age of attendees was between 30 and 40. The weeklong festivities mark Israel's largest annual event for tourists and the largest solidarity mission to the Jewish state this year, injecting an estimated $16 million into the Israeli economy.
In a video speech Sept. 29, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the Christian Zionist attendees for their "unfaltering, enthusiastic support [of Israel] over the years."
"Israel has no better friends around the world," he said.
Similarly, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said, "Not everyone in the world seeks the best for Jerusalem. There are people that challenge our history. Sometimes, we feel alone. ... Your friendship is warming our hearts. I want to thank you for your prayers and your unprecedented support and passion."
In a speech that pulled heavily from the Torah, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin spoke to thunderous applause. He said his Jewish ancestors of 2,400 years prior could not have envisioned the ingathering to Jerusalem of Jews from around the world—from Russia, Ethiopia, North America, Morocco, to build farms and villages and make the desert bloom.
"Yes, my dear friends, the return to Zion is not just the redemption of the Jewish people alone. It should give hope to all mankind. Indeed, it would change the world. ... Thank you for standing with us. Pray for the people of Jerusalem—may it prosper. God bless," said Rivlin.
The focus of this year's Feast was "The Evangelical Revolution and its Potential for Israel," and conference sessions honed in on the impact rising evangelical support could have on the Jewish state—politically and economically.
According to an ICEJ backgrounder, among the estimated 2 billion Christians in the world today, as many as 700 million are considered evangelicals, and it is the fastest-growing stream of Christianity. If current trends continue, there will be an estimated 1 billion Evangelicals within the next 20 years.
"This all holds great potential for the nation of Israel in political, diplomatic, and economic terms, as a substantial majority of evangelical Christians tend to hold favorable views of Israel," ICEJ said in a statement.
Evangelical Christianity emerged out of the Protestant Reformation in Europe in the 16th century. When Martin Luther translated the Bible into common German (and others later into other common languages), it allowed Christians to discern for themselves whether official church teachings were truly aligned with God. Many of these nascent church movements also rediscovered the individualist experience of being "born again," the hallmark of evangelism today.
Rev. Dennis Balcombe, the longest-serving Western evangelical missionary to China, explained that a movement of underground evangelism in China that grew from a few thousand faithful some 45 years ago now boasts an estimated 130 million followers.
"There are more Christians in China than in North America," Balcombe said. "China's doors are opening. The Lord said, 'Behold, I have set before you an open door.' ... The people of China are tired of Communism or persecution, of being beaten by the police, of prison. Now, many leaders are turning to Jesus Christ."
It is estimated that 30 percent of China will be evangelical within 30 years.
In India and Africa, too, the evangelical movement has taken root. According to Dr. Vishai Mangalwadi, India is now home to more than 100 million Christians. Within 20 years, India is likely to be 20-percent Christian.
The most dramatic growth in the evangelical movement is occurring within what some call the "Global South"—Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. The continent of Africa alone has seen a dramatic increase in Christian identification, from 10 million Christians in 1900 to 493 million in 2010. The projected growth in Africa is expect to exceed 1 billion evangelical Christians by 2050.
How has this happened? According to Nanasso Amina, a Feast of Tabernacles delegate from Cameroon, the vehicle is "friendship evangelism."
"We win their confidence and then present Christ to them," she told JNS.org.
This "friendship evangelism" was the impetus for a controversial statement by Israel's chief rabbis shortly before the ICEJ-hosted Feast. In a letter dated Sept. 3, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau and Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yizak Yosef accused the annual celebration by evangelical Christians in Jerusalem of being an effort to convert Jews to Christianity. They called the event "spiritually dangerous."
Like the rabbis, Ruth Guggenheim—executive director of Jews for Judaism, an organization that seeks to counteract proselytizing—was wary of the Feast's intentions, saying, "There is a tremendous power in being immersed in their prayer services. 'Davidic dance' programs and various workshop festivities can be very seductive and overwhelming." She added, "All one needs to do is Google 'Messianic Judaism Israel' and you will see the level of sophistication and number of [websites] directly targeting Jews for conversion."
But David Parsons, ICEJ's media director, countered Guggenheim's assertion by explaining that evangelicals make up less than 1 percent of Israel's population and that their missionary activity mainly target the Muslim-Arab population.
Dr. Naim Khoury, a pastor in Bethlehem, said he has seen more "Arabs and Palestinians open to the gospel" in recent years. He noted that conversions to Christianity need to take place covertly and that most individuals who chose faith in Jesus leave the disputed territories for abroad, where they can live freely. He noted that when a Muslim chooses Christianity, it is often based on a spiritual reflection.
"They reflect on what is happening in the Middle East, the terrorism, and they question their faith," he said.
Leading up the Feast, ICEJ responded to the chief rabbis' letter by stating that the organization "has always respected and upheld the laws of the State of Israel, including those covering missionary activities, and it is regrettable that the Chief Rabbinate acted solely on the misrepresentations of those bearing false witness against us."
Former Knesset member Rabbi Dov Lipman, who spoke at the Jerusalem conference, said he has learned over the years that Israel is not only isolated, but doesn't have many friends around the world—and that it has found a stalwart friend in the evangelical community.
"I believe that the way Israel can win in the public diplomacy war in South America, Africa, Europe" is to engage the Christian community, "and we have to embrace that relationship," said Lipman.
In Lipman's estimation, Jews have the right to be both "suspicious" and "skeptical" of evangelical support. But "if we pull away from that and focus on what we share, this could be the most important relationship for Israel," he said.
Several Pacific Island nations showed their religiously motivated support for Israel in recent years through their pro-Israel voting patterns in the United Nations General Assembly. Two years ago, Nigeria, for the first time in its history, abandoned its traditional pro-Palestinian position at the U.N. when the Palestinian Authority sought to secure statehood in the Security Council. Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan made a decision to abstain from the deliberation, playing a role in keeping the Palestinian from attaining enough votes to force a U.S. veto of the statehood measure.
"The vast majority of Zionists around the world are not Jewish, but Christian believers in the Bible that want to stand with Israel," said Calev Myers, founder of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice. "We need to equip them. It is much better for a blue-eyed, blond girl from Sweden to deliver the message of Israel and defend us abroad than for Israelis to try to defend themselves."
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