Senator Cruz, Mideast Christians & Israel

on September 11, 2014

At the banquet of the “In Defense of Christians” conference in Washington, DC last evening, which I attended, some in the hotel ballroom crowd of about 900 booed Senator Ted Cruz when he extolled Israel as the friend of Christians. The conference in DC, which continues today, is spotlighting the plight of besieged Christians in the Middle East, who are under assault by radical Islamists like ISIS.

Here’s a report from The Daily Caller. And another from Breitbart, which includes comments afterwards from Cruz.

The conference includes numerous senior church leaders from the Mideast. Many in the crowd last evening were of Mideast Christian backgrounds. A report by The Washington Beacon yesterday cited some of the visiting Mideast church leaders as political supporters of Syria’s Assad dictatorship and of Assad’s Lebanese ally, Hezbollah. Cruz condemned Assad, Hezbollah, Hamas and ISIS.

Likely Cruz, a savvy politician, knew the reaction he would provoke from some by commending Israel, and he maximized his political moment before the many cameras. Although the featured keynote speaker, he quit the podium after only a few minutes, amid boos and shouts of “go home” from a loud minority of the crowd. “If you will not stand with Israel and the Jews, then I will not stand with you,” he declared before departing.

Nearly everyone seemed stunned by the brief, dramatic exchange. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in today’s sessions!

It’s no secret that many Mideast Christians generally aren’t big fans of Israel. I learned this firsthand during the 2006 Israel war on Hezbollah, when my discussion at church with a Lebanese Christian nearly escalated to a shouting match.

Sometimes American Christians romanticize overseas persecuted Christians into disembodied noble souls unaffected by terrestrial concerns. But they, like everybody else, have histories, loyalties, resentments, grievances, and political calculations. Generally, most Mideast Christians cannot further imperil themselves by ever seeming politically to sympathize with Israel or the West. But their notions are not just for appearances. Many Mideast Christians are Arab nationalists. And whether for survival or genuine sympathy, some church leaders over the years have aligned with repressive regimes, like Assad’s and Saddam’s.

Whatever the political intrigues of some Mideast church prelates, U.S. Christians and all persons of good will must morally oppose the Islamist campaign to eradicate Christians and other religious minorities from the region. And U.S. policy must advocate religious tolerance as a prerequisite for regional stability. It’s also in Israel’s interest that Christians and other minorities have protection, even if some of their spokespersons are anti-Israel. An ISIS style Islamist Mideast deracinated of all religious pluralism would be not only vicious but chronically unstable and an ongoing global threat.

After the Cruz incident, “In Defense of Christians” posted this statement, saying a “few politically motivated opportunists chose to divide a room that for more than 48 hours sought unity in opposing the shared threat of genocide, faced not only by our Christian brothers and sisters, but our Jewish brothers and sisters and people of other all other faiths and all people of good will.” It pledged, “We remain undaunted and focused on achieving our goals.”

  1. Comment by Jeff Gissing on September 11, 2014 at 6:10 am

    Thanks for providing some context for the video I’ve seen floating around.

  2. Comment by Pudentiana on September 11, 2014 at 8:10 am

    I hope that Christians in this country can get such a balanced viewpoint. Many have believed the Anti-Israeli messages and failed to pursue the “rest of the story”. Thank you for sharing.

  3. Comment by Jessica Harvey on September 11, 2014 at 12:59 pm

    That’s pretty wimpy of Cruz to depart because of some vocal minority. If he wants to become President he’s going to have to do better than simply depart from a hostile sect.

    Isn’t this a microcosm of the problem among conservatives? We get so caught up with our own private battles that we cannot stay unified enough to actually make it to the front lines. I’m disappointed that this is the way that Cruz chose to handle this incident.

  4. Comment by Kelly Osburn on September 11, 2014 at 1:39 pm

    I disagree. He told them if they didnt stand with Israel, then he wouldn’t stand. with them, and literally made his point by walking off the stage. Refusing to compromise his principles, that is what I want in a president. Ted Cruz is an amazing man and apparently a force to be reckoned with. He wasn’t running away from anything.

  5. Comment by Neil Donovan on September 12, 2014 at 9:33 am

    Really? I’m wondering how conservative you really are – that you didn’t get this. Looks to me like he was the one who “made it to the front lines” and it is you not supporting him when he finally makes a stand.

  6. Comment by Hominid on September 13, 2014 at 8:08 am

    You’re a fool – Cruz’s response was courageous & proper.

  7. Comment by Nathan Hall on September 11, 2014 at 1:57 pm

    While I agree that Arab Christians may be susceptible to nationalism, I’m wondering if we American Christians are not guilty of the same thing. Sometimes I wonder if our evangelical leaders can tell the difference between the United States and the kingdom of God, the gospel and American conservative politics.

  8. Comment by TheJackalopesVoice on September 12, 2014 at 7:20 pm

    Your question is valid until you slip off the rails to condemn “conservative” politics. It is a strange culture in which we live in which there is only the “devil” CONSERVATIVE politics as though all other political philosophies are pure undefiled gospel and faith in action. Your argument then disolves into a LOT of assumption that what you think regarding our cultural issues is of course correct, unbiased, theology and that you even have a clue as to what exactly is the foundational principles of “conservatism”……but you’re a young kid, who’s been taught all his life that Republicans are the bastards of the planet…meanwhile as far as Christianity goes, it was the DNC who recently went bonkers to rid the reality of God from their party platform. So, how can the self-identified enemies of God actually be considered better “Christians” than any conservative?? I’m just askin…..

  9. Comment by Hominid on September 13, 2014 at 8:10 am

    There are many American Christians who are anti-Judaism and anti-Israel.

  10. Comment by TexasStomp on September 13, 2014 at 8:40 am

    The most dangerous person on earth….one who is sure he knows the “truth.”

    ironic that Jesus was a Jew, eh, tho I’ve recently been assured by one such “expert” he was only inhabiting the body of a Jew. I suppose he chalks that up to God’s little inside joke, nudge, nudge, wink, wink…….

  11. Comment by Guest on September 11, 2014 at 6:06 pm

    “It’s also in Israel’s interest that Christians and other minorities have protection, even if some of their spokespersons are anti-Israel.” Oh? To be anti-Israel in the Middle East is to want the destruction of Israel. If there are Mideast Christians that are anti-Israel, why should Israel support them if they are out to destroy them? This quote from the author is naive. “Many Mideast Christians are Arab nationalists. And whether for survival or genuine sympathy, some church leaders over the years have aligned with repressive regimes, like Assad’s and Saddam’s.” So the onus is only on Israel to accept this, and not the Christians that have made their alliances with the devils? As an American Christian, I would say to any Mideast Christian that would want to destroy my country, “GO WILL GO TO HELL IF YOU TRY!” If Mideast Christians want support from Israel, they need to stop allying themselves with those that want to destroy Israel.

  12. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on September 11, 2014 at 6:07 pm

    “It’s also in Israel’s interest that Christians and other minorities have protection, even if some of their spokespersons are anti-Israel.” Oh? To be anti-Israel in the Middle East is to want the destruction of Israel. If there are Mideast Christians that are anti-Israel, why should Israel support them if they are out to destroy them? This quote from the author is naive. “Many Mideast Christians are Arab nationalists. And whether for survival or genuine sympathy, some church leaders over the years have aligned with repressive regimes, like Assad’s and Saddam’s.” So the onus is only on Israel to accept this, and not the Christians that have made their alliances with the devils? As an American Christian, I would say to any Mideast Christian that would want to destroy my country, “YOU WILL GO TO HELL IF YOU TRY!” If Mideast Christians want support from Israel, they need to stop allying themselves with those that want to destroy Israel.

  13. Comment by Leif Christian on September 12, 2014 at 7:54 pm

    they oppose state crimes by Israel. this does not equate with “the destruction of Israel” and it is psychopathic to believe so.

  14. Comment by EVA-04 on September 12, 2014 at 9:18 pm

    Please define “state crimes?” You mean like acting in self-defense?

  15. Comment by Leif Christian on September 13, 2014 at 1:50 am

    Please use google. Or start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_UN_resolutions_concerning_Israel_and_Palestine

    Do you, an adult, think I mean “self-defesnse?”

  16. Comment by James Stagg on September 13, 2014 at 6:33 pm

    I looked at the link, then at another Wiki article that was linked to it. It would appear that EVERY ONE of the 45 UN resolutions was opposed by the US Ambassador to the UN. Did you read on to find out why?

    This reference is a cheap shot at Israel; it neither deserves the UN actions, nor can they be (all) justified, since so many come from terrorist regimes and terrorist organizations that have no comparison in allowing human rights to the State of Israel. I put (all) in parenthese because I am no fanatic. Israel has made mistakes. So has the US. So has the UN (remember Darfur?) But the unending bias against Israel is almost demonic.

    I invoke the biblical command “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” If done, the UN would be SILENT on Israel.

  17. Comment by Coonhound on January 12, 2016 at 3:49 am

    I’ll invoke some biblical verse for you mam. KJV Rev 2:9 ~I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are THE SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN

    https://youtu.be/awCOSRg-gks

    Why did the 60,000 Jews that LIVED in Palestine in 1947 ask the UN for a protectorate because they were against the formation of Israeli Nation State. Why weren’t they jumping for joy? Read your history mam, you will find out but you may not like what you find because once you do, you will have decisions to make. It is not Gods will for millions of civilians of any religion to be massacred like they are now. God Bless.

  18. Comment by SteveC1 on January 18, 2016 at 9:28 pm

    “Mam”??? You refer to JAMES Stagg as “mam” ??? Maybe you think you inow simething that the rest of us here do not?

    At any rate, I do hope that you realize that you apparently are completely misinterpreting (via misreading) Rev 2:9…

  19. Comment by Coonhound on January 12, 2016 at 3:39 am

    brother u r fighting an uphill battle. These zionists are the devil incarnate+have infested our govt, media, and banking systems so bad these people dont know whats up from down anymore. And b4 I get his w/ the 101 Anti-semitic comments please google ANTI-ZIONIST RABBIS. These RELIGIOUS JEWS will tell you that Netanyahu and all those killers have hijacked Judaism and its symbols for politial expansionist policies of oppression. Of course nobody will because it might shake up the world of make believe the live in that a govt of ANY state let along a racist aparthied state can do no wrong.(not to you sir) Lady CHRISTIANS DONT APPRECIATE THAT WE FUND TRAIN AND ARM TERRORIST SCUM THAT BEHEAD, RAPE, and ENSLAVE THEM!!! http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/foreign-policy/item/21362-obama-and-co-middle-east-policies-aiding-genocide-of-christians

    http://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/asia/item/10970-christian-massacres-a-result-of-us-foreign-policy

    https://youtu.be/R5Q7q3SF0io
    Rabbi Weiss Zionism isnt Judaism they use it as a facade. Whats done in th e name of Judaism is a crime.
    https://youtu.be/PpeK4iI5BoM

  20. Comment by SteveC1 on January 18, 2016 at 9:33 pm

    Ah! Here you not only continue to refer to a man – Leif – as a womsn (“mam”), but you ALSO reveal the true extent of your outrageously bizarre, historically false beliefs which you use to “justify” your thoroughly twisted anti-Semitism.

  21. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on September 14, 2014 at 1:02 am

    To believe the UN definition of “state crimes” and believe that Israel is responsible for such “state crimes” is the epitome of psychopathic mentality – and of a mindset of a person that is wanting the destruction of Israel.

  22. Comment by Leif Christian on September 14, 2014 at 1:07 am

    To agree with the rest of the world is the epitome of psychopathy. To claim someone you never met must want to destroy an entire country is totally sane. Got it!

  23. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on September 14, 2014 at 11:10 am

    Wow, sounds like you know what the Bible says of the end times, that the whole world will be against His people. Then you know what happens to those people too. Good luck!

  24. Comment by Leif Christian on September 14, 2014 at 4:36 pm

    His people are the poor and oppressed and His enemies are the oppressors and all who defend them.

  25. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on September 15, 2014 at 9:54 am

    Yeppers, so are they who speak His truth His people, and liars/obfuscators risk hell. Those who go against His chosen people are His enemies. But if the poor and “oppressed” go against Him and His people, then they risk going through and into hell.

  26. Comment by Hebrewhelena on September 15, 2014 at 11:31 pm

    God’s enemies are anyone who opposes His land, Israel, and His people The Jews.
    Leif- or whatever your real name is, be warned…your on extremely dangerous territory here with your views on Israel. Your views are ignorant and and unbiblical. Israel and The Jews will always Win! It’s their God given destiny! As you can see throughout history, people and kingdoms have tried to destroy us but we always win!! All things are mortal but The Jew! Change your heart and mind before it’s too late. Ask Jesus to help you. You need it.

  27. Comment by Coonhound on January 12, 2016 at 3:55 am

    These people leading Israel now are not RELIGIOUS JEWS they are secularists. Get through the propaganda. I know, its hard. Read your history and you will find that most of the religions lived peaceably prior to the entry of the Zionists which the 60,000 Jews who actually LIVED IN PALESTINE IN 1947 wanted NOTHING to do with. RELIGIOUS JEWS DO NOT SUPPORT ISRAEL. TURN OFF CNN AND LISTEN TO RABBINICAL AUTHORITIES WHO ACTUALLY FOLLOW JUDAISM, TRUE JUDAISM. https://youtu.be/PpeK4iI5BoM i know that this is an older post but I would like to spread the truth. It has no boundaries of time. God Bless.

  28. Comment by SteveC1 on January 18, 2016 at 9:37 pm

    “Read your history and you will find that most of the religions lived peaceably prior to the entry of the Zioninsts…” – I hope and pray that you are not a school teacher or member of the clergy.

  29. Comment by Coonhound on January 21, 2016 at 12:15 pm

    yes I was a school teacher and you must have been one of the imbeciles who slept through my classes. WAKE UP. Christians are being slaughtered!! IF your attn span can allow it, listen to RAbbi Weiss explain in 4 minutes why Netanyahu is a criminal https://youtu.be/PpeK4iI5BoM and the state of Israel is a fraud. an terrorist apartheid state. Why did the 60,000 Jews who actually LIVED in Palestine reject the idea of the Israeli State and ask rather for a UN mandated territory? Read actual history and not US media dominated by zionists. How do 10,000 Jews come out to protests actions of Israel and it not make the National news? https://youtu.be/PpeK4iI5BoM video or if you can read an article coverin the event https://youtu.be/qEdJDJgyYxs

  30. Comment by SteveC1 on January 21, 2016 at 12:42 pm

    Sure, moron. A teacher my AS*.

  31. Comment by Coonhound on January 21, 2016 at 12:54 pm

    If you have a brain you would know that ignorance is a choice. Or maybe you are one of those they pay to refute the truth, it shows as you use name calling not facts to attack me.

  32. Comment by SteveC1 on January 21, 2016 at 2:18 pm

    I assume that dog left your brains out in your neighbor’s yard.
    You should pick up after your dog.

  33. Comment by treas54 on September 15, 2014 at 5:55 pm

    Genesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

  34. Comment by Giannis F. on September 15, 2014 at 2:50 am

    “You will go to hell,” eh? I suppose you must not have read the bible very much despite your self-identification as Christian, for Christ was pretty clear that those who arrogate His sole privilege to judge the hearts of men will not receive the forgiveness of their sins.

  35. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on September 15, 2014 at 9:56 am

    Then stop judging and stay out of it.

  36. Comment by Giannis F. on September 15, 2014 at 6:06 pm

    I do not judge you, as I make no remark on whether the Lord will find you worthy of paradise. But I do warn you that according to the measure by which you judge others, so shall you be judged (Mt 7:1-2). If you believe that that those who wish destruction upon your nation shall go to hell, then if you similarly have wished destruction upon the nations of others, so too shall God judge you by your own standard.

    And yet again, I warn you according to the Savior’s words, in Lk 6:37, “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.”

    Condemn others to hell at your own peril.

  37. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on September 15, 2014 at 9:15 pm

    Thanks for the warning, and I will gladly risk what you consider peril.

    In fact, you do judge me; the judgment is that you think I
    deserve a warning. Fine, I considered
    your warning and deem it as wrong. God
    will judge me by my standard – and you will be judged by yours.

    But what am I judging?
    I am judging, “any Mideast Christian that would want to destroy my
    country!” Yeppers, that’s a real
    “Christian” thing to do, the want of our country’s destruction. But apparently you don’t think people like
    this should be judged as deserving hell before they try to destroy the US. You
    think people like this are saved from hell?
    Tell me how. People cannot have salvation and at the same time want to
    destroy the saved in our country. The
    saved in the US are intrinsic to the US.

    Or maybe it’s a matter of semantics to you that I should not
    say, “YOU WILL GO TO HELL IF YOU TRY!?”
    OK, how about, “YOU RISK GOING TO HELL IF YOU TRY!?” OK, I’ll settle for that. They should be
    judged as deserving the risk of hell before they try to destroy the US.

    Paul does not contradict the Lord when he states “Or do you
    not know that the saints will judge the world?” (1 Corinthians 6:2). The saved are meant to judge. Apparently you disagree with what the Spirit
    has spoken through Paul. You have
    twisted what the Lord states in Luke and take it out of context and twisted it
    to mean what you want it to mean. You
    judge wrongly. Read the rest of the Bible and learn to use it correctly, in
    context.

  38. Comment by Giannis F. on September 15, 2014 at 10:08 pm

    This is a great example of why it is important that people should read the expositors of scripture before venturing their own eisegesis of the scriptures. The original Greek says that the judgement literally shall be “in you” (ἐν ὑμῖν), which is why the ancient expositors of that verse like Chrysostom rightly point out that St. Paul did not write by you (ὑπὸ ὑμῶν) but “in you,” which they interpret to mean that it is not that we shall not judge actively, but rather that the faith and virtue of the saints shall serve as an example and a measure by which the wickedness of the reprobate shall be judged.

  39. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on September 15, 2014 at 11:17 pm

    Chrysostom was wrong on many things, like purgatory for one; and he is wrong about the Greek translation. Chrysostom even goes against many Catholic scholarly translations of the Greek, like the translation in the St. Joseph edition of the New American Bible.

    The words can be translated as “if you” as well. Most scholars and translators accept “by
    you”, and it makes sense to do so. Let’s see what it reads with the original version in the NASB with “in you” and “by you”:

    Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged “in you”, are you not competent to constitute the smallest
    law courts?

    Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged “by you,” are you not competent to constitute the smallest
    law courts?

    Even in the literal translation it makes more sense:

    “…and if/by you judge/decide the world/universe unworthy/inadequate
    are you of cases of the smallest?”

    IMO, a good translation of this from the literal would be, “…and if you judge the world, are you inadequate of cases of the smallest.” But I’ll go with the scholars of the NASB, and not your wrong opinion.

  40. Comment by Giannis F. on September 15, 2014 at 11:39 pm

    It is not my “opinion”, but rather it is an interpretation of that verse which has been accepted uncontested within Christendom for over a millennium. Your own reading is the innovative one, as St. Paul is certainly not giving believers the license to attempt to judge whether others are going to hell, a spiritually destructive practice which bears no good fruits. Like the heretics of old, you have only the words of the scriptures, but not a clue as to their internal ordering, and so you are lost, seeking arbitrarily after the opinion of this or that scholar of this age rather than the witness of previous generations of Christians who themselves remain alive in Christ to this very day.

  41. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on September 16, 2014 at 10:18 am

    Uncontested within Christendom for over a millennium? Yeppers, sure; believe what you want. You judge me to be like the heretics of old, that I am lost? For one that doesn’t want to judge, you sure are doing a lot of it!
    I have only the words of the scriptures? Like Calvin and Wycliffe, Luther, Tyndale, who all have commentaries and who all have “by you” in the Bibles they wrote? In fact, there is no Bible I know – Catholic or Protestant – that has “in you” in that verse. So show me, oh wise one, what Bible do you go by? Where is the one that has “in you”? Where is the Chrysostom’s Bible version? I can find it, do you have a copy?
    Chrysostom’s interpretation may be plausible, but so is “by you”, unless you have written a Bible? Is it a big seller?
    And as you say, “why should you care [or even consider] what Roman Catholic [or any] translator thinks of scripture,” anyway? You are doing a great job of being your own god of interpretation! Again, what Bible version do you go by oh wise one? Or do you have a version that you wrote I can read?

  42. Comment by Giannis F. on September 16, 2014 at 11:38 am

    I do not judge you. Though heretical interpretations of the Scriptures are a grave matter, God’s mercy is greater still, and I am not competent to tell you how your misreading of the Holy Scriptures affects your relationship with God.

    As for what Bible I use, I highly recommend learning Koine Greek and reading the received Byzantine text for yourself.

  43. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on September 16, 2014 at 1:27 pm

    Yes, you do judge; unless you do not think. And any misreading you do will affect your relationship with God. I have a Bible in Koine Greek will parallel translations as well, had what is now a beat-up dog-eared book for years. Keep on trying to read yours and know the truth with open eyes and heart. I wish you well, and may our Lord bless you as He has blessed me.

  44. Comment by Giannis F. on September 16, 2014 at 1:52 pm

    Great, if you have a bible with Koine Greek, then you should know that 1 Cor 6:2 says “in you” in the Koine Greek.

  45. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on September 16, 2014 at 3:04 pm

    You are the only one, unless you can give me a citation that I can see (like a link). Maybe you have a link to Christendom’s interpretation of 1 Corinthians 6:2? I can’t find it. Even so, I’ll need to know who agrees with him. Seriously, I would like to see your evidence, I cannot find anything that supports your supposition that “in you” is the best translation for that word in that verse.

  46. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on September 16, 2014 at 3:21 pm

    That should read, “I cannot find anything that supports your supposition that “in you” is the best translation for those words in that verse.”

  47. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on September 17, 2014 at 1:33 pm

    Out of curiosity, Which text of the of the Koine Greek manuscripts do you use, the Byzantine/Majority Text, Westcott/Hort, Tischendorf, other?

  48. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on September 16, 2014 at 10:56 pm

    Coptic Orthodox Christian?

  49. Comment by Hebrewhelena on September 15, 2014 at 11:35 pm

    Chrystosom is in Hell. He was evil.

  50. Comment by Giannis F. on September 15, 2014 at 11:49 pm

    How did you find that out? Has God sent you to hell?

  51. Comment by Hebrewhelena on September 15, 2014 at 11:59 pm

    No, but most people with intelligence would agree Hitler is in Hell too without actually being there. Same goes for Chrystosom. He could be described as a Heretic.

  52. Comment by Giannis F. on September 16, 2014 at 12:07 am

    Yes, in some bizarro-universe where the first 1600 years of Christianity was heretical, I suppose Chrysostom could have been an heretic, but outside of such fantasy lands, he was in fact an orthodox Christian.

  53. Comment by John Collins on January 18, 2016 at 5:21 pm

    Brainwashed idiot

  54. Comment by Hebrewhelena on January 18, 2016 at 7:20 pm

    Lucifer is your real name. Not “John”

  55. Comment by John Collins on January 18, 2016 at 5:21 pm

    Zio turd

  56. Comment by Hebrewhelena on September 15, 2014 at 11:35 pm

    I like you Richard! Keep preaching truth!

  57. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on September 15, 2014 at 10:26 am

    PS: Tell me what book and verse, “those who arrogate His sole privilege to judge the hearts of men will not receive the forgiveness of their sins” comes from.
    From what I know, there is only one unforgivable sin. If anyone has not accepted Jesus as their only way to salvation/heaven – to the Father – by the time of their death, then they will go to hell.

  58. Comment by Giannis F. on September 15, 2014 at 6:15 pm

    As James so taught in Jm 2:13, “For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.” If you cannot have mercy on others but instead hate them and consign them to hell for their sins, then God will similarly look upon you without mercy.

  59. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on September 15, 2014 at 9:16 pm

    You have judged that I hate those who would
    destroy the US. You judge wrongly
    again! I do not wish anyone to go to
    hell; I hope they do right by the Lord and not try. But if they do try to destroy the saved and
    unsaved here, I will risk doing my best to send those unsaved souls to risk
    being with their master in hell with a heavy heart, knowing well that the devil
    risks having them and the Lord may grieve for their loss.

    You still do not tell me what book and
    verse, “those who arrogate His sole privilege”, comes from. You may be right on this, but be sure what
    you source is not taken out of context; that it is not just a number of
    specific judgments, but all judgment for all occasions. Where does it say it is His “soul privilege?”

    In fact, like I quoted from Paul before; we
    are meant to judge rightly, and you are not judging rightly. Like I stated before, the mere fact that you
    think I need a warning from you means you judge that I risk going to hell. True, I do risk hell if my judgment is not in
    line with what the Lord thinks is a right judgment; but so do you. I’ll take the risk; you judge wrongly. May God have mercy on your souls as well.

  60. Comment by treas54 on September 15, 2014 at 6:02 pm

    Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.—Dietrich Bonhoeffer

  61. Comment by Giannis F. on September 15, 2014 at 6:28 pm

    Great. Since I am sure that you acknowledge that mass campaigns of religious violence are evil, then I suppose that means that you can unconditionally denounce the mass slaughter of Middle Eastern Christians and be their fervent advocate in whatever locality you reside, regardless of their views on Israel, which are irrelevant to whether or not their being slaughtered by radical Islamists is an evil thing. Anything less would make you complicit in the evil which is being visited upon them by ISIS and other radical Islamists.

  62. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on September 15, 2014 at 11:30 pm

    They can have their views of hatred on Israel, just as long
    as they don’t act on them. But then again, God judges the hearts of men as well.

  63. Comment by Coonhound on January 12, 2016 at 3:58 am

    http://www.veteranstoday.com/2015/10/21/breaking-story-israeli-general-captured-in-iraq-confesses-to-israel-isis-coalition/

    http://21stcenturywire.com/2015/02/19/un-report-reveals-how-israel-is-coordinating-with-isis-militants-inside-syria/

  64. Comment by SteveC1 on January 18, 2016 at 9:45 pm

    – Quite the nut-job, dude.

  65. Comment by 2l82w8 on September 11, 2014 at 6:18 pm

    For years, these “Arab Christians” have been supporting and aiding the terrorists of Hezbollah and similar organizations. For years, they have turned a blind eye to terrorist attacks on Jews and on Israel. Now, somehow, they are now the proper leaders in the moral fight against ISIS?

    Until these “Arab Christians” echo every word of Sen. Cruz’ support of Israel, and demonstrate a tangible opposition to the Arab terrorists in Gaza and on the West Bank, these people have no standing to lead the moral battle against the Islamists who have now decided to add Christians to Jews as their hated enemies.

  66. Comment by Leif Christian on September 12, 2014 at 7:55 pm

    Why is “Arab Christians” is in quotes? Are they faking their religion because they support the international consensus and condemn Israeli state crimes?

  67. Comment by 2l82w8 on September 12, 2014 at 9:12 pm

    Relying on an “international consensus” to justify antisemitism or to condemn Jews has a long, ignoble history (think Inquisition, Russian and European pogroms, and, of course, most all of the pre-WWII World). How surprising that such prejudice continues today, masquerading as an “international consensus” or hiding behind a UN resolution.

  68. Comment by Leif Christian on September 13, 2014 at 1:42 am

    so bizarre to be discussing this with a cartoon of a man.

    the international consensus comes from representatives of the entire world except the US, Israel and whatever pacific islanders the US can bribe into voting against it.

    it is not “anti-semitism.” the ENTIRE WORLD is not anti-semitic. it’s crass insanity like this that masks and empowers the actual anti-semitism that does exist in the world.

    do you know who is anti-semitic? Zionist Christians in the US who only want to see the state of Israel continue it’s conquests so that, by their bizarre and anti-biblical timelines, a prerequisite for Christ’s return can be checked off – i.e. Armaggedon. at which point Jews must either convert or burn in hell. this is the Israeli state’s one “great ally” in the world. sound pro-Jewish to you?

    votes at the UN have nothing to do with pogroms and the Inquisition. if anything resembles the Inquisition in regards to Israel in the world today it would be the severity to which any elected official who dares to question limitless US devotion to the most extreme elements of the Israeli state is ostracized as a heretic.

  69. Comment by 2l82w8 on September 13, 2014 at 3:15 am

    Leif, where does all your bile come from?

    Of course it is possible for your “international consensus” to be driven by ignorance or prejudice or bias. That happens so often in history it might even be considered the norm (recall the widely held belief in eugenics at the beginning of the 20th Century; the absolute certainty of white racial superiority that predates that; the certainty that slavery was legitimate that was an international norm for thousands of years; the delusion that appeasement would stop tyrants that was almost worldwide before the Nazi invasion of Poland; and, well, it wouldn’t be too hard to continue the list.

    And isn’t it interesting that every time an international consensus emerges concerning the Jews, it is always against them? Always.

    That is what we are seeing today and it is what you so proudly hold up as an international consensus. The mere repetition of that historical pattern.

    Consider: why is there so much more angst and anger over Israel’s policies in Gaza and the West Bank than there is over the much more extensive invasion of Crimea and Eastern Ukraine by Russia? Or of Russia’s recent invasion of Georgia? or Moldova?

    The world does not stand with Israel and the Jews against Hezbollah and Hamas terrorism NOT due to any fault of the victims but only due to the double standard you and your brethren in that meaningless international consensus apply and have applied throughout history.

    Right is right. Wrong is wrong. Some putative international consensus can’t change that.

  70. Comment by Leif Christian on September 13, 2014 at 5:33 am

    I’m motivated for love of all humanity. How about you?

    Take a look at the other areas where the US breaks the international consenus… things like cluster bombs and land mines. “Isn’t it interesting.”

  71. Comment by TheJackalopesVoice on September 13, 2014 at 11:51 am

    So, in your worldview international consensus or just consensus in general is more rational and righteous than God’s principles of what determines good and evil?

    If so, then there is nothing of God in what you think. Your thoughts are completely shaped by the chattering voices that don’t know God either.

  72. Comment by Leif Christian on September 13, 2014 at 3:00 pm

    No I also believe in the God of the Good Samaritan story, who will punish all those who support evil done to the “least of these,” like to kids in Gaza.

  73. Comment by TheJackalopesVoice on September 13, 2014 at 3:21 pm

    Interesting that you bring in the Good Samaritan story because the godless secular American Conventional Wisdom forgets the personal choice aspect of the Samaritan parable, and instead bastardizes scripture in order to support State COERCED charity via the IRS…or the brownshirts come after us threatening to tear up our “good citizenship merit badge” for not being “compassionate enough.”

    Plus, THESE…in Jesus’ reference to kids…is INCLUSIVE…but you seem more interested in identifying race before discerning what God has set as good and evil……i.e. some people are just more “equal” in your worldview….

    THAT’s not the gospel. That’s some humanistic interpretation of what Jesus would be if he forsook God’s Law and the Prophets….a lot of post post modern materialist meaninglessness that leads straight to chaos….”Aren’t we there yet?” the kids cry from the back seat.

  74. Comment by Leif Christian on September 14, 2014 at 1:12 am

    Well I didn’t really ask for your tirade that equates public humanitarian aid to Nazism, but thanks for making it clear that you are consistent in your evil policy prescriptions across the board.

  75. Comment by TheJackalopesVoice on September 14, 2014 at 12:01 pm

    Derision and mocking are not a debate argument and are instead the proof of having been logically refuted in your argument. Now the wise man will learn from that experience, but the fool will continue in his folly. I hope that some day you come to know God and experience the need for salvation through His Son’s perfect sacrifice. Peace and love.

  76. Comment by Leif Christian on September 14, 2014 at 4:30 pm

    To be very clear, you are sure that anyone who like me has a problem with a certain non Christian govt murdering civilians, including Christians, is going to hell because of that. I would never judge your soul but that is a view you will have to answer for.

  77. Comment by TheJackalopesVoice on September 14, 2014 at 5:36 pm

    To be very clear, it is you who has not been clear. Please see the first comment I made on this article that is now further down the thread which references Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn to fully understand my position.

    I do not determine God’s order of good and evil in regards to first excusing the behavior of any particular nationality or religion. What has set as evil is accounted as evil and what God has determined good is accounted as righteousness. Discernment must be measured equally not gerrymandered around certain individuals, members of a group, nations, races, cults, or religious sects.

    All murderers are equally evil. All despotic states are in opposition to God’s Rule of Law. Just as defense of one despot is as irrational as the condemnation of a particular despot. Justice doesn’t waffle around according to today’s conventional wisdom that believes there is a “new” justice that can arbitrality take a certain perpetrator down a peg or two…just because…THAT is not God’s Rule of Law. That is the absense of God’s Rule of Law which means such practice is a direct threat to the Creator Endowed rights of everyone.

    Now, this straw man argument you assert that I have condemned anyone to hell for having irrational ideas about God’s judgment comes from your own mind as the subject has not even been discussed.

    I’ve only pointed out the errors in your debate argument because your defense premises did not state the truth of the gospel correctly and if gone uncorrected have consequences upon the opportunity of others to lo undertand God’s Truth.

  78. Comment by FW Ken on September 14, 2014 at 4:57 pm

    Would that be the kids killed building tunnels for Hamas? Or the kids killed because Hamas put rockets next to their schools?

  79. Comment by Leif Christian on September 14, 2014 at 4:58 pm

    The kids killed when Israeli forces shot and bombed them. Including when UN reps begged them not to.

  80. Comment by FW Ken on September 14, 2014 at 5:11 pm

    So you are talking about the kids put in harm’s way by Hamas. Glad we got that cleared up.

  81. Comment by Leif Christian on September 14, 2014 at 5:57 pm

    If you blow up a family because you’re fighting with their neighbor go see how that defense holds up in court.

    Israel knew their actions would strengthen the popularity of Hamas. Their intention has never been to destroy Hamas, but to destroy the peace process.

  82. Comment by FW Ken on September 14, 2014 at 6:11 pm

    A mind reader, too. I am suitably impressed.

  83. Comment by Leif Christian on September 13, 2014 at 5:34 am

    and stop using “the jews” as shorthand for the current Israeli state. you know who does that? racist crackpots.

  84. Comment by treas54 on September 15, 2014 at 6:07 pm

    Israel, the only country in the whole of the middle east who gives voice to Christians, Arabs, women, children and yes even homosexuals. Israel is an island of humanitarianism in a sea of savages.

  85. Comment by Leif Christian on September 15, 2014 at 6:11 pm

    No to lesser evilism. Palestinian Christians know when they are abused.

  86. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on September 15, 2014 at 11:27 pm

    If so, then they know when they go against God’s chosen people.

  87. Comment by Leif Christian on September 15, 2014 at 11:51 pm

    Bigot.

  88. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on September 16, 2014 at 1:33 pm

    Yeppers, a very cerebral, rational, intellectual comeback. I bow to your “superior” intellect. I’m sure you will win converts on this one. Have a good life!

  89. Comment by John Collins on January 18, 2016 at 5:24 pm

    what a zionist bootlicker

  90. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on January 18, 2016 at 8:53 pm

    What a Nazi-Islamic-Sharia law-bacon loving sweetie.

  91. Comment by Leif Christian on September 13, 2014 at 1:43 am

    and nice job upvoting your own comment you tremendous ass.

  92. Comment by Giannis F. on September 15, 2014 at 3:13 am

    Basically, you believe that they deserve to be slaughtered wholesale for the crime of disapproving of some of Israel’s policy decisions and for tolerating the presence of Hezbollah as a political actor in the Levant as a fact of life instead of nonsensically attempting to grovel at the feet of Israel which would only make their situation worse. What a pusilanimous defense of Cruz. With such ridiculous apologies written by his defenders, what need is there even for people to attack him for his craven self-aggrandizement?

  93. Comment by Richard Hidalgo on September 15, 2014 at 11:34 pm

    Nice try, but you added so much to what 218w8 has written that it’s hardly recognizable to what he actually wrote!

  94. Comment by John Collins on January 18, 2016 at 5:22 pm

    shabbas goy

  95. Comment by Bill Myers on January 18, 2016 at 11:02 pm

    Actually, trying for mentsh.

  96. Comment by TheJackalopesVoice on September 11, 2014 at 6:47 pm

    it seems like the same conundrum Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn would find himself in when he tracked the source of godless, horrific, despotic ideas to a certain people group, also identified as a religion. The anti-defamation league would condemn Solzhenitsyn for his scholarship and conclusion without addressing the obvious truth of his findings. Meanwhile a dogma knife can slice both ways and Christians who praise a feudal dictator have much to learn about the reality of God’s natural laws – The Rule of Law – and Liberty….hence the problem with the American Church’s love affair with the the godless, bureacratic, unconstitutional State…”Just give us our leeks and onions of tax exemptions…and we’ll never challenge any dictate of Egypt …errr I mean The Federal Government….no matter how oppressive or in opposition to God’s Natural Law…”

  97. Comment by Neil Donovan on September 12, 2014 at 9:27 am

    Cruz’s keynote speech gave them good value for their money. His point was directly on target. He could have just said “lie down with dogs and wake up with fleas”. Maybe “In Defense of Christians” needs to take a look at who they are laying down with.

  98. Comment by sspence65 on September 12, 2014 at 1:44 pm

    Many make the mistake in assuming that if one is not Muslim, or Jewish, they must be Christian. Jesus says no man comes to the father but through me. Read up on Mathew 7:22-23

  99. Comment by Leif Christian on September 12, 2014 at 7:56 pm

    You are implying they are not Christian because they oppose Israeli state crimes? Their families have been Christian for well over a millennium. Maybe you faith is the one that’s not rooted.

  100. Comment by TheJackalopesVoice on September 13, 2014 at 12:00 pm

    Your assertion to spence65 is invalid because he stated nor insinuated no such thing. However, to be a Christian that can praise one oppressive tyrant while condemning another is not being true to God’s natural law.

  101. Comment by David on September 12, 2014 at 3:07 pm

    A few questions for Christians about Israel –
    Why is it that when Christians go to Israel all they do is visit holy sites and focus on tourism and prophecy without evangelizing to bring Christ’s salvation message to the masses as they do in other nations? As an example, Billy Graham had crusades in 185 countries on 6 continents. Why did he never have a crusade in Israel? Indeed, why has there never been a major evangelization event for non Christians / Jews in Israel?
    As someone who has been there I can tell you the Christianity is barely tolerated in Israel. It is merely a sideshow and revenue generator. And American Christians are used by Israeli politicians. They freely admit that they equate criticism of Israel as being anti-semitic – “…its a trick we always use it”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0kWAqZxJVE

  102. Comment by David Holland on September 12, 2014 at 4:09 pm

    evangelizing
    So why is Israel the only country in the Middle East that has a growing Christian community. Every other country in the Middle East, the Christian community is decreasing to almost non existence. You bet your ass that Israel doesnt want any Christians evangelizing. Jewish experience with evangelizing throughout history has been either convert or die, or convert or leave. It has a left a bad taste in our mouth. So if you are a Christian and want to visit or move to Israel. Great come on in, visit and see the sites or get a job, get married, have children, pray or dont pray to who ever you want. Just dont try converting us.

  103. Comment by David Holland on September 12, 2014 at 4:13 pm

    One further point. I love it when someone tries to make a point, they get a Jew or Israeli to back them up. I can get you ten other Israeli politicians who have opposite opinion of what the speaker said. I am sure that Democracy Now only brings in speakers that coincide with their view of the world. There is a old famous Jewish joke. Put two Jews in a room, you get three opinions. The speakers views are no more valid than anyone else

  104. Comment by David on September 12, 2014 at 7:33 pm

    Point well taken. However, I believe it more than just a few Jews who dispute what is taking place over there. As an example –
    http://www.truetorahjews.org/

    and

    http://www.nkusa.org/index.cfm

    and finally, Israeli soldiers:

    http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/

  105. Comment by David on September 12, 2014 at 7:29 pm

    Thank you for your feedback. I’ll be going to Palestine in November so will have the opportunity to see the conditions for myself. Most of my time will be spent in the west bank so my experience and what I see will likely be different than those who don’t live or visit the occupied territories. For the record David, I’m not anti-Semitic or anti Jew. I am however for a peaceful resolution to the challenges in Palestine. I believe most (authentic) Jews would like a peaceful solution.

  106. Comment by Jonathan on September 12, 2014 at 7:35 pm

    “As someone who has been there I can tell you the Christianity is barely tolerated in Israel.”

    David — Perhaps (though that has not exactly been my experience in Israel). But being Christian in Israel generally will not get you beheaded by Israeli Jews, nor will you be forced to convert — unlike some places very nearby. Maybe that is why, unlike every other place in the middle east, Israel has a growing Christian population.

  107. Comment by Andrew X on September 12, 2014 at 3:55 pm

    All due respect, but I clicked here from RealClearPolitics because I was interested in a clear answer to the question – Why was Ted Cruz booed at this dinner?

    I got my answer: Because they are Arabs (by this article, at least). Wee. Big help.

    Fact is, this was a disgrace. This is a community on the ropes, literally facing genocide, and they cannot put the Israel issue aside enough now, when they should be groveling at the feet of any and all possible ally they can find in this world? To save their lives from modern day Nazis?

    Is their anyone on earth (not Arab) who does not get that if Arab armies drove the Jews into the sea and slaughtered them all, they would celebrate for a month, and in one year they would civilizationally be exactly where they are right now, economically bereft, inventing nothing, bowing to tyrants, and not one iota better off for having done so? Arabs could change the planet and their civilization in a heartbeat by just walking away from this stupid conflict, by treating Israel the way militant communist China treated Hong Kong for decades (and get the same results in terms of wealth), and getting on with their lives. The fact that Christians with a literal knife to their throat still prefer to tell their killers with their final words “hey, at least we agree that the Jews suck” as the knife then goes in speaks volumes.

    What a literally…. literally ….. G-d damned tragedy.

  108. Comment by Leif Christian on September 12, 2014 at 7:58 pm

    Some people believe in universal human rights not just lesser evilism.

  109. Comment by EVA-04 on September 12, 2014 at 9:23 pm

    Hatreds die hard, apparently. Not all of them are this way, however, and I think as the threats grow closer and more violent you’ll see more who will find a newfound reason to tolerate Israel compared to what else is out there.

  110. Comment by mrsoriordan on September 13, 2014 at 4:51 am

    “……while the narrative of IDC is directed at ISIS violence, the conference is intentionally or not, profiting the Iranian and Syrian regimes and Hezbollah.
    Readers may be stunned by this assertion, but here are the facts and some of the evidence:

    http://www.mideastobserver.com/en//news.php?name=2014104655

  111. Comment by Leif Christian on September 14, 2014 at 4:33 pm

    Justice is about more than a zero sum chess game if major powers.

  112. Comment by Nealhugh Hurwitz on September 14, 2014 at 8:12 am

    why were some of them allowed into the USA???

  113. Comment by Leif Christian on September 14, 2014 at 4:33 pm

    Because we are not yet at the point when US citizens have to swear loyalty to the occupation of Palestine the same way congress members do?

  114. Comment by Earl H. Foote on September 15, 2014 at 6:49 pm

    Thank you, Richard Hidalgo. I agree with your statements. While I understand the fear and the traditional ethnic identification that combine to motivate Middle East Christians to oppose Israel, I still think that it is wrong and contrary to their long-term interests. Israel isn’t perfect by any means, but it is the only country in the Middle East where the percentage of Christians is increasing. The sad fact is that, if Israel is ever eliminated, God forbid, and the last Jew is exiled or killed, Christians are next on the list. In fact, as pointed out, they have greatly declined in numbers in the Middle East. They need to wake up.

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