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John Hagee’s Crusade for Israel |
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John Hagee’s nights “to honor Israel” do nothing to honor Israel. Instead, they bring to light some fundamental philosophical and theological differences between most modern Jews and a large portion of fundamentalist Christians.
Christians United for Israel, Hagee’s organization, is led by several prominent far-right evangelical leaders, including the recently departed Jerry Falwell, Gary Bauer, and the head of the Christian Broadcasting Network, the channel that spews Pat Robertson’s filth.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to honor the Jewish people and the Jewish state while advancing a homophobic, anti-feminist, anti-environmentalist (pdf), and theocratic political agenda. To truly honor the Jewish people, evangelicals should hearken to Jewish ideas of equality, social justice, religious liberty, and environmental stewardship. Until evangelicals abandon the politics of hate and divisiveness, many modern Jews will not be comfortable allying with them on the issue of Israel.
In addition, a lot of Jews are uncomfortable with the apocalyptic undertones of Hagee’s organization. Many of the far-right leaders who are involved in Hagee’s organization believe in biblical literalism, and their support of Israel is based on a belief that the establishment of a secure Jewish state will lead directly to the second coming of Jesus and the apocalypse.
I don’t really think that one can truly “support Israel” if that support is rooted in the forced conversion of the Jewish people to Christianity in the “end times.” One simply cannot genuinely honor the Jewish people while secretly hoping for our destruction.
The support for Israel expressed by leaders like Hagee is unconditional to the point of fanaticism. Many of these evangelical leaders seek only to establish a “greater Israel” without involving themselves in real issues. CUFI’s mandate seems to be a purely Biblical one, with no practical grounding in the geopolitical complexities of the issues. Pure, unquestioning, hardline support for Israel, without such understanding, is not only meaningless, it is dangerous.
Many progressive Jews favor a more balanced perspective. We recognize that support for Israel means engaging in the ongoing debate about how best to secure its future, and that compromises must be made on both sides to achieve a lasting peace in the region. We are not afraid to criticize the Israeli government when it does something wrong, and we recognize that, eventually, most of the settlements will have to be dismantled. We are engaged in Israel’s future in a real and meaningful way, participating actively in the growth of a Jewish state that honors our traditions, respects our values, and lives at peace with its neighbors. Hagee’s hardline bullhorn and Falwell’s support for such far-right Israeli leaders as Benjamin Netanyahu only hamper our efforts and bring further division to an already impossible situation.
True support of Israel means support for the Jewish people, as we are, and of our right to religious freedom in our homeland and here in this country. Religious freedom means freedom for all religions, and freedom from interference in our religious affairs. Evangelicals are free to support Israel, but that support must be genuine, and engaged in the real struggle for a lasting peace in the region. Until the evangelical community, and CUFI in particular, gains a more realistic, moderate, and socially progressive perspective, most Jews will not want to ally with them on Israel.
Ethan Jones is a Jewish writer living in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his life partner and a one-eyed Tonkinese cat named Cosette. He is also the blogmaster of Sinister, which can be found at http://lefthandedblog.blogspot.com.
I enjoyed your article Ethan. Viewed one way, evangelicals like Hagee have the same utility for Jews and Israel that the Neocons within the Republican party have, of recent, shown for evangelicals. They will support the cause, positioning themselves as fighting the same battle, but not because (I believe) they sincerely wish it well, or are entirely sympathetic to its aims. It’s done simply to further an agenda of their own. In the case of the Evangelicals they want to bring on the end of the world. For the Neocons, many of the hysterical, exaggeration prone ilk would argue it’s the same. I wouldn’t, but it is interesting to note the symmetry between the relationships of the groups.
This piece is well-written, informative, and above all sober. I think it is hard for many Americans to discuss anything Israel-related these days with any degree of calmness, but here you have achieved that.
The support of evangelicals for Israel, when it is motivated by a desire to hasten the end times, is certainly underhanded.
I would love to see a follow-up piece addressing the current direction of the Israeli state from a progressive Jewish perspective.
I would like to see this too!
As a progressive Jew (I suppose) myself, I honestly don’t think I have too many good things to say about Isreal. However, I this piece makes me wonder about the motivations behind the US’s strong support for Isreal. Certainly, things may not be as straightforward as they seem.
Pastor John Hagee does not force the issue of converting jews to christianity. He shares his faith and let the jews decide for themselves.There is nothing wrong with that.Jews have to hear whether Jesus is indeed the Messiah or not. The jews have a way of checking the matter in their on Torah.Anyway, Jesus came from Israel, a jew himself; his early apostles and disciples are jews likewise. Jesus before he was arrested, was celebrating the Paasover- a jewish tradition.
Jews have to re think one of their own. Yeshua. Before the gospel reached the gentiles, like us, it reached Jerusalem, Samaria and the entire Israel nation.
Its been tw thousand yeares ago ever since Jesus step in tghe land of israel. Yet, his movement did not die a natural death but his believers continue to grow all around the world and conquered the migjhty America. In addition, many jews have accepted him as the messiah without leaving their jewishness. That must be something to think about, worthy to contemplate.
That may,(it may offend a lot of people),possibly be the hand of God.Jews have to rethink the “stone which the builder rejected”. What if Jesus indeed is the Messiah? They must be ready to accept him and thereafter, fulfill God’s plan to spread the knowledge of God in this world.
JIMMY FESTIN
PHILIPPINES