As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“They are united only in wanting to tear down. In short, these protests are a manifestation of the Mephistophelean spirit of negation or, in religious terms, the spirit of desecration.” - Carl Trueman
My previous column challenged Bible-believing Christians—and all Americans—to stand with the people, nation and land of Israel during these times of unprecedented hatred aimed at Jewish people around the world.
During the past week, the animosity and hostility spouted against the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob have grown to a level that we might have considered unfathomable, making such pleas all the more necessary. This story is not going away anytime soon. The acrimony is spreading like wildfire.
“the world is filled with state actors treating their own or neighboring populations in the most appalling ways, far worse than anything that Israel could remotely be accused of, without attracting anything like the passion and vitriol directed at Jews and Israel.” - Manhattan Contrarian
“Today, when university protesters celebrate the death of Jews, shouting, ‘We are Hamas,’ it is time for Christians across the nation to speak up on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people.” - Michael Brown
The United States was attacked in unprecedented waves of terrorism on Sept. 11, 2001. What followed was an immediate, passionate surge of patriotism, mingled with religious fervor. Many of us remember those days very clearly.
Our patriotism ran only so deep, however, and the spiritual connection was extremely shallow. After six months, the enthusiasm had largely faded away.
When Israel was attacked by Hamas in unprecedented waves of terrorism on Oct. 7, 2023, we would have expected a passionate surge of support for Israel, grounded in Biblical understanding.
“When Hamas attacked Kibbutz Be’eri, Gat, his wife, 3-year-old daughter, parents and sister hid for hours in their rocket-proof safe room. But fighters entered the house and killed or abducted everyone inside, except for his father who hid in the bathroom. His mother was dragged into the street and shot.” - RNS
“Hamas in its Covenant was a relatively early adapter of this ideology [Salafism], but it was far from the last. In subsequent years radical militants influenced by Salafism used the same reasoning to justify taking arms against the Arab ruling class” - Providence
“Recent survey finds strong support for sometimes conflicting agendas, but also many believers who are still “not sure” what to advocate for.” - C.Today
“questioning whether prisoner exchanges are prudent is not to question the intrinsic value of the hostages…. But it is to observe that the prisoner exchanges—like the paying of any kind of ransom—does nothing to disincentivize further hostage-taking.” - Providence
“Republicans (71%), men (59%), adults 55 and older (63%) and White adults (61%) approve of Israel’s military actions in Gaza…. more than six in 10 Democrats (63%), adults younger than 35 (67%)… disapprove, as do the slight majority of women (52%).” - Gallup
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