The following is a letter from Pastor Victor Styrsky, Eastern Regional Coordinator for Christians United for Israel. Pastor Styrsky has been a pastor and an ally of Israel for more than thirty years, and is author of Honest to God – Christian Zionists Confront 10 Questions Jews Need Answered . Recently, Pastor Styrsky was invited by Evangelicals for Social Action’s co-president Dr. Paul Alexander to their “Impact: Holy Land” conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In response, Pastor Styrsky wrote the following letter explaining why he could not in good conscience attend an event he believed was intellectually dishonest and anti-Israel.
Dear Paul,
Thank you for your invitation to speak at the upcoming Evangelicals for Social Action “Impact: Holy Land” conference.
While I celebrate diversity of opinion, it is immoral to distort facts in order to advance an argument. Regrettably, many of your event’s speakers simply do not approach the Arab-Israeli conflict in an intellectually honest manner. Therefore I must decline your invitation to participate in what I believe will be an anti-Israel event where false witness will be born against the Jewish state and its people.
I understand that you might deny this characterization, thus please allow me to provide a few examples of the information that has led me to this conclusion:
Accusing Israel of apartheid policies, as does the 2009 “Kairos Palestine” document, is a staple of the anti-Israel movement. Two event speakers, Sami Awad and Dr. Yohana Katanacho, are signatories to this document, yet the accusation is patently untrue. All citizens of Israel enjoy equal rights. Every person in Israel has the right to worship, speak and live freely. There are of course numerous examples of Arab Israelis holding positions in Israel’s parliament, military and judiciary.
Those of us who have traveled to the Holy Land have seen with our own eyes that which exposes the dishonesty of the Israel-apartheid slander. As CUFI African-American Outreach Coordinator Pastor Michael Stevens wrote “We have met with African Israelis who have been brought home to Israel from an ancient exile in Ethiopia. We have met with Arab Israelis who are thriving in the freest country in the Middle East. And we have met with brave Palestinians who share with us the persecution they face as Christians living under Muslim rule.”
To the extent the Kairos document is referencing the West Bank and Gaza, it ignores the fact that the majority of Palestinians live under Palestinian Authority rule, and that the Palestinians have repeatedly rejected every Israeli overture for peace. The movement with which you are associating acknowledges none of these facts – it simply abuses the term apartheid to demonize the Jewish state.
Another hallmark of the anti-Israel movement is to ignore (even justify) Palestinian terror, while falsely accusing Israel of all manner of evil. For example, in one blog post, event speaker Jonathan Kuttab condemns Israel’s (legal) blockade of Gaza and glosses over the reason for its existence: thousands of Palestinian rockets raining down on Israeli civilians. Further, he never mentions the thousands of tons of food and humanitarian aid Israel imports into Gaza each year. It seems in Kuttab’s world, Israel is worthy only of condemnation, while every Palestinian transgression must be excused.
For his part, Awad referred to activists on the Mavi Marmara as “nonviolent,” though photos of their weapons and video of their actions prove otherwise. And in spite of his claim to support nonviolence, Awad has written that activism “is not a substitute for the armed struggle.”
The list of offensive assertions made by those associated with this conference is far too long for a letter of this nature – needless to say, just a modicum of research reveals “Impact: Holy Land’s” true and disturbing nature.
Paul, you should not be surprised at my conclusion as you have willfully associated yourself with the very worst of the anti-Israel movement in the Church today. For example, in addition to hosting this conference, you are a signatory to the Kairos USA document – described by the Anti-Defamation League’s Abe Foxman as “…a flagrantly one-sided, anti-Israel diatribe.”
From the Black Death of the Middle Ages, to the Great Depression’s impact on the Weimar Republic, to the Arab-Israeli conflict, there have always been non-Jews who were eager to blame the children of Israel for the world’s ills. But through the generations, there have also been Christians who stood with their Jewish brethren. Thankfully, today in America, this is the rule, not the exception. Whereas once those who stood with the Chosen People may have been in the minority, I am very proud to say that today Israel has far more friends than detractors in the American Christian church. And I will not be associated with your efforts to undo this progress.
Israel is an imperfect yet wonderful country. Though in every generation darkness has tested them, the children of Israel remain a light unto the nations. Though they are surrounded by enemies who seek their destruction, the Israeli people still welcome the stranger and pursue peace with their neighbors,
I stand with Israel because I am a Christian. From Genesis 1:1 forward God’s message is clear, the Jewish people are His Chosen People; those who bless them will be blessed and those who curse them will be cursed.
Shalom,
Pastor Victor Styrsky
Eastern Regional Coordinator
Christians United for Israel
Comment by Dumisani Washington on January 8, 2014 at 11:22 am
Well done, Pastor Victor! We must stand against the deception attempting to sweep through the Church. May God continue to bless and strengthen you and CUFI.
Dumisani Washington, Director
IBSI – Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel
http://www.ibsi-now.org
Comment by Joseph Del'Marmol on January 8, 2014 at 12:20 pm
Pastor Victor precisely and accurately voices the concerns of many Christians and Jews alike. We applaud him for his comments.
Comment by Karen Scarber on January 8, 2014 at 2:59 pm
Bravo!! Very well said, Sir!! I AGREE TOTALLY!!
Comment by Alice on January 8, 2014 at 3:10 pm
Well spoken Pastor Styrsky. Thanks for your stand for the Jewish people. I love God and I love His people. My heart hurts for them. May Peace abound for the Jewish nation, God’s chosen, the apple of His Eye.
Comment by Kathy Matthews on January 8, 2014 at 4:11 pm
Well said,
I pray God blesses you, I stand behind Gods choosen people and pray his coming will be soon, his word tells us what will happen to those that don’t stand behind his choosen and Ipray they change there heart
Comment by cheryl Pearson on January 8, 2014 at 4:17 pm
Well said! And this speaks for all of us who are Christians and stand for Israel! God bless you Sir and may your work continue and prosper.
Comment by Dan Livingston on January 8, 2014 at 10:09 pm
God bless Victor Styrsky for standing and speaking truth. Thank you for your strong and passionate leadership with CUFI. As true Christian Zionist we will not be silent.
Comment by Albert Grice on January 8, 2014 at 11:31 pm
Thank you Pastor Victor for setting the record straight. Thank you speaking truth. Thank you for exposing the lies and half truths of these who seek to blame Israel for all of man’s problems !
Comment by Sharon Olson on January 9, 2014 at 3:16 am
I love God’s Chosen People!!. Thank you for standing up for them. They are in the land (what’s left of it) that was given to them by GOD. It is their land and satan cannot abide them living there but he will not be able to destroy them no matter what. Thank you again for standing up for GOD’s chosen.
Comment by Frances on January 9, 2014 at 7:58 am
There’s something missing from “Christian Zionism” — Jesus Christ!
Comment by Min Shimron on January 21, 2014 at 11:21 pm
No Frances, there is something wrong with your theology. If had bothered to read what God Almighty said in His Holy Word, you would realize that God has not abandoned Israel because His covenant made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-Israel was a unilateral covenant. This means it’s up to God Almighty to keep that covenant ALONE.
Rom 11:11-12 “Again I ask: Did they (nation of Israel) stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!
So there current position of having ‘stumbled’ isn’t a fall that they won’t recover from. In this current age, their transgression (rejection of Jesus) has lead to grace for the world… but Paul anticipates a time when greater riches shall flow from their fullness (ie when they are restored and God’s promises are fulfilled for them…this is the Messianic Kingdom).
Paul goes on to say:
Rom 11:23 “And if they (nation of Israel) do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.”
He follows this by saying that not only can it happen, but it will happen! Paul didn’t want us (the gentiles) becoming proud thinking that Israel has been rejected forever so he wrote:
Rom 11:25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
So Israel current hardening is UNTIL the full number of the gentiles have been saved. After that, God will again return and fulfill His promises to them as a nation. Paul says:
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
“The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
This is a quote from Isaiah 59:21-22 and Jeremiah 31:33 – Both speak of the future blessings for Israel. And in quoting this Paul shows us that Isa 59:21-22 is about the nation of Israel. There is no reason to suddenly think the next verse in Isaiah 60 isn’t!
This part is important…
Rom 11:28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they (nation of Israel) are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they (nation of Israel) are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.
God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable! He will not, and does not, change His mind about those He calls. ‘All Israel’ is not going to be saved because of their faithfulness but because of God’s. So, while presently Israel is against the gospel (not all but as a generalisation) because the patriarchs and the promises to them (the covenants made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) God will still prove Himself faithful. Now how this comes about is a whole different matter… and it won’t be easy for Israel. I have included a study I wrote which goes into this briefly.
Comment by Min Shimron on January 21, 2014 at 11:50 pm
Continued:
Ezekiel 37 shows that the nation of Israel will be gathered back into the land in a state of unbelief first of all and after that God will give them spiritual life. These prophecies and countless others are literal prophecies. The nation of Israel was dispersed amongst all the nations starting in 70AD. They were literally re-gathered and became a nation again in 1948AD. It would be a mockery of bible interpretation to then say that the rest of these prophecies don’t apply to the nation of Israel. Clearly they do. And they show that the nation of Israel shall come into the new covenant and the Kingdom they were always promised.
Other prophecies such as Zechariah chapter 12 show that the nation of Israel will look to the one they have pierced and they will be cleansed in one day. In fact no amount of ‘spiritualization’ could make the prophecies of Zech chapters 12 and 14 mean anything other than the nation of Israel. And these passages, which have not been fulfilled yet, show that God is going to protect, cleanse, and install his Kingdom there.
3. It goes against New Testament prophecy
New Testament prophecy such as Matt 24 and the book of Revelation show that the nation of Israel plays a key role in the end times. God has not finished with them but will fulfil his prophecies and be faithful to His own name.
4. It goes against the character of God
Rom 3:1-4 “What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God. What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar.
This, for me, is one of the most important points. For to believe the God will not fulfill His promises to the nation of Israel – or to say that God has taken His promises away and given them to other people, casts great doubt over both the character and sovereignty of God. It says that He will not do that which He promised to a people – or possibly cannot do what He promised. Both of which are untrue!
Listen again to what he said through Ezek 36 which we looked at before –
Verse 22-24 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.
You believe that because of Israel’s sin and unfaithfulness, God has replaced them with the church and God will not fulfill His promises to them as a nation. (Such as your example of Isaiah 2 where you took a clear prophecy of Israel’s future in the Millennial Kingdom and apply it to the church.) But look at what God says above – it isn’t because of Israel’s faithfulness, but Gods that leads to God fulfilling his promises to that nation!
On another issue, have you ever wondered why Paul wrote Romans 9-11? I mean, Romans is the most theological of Paul’s epistles concerning salvation, righteousness, and our life as a Christian. In the middle of this he writes three chapters about Israel! Why? Because in the passage before this Paul says that nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God. (Rom 8:28-37) At this point however, the logical reader would think ‘but what about Israel? How can we trust God will be faithful to His word if He has just ‘cast off’ the nation of Israel???
This question is basically expressed in Romans 9:6 – ‘has God’s word failed???’ The next three chapters show this is not the case. Not in this current age where there is still a remnant within the Jewish people that have faith, and not in the future when AFTER the full number of the gentiles have come in, God will return and save the nation of Israel. WHY? Because God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable!!!! (Rom 11:25-29) God never changes His mind over those He calls, and that includes His call to the nation of Israel.
Your system of belief where God is not faithful to His word I could never accept. Again, this is not personal. I don’t even know you. It is simply the system of belief I can’t stand.
5. It is based on an incorrect assumption on Rom 9:6
‘For NOT ALL who are descended FROM Israel ARE Israel.’
Hal Lindsey, in his book ‘The road to holocaust’ (please, if you get a chance, read this book and tell me what you think) says the following concerning this passage –
“There are certain factors in this context which must be carefully observed. God DOES NOT say, ‘NOT ANY who are called Israel are Israel’, but rather, ‘not ALL who are called Israel are Israel.’ The context is ONLY dealing with the question of who among physical Israel is true Israel. The contrast is between believing Israel and unbelieving Israel, not Israelites and Gentiles. The only point that the Holy Spirit is developing here is that there has always been a spiritual Israel among the physical Israel who are called the remnant.”
Derek Prince also has a book called ‘Israel and the church” in which he shows that there is not one passage in the Bible where the name Israel is applied to the church. He clearly shows that in saying ‘for not all who are descended from Israel as Israel’ Paul was limiting the name Israel to the Jewish believers, not widening it as you would do to include all gentiles who believe.
I hope some of this helps. To interpret prophecies and passages concerning Israel and apply them to the church can only end in confusion.
These comments are from the website Jesus plus nothing – Christ Centered Bible Study
Comment by Vinil Lobo on January 9, 2014 at 9:17 am
Good response Pastor Styrsky! It is a shame to see fellow Christians vilifying and demonizing a state and people who are not only God’s chosen but have and always stand for peace and friendship in their region. How can Christians be so blinded by false propaganda and the so called free media and not see the truth for what it is. All of us have to stand up, bless and support Israel and Jerusalem for it is the right thing to do and mandated to us by our Father! May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and our Lord bless you!
Comment by Carly Willeford on January 9, 2014 at 1:56 pm
Pastor Styrsky teaches the Biblical & Historical Truth! I strongly encourage every Christian to stand up in your Church and Community and grasp the opportunity to bring in Christians United For Israel. Pastor Styrsky and all the other excellent CUFI Speakers will educate you to the truth! Stand Up! Be Blessed! Stand For Israel!
“I Stand With Israel BECAUSE I am a Christian.”
Comment by Alan Cortez on January 9, 2014 at 11:53 pm
God Bless You Pastor Victor & your loved ones! It is now time for ALL Christians in ALL places, in ALL Churches to stand with Israel & its Jewish people – for how can we proved to them that head of the Church – Jesus Christ loves them so much if we dont stand with & remain silent— many centuries ago the Jews suffers hardship & persecutions from the hands & regime of the early church who have embraced the practice of Satanic teaching of Replacement Theology of Israel. Just like Hitler who murders millions of Jews all in the name of Christ how deplorable & so tragic is that, its already history but we must correct it and by this time – We Christians must OBEY God’s Word of Blessing ISRAEL! As God says so, I love, bless & Stand with Israel because I AM A CHRISTIAN!
Comment by Lauren David on January 10, 2014 at 5:12 am
Thank you for exposing the clever lies presented by these wolves in “sheep’s” clothing.
Comment by Earl Foote on January 16, 2014 at 9:39 pm
Thank you, Pastor Styrsky. It grieves me that a group people who are well intentioned and maybe even dedicated Christians could swallow the anti-Israel poison that is seeping into society. It could be argued that you should have presented your statements at the conference, but I respect your decision not to be associated with this disgraceful event. Thank you for standing up for Israel!
Comment by Penny on January 21, 2014 at 12:15 pm
Thank YOU Pastor Victor, for truth spoken in the Name of Christ’s Love and standing united with Israel, and enabling us to know what is going on so that we are not fooled by the false teacher. I stand with Israel as I believe whole heartedly that She is God’s chosen people and land and I will rally Her as commanded by God and I pray for Her peace daily. Psalm 122:6-7 It truly grieves my heart to see anti-semitism growing and vilifying Israel in such a horrible grievous manner AGAIN!! Praying the Church is never fooled by the lie and that all will take II Timothy 2:15 to heart as you have done. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! United with Israel with you! Shalom
Comment by Elle on January 22, 2014 at 2:10 am
God has certainly blessed you with the succinct gift of articulation. Your final paragraph was a home run. God bless you brother and God bless & protect Israel.
15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” Matthew 7:15-20
Comment by Debbie on January 22, 2014 at 10:31 pm
As Christians, we have an obligation to speak the truth to the world as commanded by our Lord. The God of the Bible has promised Israel and Jerusalem to His chosen people since His covenant with Abraham. He never breaks His word. He did not give it to the Palestinians or anyone else. The Jewish people are the people of Jesus. As Christians, we need to stand with them and support them and pray for their security and safety. God does NOT want their land to go to anyone else. All Christians, if they read their Bibles should know what God intends to do for and with Israel and Jerusalem and the Jewish nation! How can any of you support these people trying to give it to the Palestinians or anyone else! Look to your God, your Bible and your Jesus! Better yet….Pray!