Monday, August 13, 2007
Another worthless "peacemaking" gesture from an American Protestant denomination that will have little actual effect, but will be used by those who wish to do battle with Israel itself to great effect.
From Episcopal Life Online:
An emailer writes:
From Pondering Pastor:
Bishop G. Knoche moved an amendment “Examination of investment would exclude the option of divestiture.†Amendment is ruled consistent with fiduciary responsibility and ELCA policy. Question called for all matters before the house. Voted to end debate on B3 695-35. Amendment passed 472-261. B3 (twice amended) passed 637-105.
So they're going to try to buy stuff from "Palestine" (whatever), "consider" not buying stuff from "settlements" (whatever), but won't consider "divestment" (OK).
The Wiesenthal Center is upset:
The Simon Wiesenthal Center deplores a resolution passed this weekend at the 10th biennial Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to ‘study’ the feasibility of a boycott against goods produced in Israeli 'settlements.' "This marks the first time a mainline American Protestant church has moved toward a possible boycott of Israel," said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of the leading Jewish human rights group. "While we note that the ELCA delegates have now joined the Presbyterian Church (USA) in explicitly rejecting divesting from companies doing business with Israel, they have decided to embrace one of the anti-Israel tactics adopted by United Kingdom trade unions and others in Europe."
“ELCA delegates would have made a stronger contribution to the quest for peace and justice in the Holy Land had they also raised the ransacking of Christian places of worship and recent forced conversion of a Christian professor in Gaza, as well as the unrelenting targeting of Israeli civilian communities by Palestinian Kassam rockets,†Cooper concluded.
In recent years, factions in some U.S. mainline Protestant churches like the Presbyterian Church USA and the United Church of Christ have proposed and even passed measures such as divestment and boycotts to punish Israel for implementing what they call “apartheid†conditions on the Palestinians. The Simon Wiesenthal Center has launched efforts to show members of these various congregations that such measures are one-sided in that Israel is singled out and held to a standard to which no other country is held.
A little strong? Probably, but again, the point is not the resolution's direct effect, it's the aid and comfort it gives far more nefarious forces.
Video of the debate is here, look at bottom for "Video Transcript of Plenary 11." It starts about 30 minutes in.
I don't believe the Wiesenthal Center was overly strong. I suspect they ARE frustrated at a lack of options. I don't think that apart from a narrow group of people (including SWC), anyone quite realizes how much malice is included in these boycott, divestment, and sanction initiatives - and how much harm they will eventually cause. In the mainlines (ELCA, Methodist, Presbyterian, Anglican/Episcopalian, UCC), the people who vote for such things are always suckered by the 'peace' language. ('Peace not walls', 'Peace not apartheid', 'Peacemaker teams') Who in a church is going to say, "I'm against peace"? So they vote for such things - without realizing that instead of peace they are voting for of kind of rhetoric that only increases hatred. They have only themselves to blame for being so easily manipulated. Nonetheless, those within these denominations who push such initiatives (almost without exception the leadership) are animated by a double standard and an inexplicable anti-Israel and even anti-Jewish bias.
The problem is, this type of action by a church is purely symbolic - it does not, on its own, have any real effect. But it helps to foster a climate - Israel (and supporters of Israel - which are interpreted by these groups to be large swaths of the US Jewish population as well as 'Christian Zionists)- are portrayed in a monstrous fashion, blamed for a ridiculous assortment of things, and accused of controlling the US media and the US government.
US anti-semitism has not been a particular problem in my lifetime; in Europe it is becoming one. This group of people are helping to create a climate that will make anti-semitism acceptable among Christians (and others) in America. Combined with the work of various unions, academics, and assorted politicians the effect is dangerous.
The SWC realizes this, but they have very few effective options to oppose it. They can talk to the leadership of such groups - but the malicious activisim stems from them, so they will be ill-inclined to listen. At best, they will lie about their intentions. Even in this communication they strategically erred - when they mentioned their efforts to show members of these denominations the one-sidedness of denominational policies. They open themselves to a charge of trying to manipulate the internal processes of the churches. What is left but public forums trying to draw attention to the severity of the situation? (I'm seriously asking this - I don't see any good option. As a member of one of these denominations mentioned, I take the shameful behavior of the mainlines personally - but I have no options.)
The war against Israel is not being fought by military means right now. For the most part, the Arab/Muslim states have learned that they can achieve far more, and at a much lower cost, by waging political, economic and social war against Israel. And you know what? They're right. It IS working.............
Let the Evangelical Lutheran Church put their money where their mouth is. Let them invest in the Gazan economy to provide industry and employment.
That should drain the church's treasury in short order as the funds disappear into a botomless pit.
I concur that the increase anti-semetic appearence of the many churches looks closer
to the appearence of the anti-christ. However,
we cannot overlook the aloof posture of the Israel nation that has there hand in the gentile
churches pockets as they need them for their tourist economy, while they are giving the local
Christians that support the Jewish lifestyle a kick to the curb (ref. Ron Cantrell). Also take a closer look at Jews for Jesus popup ads, click on and you get an inside view of how the Jewish
community really see's the Gentile Church. We see a road sign stating Hell with Christian attached to it. Anot her with the word missionary and yep you guessed it, another hell sign, then in the back ground the word Judisism with arrows pointing up. Until we face the fact
the Gentile Church (regardlesss demonation) should be posturing in gratitude for the keeping of the old testament. Read Ruth, however, Ruth
brings Naomi back into her blessing. We should be leading the Jewish community to Yeshua (Jesus)
not building walls of seperation on either side.
I believe Martin Luther was familuar with the issue of anti-gentile, in as much as the Rabbi knew too well antisemitism. To think we can obtain peace in this region of the world prior to
Christs return in scriptural only to the degree in your following the umption of the anti-christ.
He will fool alot of well meaning lukewarm Christians, but his elect will know prophecy.
I concur that the increase anti-semetic appearence of the many churches looks closer
to the appearence of the anti-christ. However,
we cannot overlook the aloof posture of the Israel nation that has there hand in the gentile
churches pockets as they need them for their tourist economy, while they are giving the local
Christians that support the Jewish lifestyle a kick to the curb (ref. Ron Cantrell). Also take a closer look at Jews for Jesus popup ads, click on and you get an inside view of how the Jewish
community really see's the Gentile Church. We see a road sign stating Hell with Christian attached to it. Another with the word missionary and yep you guessed it, another hell sign, then in the back ground the word Jewish with arrows pointing up. Until we face the fact
the Gentile Church (regardlesss demonation) should be posturing in gratitude for the keeping of the old testament. Read Ruth, however, Ruth
brings Naomi back into her blessing. We should be leading the Jewish community to Yeshua (Jesus)
not building walls of seperation on either side.
I believe Martin Luther was familuar with the issue of anti-gentile, in as much as the Rabbi knew too well antisemitism. To think we can obtain peace in this region of the world prior to
Christs return is scriptural only to the degree in your following the spirit of the anti-christ.He will bring false peace 3 1/2 years.
He will fool alot of well meaning lukewarm Christians, but his elect will know prophecy.
This, within the ELCA and elsewhere, reflects a stunningly superficial set of qualities among too many congregants, among pew sitters, but primarily among the hierarchies, including lay leaders, who like to think of themselves as informed and involved and morally sensitive. Far too often they are none of the above and far too often otherwise relatively innocent and naive pew sitters, in the "good German" tradition, unknowingly and unthinkingly become more active accomplices of these types of initiatives. Still, the primary culprits are the hierarchies, both ecclesial and within lay leadership positions as well. People in the pews do not concern themselves with the details and end up relying upon top-down information flow. This relative passivity and naivete doesn't speak well of them, but they are secondary to the formal hierarchies nonetheless who take advantage of excessive forms of fideism and trust in general from the pews.
Btw, for some perspective, there are ample numbers of superficial "pew sitters" and "good Germans" among secularist/ideological and other (non-Christian) religious groups as well. There are various psychologies involved here at least as much as educational levels and levels of being more genuinely informed, other factors as well. It's not a subject that supports reductionist and stereotyped views.
There are additionally some rather blatant and egregious offenses against commonsense and common morality as well; some secular Jewish groups for example have recently taken to lobbying against recognition of the Armenian genocide, reminiscent of some suppression of the Ukrainian genocide, itself not a simple issue since there were anti-Jewish and anti-Semitic pogroms in the Ukraine, and ample numbers of them; so am not attempting to simplify anything. Still, genocide is not something to be taken lightly, no?, as if it's but one more politicized poker chip to be traded in the latest left/right or religious/secular or morally "superior" set of exchanges within some blog thread.
(There is also a substantial amount of irony on evidence here as well. It is largely the more "liberally" and secularly inclined mainline churches that evidence this anti-Israel bent. That's not exclusively true, it's a general statement only, but is largely true nonetheless. For example the ELCA is arguably the most "liberally" oriented Lutheran denomination in the country.)