A Final Word on the Middle Eastern Crisis

The past week has been a turbulent one on the Revangelical blog. After posting three articles that called for peace, an end to evangelical Zionism, and the need to look beyond what the news is telling you in order to get a more complete picture of what is occurring in Israel, I have received countless comments, tweets, and messages from people either expressing gratitude for a fresh perspective on this situation or utter disgust that I would use my blog to suggest anything other than the traditional dispensational, right winged evangelical perspective on the situation between Israel and Gaza. I have heard all of the critiques and criticism and have tried to actively engage in conversation around these topics with leaders, experts, and mentors in my own life to get a better picture of this unfortunate reality. At the end of the day, I feel the need to make clear a few things that many people seem to be misunderstanding about my perspective. The point of this is not to defend myself, but to make clear where I stand on a few issues:

1. I am not Anti-Israel and certainly not Anti-Jewish: In every post that I have published on Revangelical, we have gone great lengths to reaffirm our commitment to the nation of Israel’s right to exist and right to defend itself against Hamas. Though my reasons are not theological (I do not think that the Bible guarantees anyone any land) I believe that based on history and the decisions of the world’s governing authorities that a Jewish state- Israel- ought to exist. I fully support the Jewish people and in fact, find myself allied with many Jewish people around the world in my disapproval of the IDF’s actions in Gaza. I also want to be clear that I condemn any and all people and organizations that are promoting Anti-Semitism or are calling for “Death to Israel”. There are extremists on every side of this debate and I find all of their perspectives to not only be unethical and unhelpful but completely and totally evil. So to be clear, I support the Nation of Israel’s right to exist and right to defend themselves. I do not think that the way the IDF is going about this “defense” is ethical or humane.

2. I am not Pro-Hamas: There has been an abundance of confusion over what it means to “stand with Gaza”. When I speak of my support of Gaza, I am talking about the people who occupy that land, not Hamas. I believe Hamas is a terrorist organization that has done horrendous evils not only to the Nation of Israel but to its own people. I disapprove of Hamas’ continued use of violence against the nation of Israel and believe that the leaders of Hamas’ are criminals. When I say that I stand with Gaza, I mean that I stand in solidarity with the hundreds of men, women, and children who are being killed every day, both by Hamas and the IDF, and are caught in the middle of violent crisis that they have nothing to do with. I stand with the Muslim community in Gaza who is concluding their most holy feast of Ramadan with continued disruption and terror. I also stand in solidarity with any and all Israeli families who have lost loved ones in this uproar. All death is unjustifiable. It must stop. We must pursue peace at all costs. That’s what I ultimately stand for. Peace.

3. I am not interested in spreading Propaganda: I also want to be clear that I have no agenda in any of my posts other than to bring relevant information and perspectives to an evangelical audience for them to consider. My passion is and has always been to seek to build bridges, and that means listening and presenting alternative perspectives on complex issues. When it comes to the current crisis between Israel and Gaza, my goal is simply to expose Evangelicals, who are traditionally Zionistic, to a Palestinian perspective on these issues. I also seek to show how many evangelicals theological perspectives on the Middle East are actually a root cause to the continued violence and injustice being perpetuated. I am not pro-Palestinian or pro-Israeli. I am pro-peace and pro-truth. I want to see an end to occupation, violence, terrorism, and hatred that seems to pervade in Palestine these days. The only way I know how to do that is to start with education and dialogue between opposing views. That is all that I hope to accomplish on this blog.

I already know that many will disagree with these clarifying points and that is totally okay. These issues are complex, deeply personal for many people, and urgent. I am not asking for anyone to agree with anything I post on this blog, but rather am asking that everyone considers and wrestles with the thoughts and opinions of others, seeking to understand where they are coming from in order to be able to enter in to productive conversation that may actually lead to some positive action and solution to this very dark crisis.

Once again, I want to also reaffirm my commitment to praying for all those involved in this conflict. Ultimately, God alone has the power to move and bring tranquility in even the most violent of situations and I am praying daily that he does. In closing, I would ask that you would join me in a brief word of prayer:

God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God of Jews and Palestinians.
God of all people, all faiths, all races, all lineages.
We come before you today, seeking your mercy and guidance.
Lord God of compassion,whose will is for peace built on righteousness,
we pray for peace in Gaza and Israel:
for an end to hostilities,
for comfort and help for all who suffer,
and for reconciliation between Palestine and Israel,
Grant us peace, Your most precious gift, O Eternal Source of peace,
and give us the will to proclaim its message to all the peoples of the earth.
Bless the nation of Israel and the people of Palestine,
that they may always be a stronghold of peace,
May contentment reign within their borders,
health and happiness within their homes.
Strengthen the bonds of friendship among the inhabitants of all lands,
and may the love of Your name hallow every home and every heart.
Blessed is the Eternal God, the Source of peace.
Amen.

(Adapted from Prayer for Gaza by Church of England & Prayer for Peace by Union for Reformed Judaism)