"Fools walk in where Angels fear to tread..."
Forget the names they assign to themselves. Jesus was not a
Christian, nor would He join any group that had Christian in it. As
much as I cared for members of the various churches I've belonged to
in my lifetime, all have a basic flaw. That flaw is in their belief
that God can only be reached through their correct Belief. Most
churches are self serving and self centered. They cry out for new
members, but drive people away because of their rigidity.
Christian Nationalists and Christian Zionists will learn the hard way
that they are being used in a much larger game. But I do not feel any
sorrow for them. Their own self serving greed is the trapdoor that
lures them in.
Carl Jarvis
On 8/11/20, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Christian Nationalists and Christian Zionists March Lockstep to Secure
Another Four Years for Trump
Christian Nationalists and their cousins, Christian Zionists - have made
their way into the halls of power, and may be the key to another four-year
term for arguably the most catastrophic president in US history.
by Kathryn Shihadah
August 11th, 2020
By Kathryn Shihadah Kathryn Shihadah
Two thousand years ago, Jesus taught an oppressed, occupied people the ways
of mercy and nonviolent resistance. In the intervening centuries, some
strains of Christianity have transformed themselves from these humble roots
into dominant, imperial forces.
Their "Christian" voices speak the language of the Bible, but their
ideologies have little to do with the Bible's message. Their followers -
knowingly or unknowingly - encourage authoritarianism and racism with a
stamp of approval from God.
These groups - Christian Nationalists and their cousins, Christian Zionists
- have made their way into the halls of power, and may be the key to
another
four-year term for arguably the most catastrophic president in history.
The ideologies
Nationalism, according to the Oxford Dictionary and "Political Ideologies,"
is "identification with one's own nation and support for its interests,
especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other
nations,"
which "aims to build and maintain a single national identity."
Christian Nationalism, then, promotes the interests (and perhaps,
doctrines)
of a particular strain of Christians, and aims to build a single Christian
national identity - to the exclusion of the interests of other Christian
groups in the nation and the interests of other nations.
Christians Against Christian Nationalism, a broad coalition of faith
groups,
adds:
Christian Nationalism demands Christianity be privileged by the State and
implies that to be a good American, one must be Christian. It often
overlaps
with and provides cover for white supremacy and racial subjugation.
Christian Zionism is a Christian movement that similarly promotes the
interests of certain types of Jews in Israel, aiming to support them as
they
build a single, privileged Jewish national identity - to the exclusion of
the interests of other groups in Israel and the interests of other nations.
Christians United for Israel
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. speaks at the Christians United for Israel
Washington Summit, July 23, 2013. Charles Dharapak | AP
Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), an international movement seeking
a
just peace for Palestinians, opposes Christian Zionism. Jonathan Brenneman,
the communications coordinator for FOSNA, described Christian Zionism to
MintPress as:
An ideology which uses Christianity in the name of hate. Their mission is
to
increase their "Christian" influence on U.S. policy.upholding U.S. and
Christian supremacy in its support of Israel's worst practices."
Christian Zionists see themselves as the only people who understand God's
plan, and they have the duty to implement it at any cost."
Sounds crazy? These groups are not fringe. They are plentiful and powerful,
to the point that they may have won Trump the election in 2016, and may do
so again in 2020.
As Pew Research reported in March 2020, half of Americans hold the
Christian
Nationalist belief that the Bible should have a "great deal" or "some"
influence over U.S. laws (though they might not label it as such). Some 28
percent believe that "if and when the Bible conflicts with the will of the
American people, the Bible should have more influence on the laws of the
land."
In addition, roughly 70 million Americans profess the Christian Zionist
beliefs that "God's promise to Abraham and his descendants was for all
time," and that the creation of modern Israel is a fulfillment of prophecy
leading to the return of Jesus Christ.
MAGA and Israel
As the U.S. has become more diverse and secular, the relative numbers of
Christians - especially white Christians - has been declining. White
Christians have "lost their perceived standing as the country's
decision-makers amid their declining status," driving many to Christian
Nationalism as a path back to power.
Many of these Christian Nationalists heard in Candidate Trump's MAGA slogan
a promise to return America to its former greatness - the good old days
when
we "didn't need no welfare state, everybody pulled his weight."
Trump also promised to move the American Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to
Jerusalem, pull out of the treaty with Iran, and support Israeli
settlements
on Palestinian land - all wildly popular with Christian Zionists.
Some 80 percent of evangelicals voted for Trump - either to save America or
to usher in the second coming of Christ.
The awkward issue of (Trump's) sin
Trump's evangelical fan club had a dilemma on its hands as his skeletons
kept tumbling out of the closet. He was a hot mess, but they needed him.
In a piece for Salon, Paul Rosenberg goes so far as to suggest that a
righteous candidate would have been a bad idea, writing that "When push
comes to shove, the more vicious the leader, the better. The moral
restraints of the deeply pious are the last thing you want for the job."
Every day brought a new crisis - and a new rationalization: "Only God knows
what is in Trump's heart." "Democrats have baggage too." "He is the spirit
of Cyrus." "We're all sinners."
Study: Partisan Media Coverage of Epstein Mask His links to Both Sides
A new study revealed that both MSNBC and Fox News slanted their coverage to
highlight either Clinton or Trump's links to Jeffrey Epstein.
MintPress News | Alan Macleod | Jul 28
Under the new, Trump-inspired Christianity, some leaders portrayed him as
"God's choice," and instructed followers to stand with him no matter what.
Robert Jeffress, the pastor of the oldest megachurch in the U.S.,
demonstrated this just before the 2016 election when he quite literally
contradicted the words of Jesus in defense of Trump:
I don't want some meek and mild leader or somebody who's going to turn the
other cheek. I've said I want the meanest, toughest SOB I can find to
protect this nation."
From Bible to policy
The Trump campaign, and then administration, has always included a large
number of evangelical leaders - including Christian Zionists. They were not
there only to pray, but according to Trump advisor Mike Evans, to have "a
seat at the table." Christian Zionists in Trump's inner circle use their
access to present their interpretation of scripture as potential foreign
policy. And Apparently Trump listens.
Mike Evans Donald Trump
Evangelical Trump advisor Mike Evans, left, poses with the President. Photo
| White House
Evans has been part of that inner circle. He was in on private briefings
with the president before the unveiling of the so-called Deal of the
Century
- Trump's "peace plan" for Israel and Palestine, which heavily favors
Israel. "Israel just got kissed by God," Evans said of the plan. "I am not
referring to Donald Trump as God, but I am saying he has Divine
inspiration."
Trump's actions on behalf of Israel, which are often reckless and
violations
of international law and human rights, are understood as obedience to
Genesis 12:3, "I will bless those who bless you [Abraham], and whoever
curses you I will curse."
Meet CUFI
The most powerful guest at the table has to be CUFI - Christians United For
Israel - an organization boasting eight million members, and the
quintessential mechanism of Christian Zionism.
At the CUFI's helm is John Hagee, who teaches as fact his dispensationalist
interpretation of the situation in Israel and Palestine. As Hagee puts it,
"Israel exists because of a covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob
3,500 years ago - and that covenant still stands," and "From a biblical,
historical, and legal perspective, Israel owns, and does not occupy, the
Holy Land. And one can not be an occupier on land it owns." (The global
community almost unanimously disagrees with the second statement, based on
international law.)
Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo themselves
self-identify as Christian Zionists and Pence has even visited Israel on
CUFI's dime. Both have spoken at CUFI's annual summit. At least three other
high-level members of the Trump administration attended as well.
The organization is effective. The Hill listed at least five congressional
seats and one governor that CUFI helped flip from blue to red in 2018.
Their
millions of members are ready to "show up at the polls and cast their
ballot
for the candidate that is best for the Jewish state."
How? According to Sandy Hagee Parker of the CUFI Action Fund, "With
approximately 50 events nationally per month, CUFI's field staff is in
constant education mode."
Anti-Diplomacy: Danny Danon Ends Five Year Legacy of Israeli Hasbara at the
UN
The legacy of Danny Danon whose hawkish anti-diplomacy came to end after a
five-year stint as Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations.
MintPress News | Kathryn Shihadah | Jul 27
"CUFI members don't see Israel as a political issue, but as an exercise in
their faith - and that will never change," Hagee Parker boasts.
CUFI members can be mobilized as needed to support legislative action,
visit
a Congress member, attend a town hall meeting - whatever is needed to keep
the agenda moving forward. Bottom line, in John Hagee's own words:
We're not another paper-shuffling, hand-clapping group of Christians.We are
4.5 million people who are organized in every state, every city, every
voting district."
War with Iran
Iran is public enemy number one to Christian Zionists, who believe that the
end times must be preceded by war and bloodshed. Iran is more than just a
geopolitical enemy - it is, as religious historian Diana Butler Bass
explains, "sort of a prophetic dog whistle to evangelicals.they're eager
for
Christ to return and they think that this war with Iran and Israel has to
happen for their larger hope to pass."
And so John Hagee - a pastor, mind you - has repeatedly called for Iran to
be hit with a "maximum pressure campaign," including at one point a
preemptive strike.
Mike Pence, John Hagee
Vice President Pence, left, greets Hagee at CUFI's annual summit, July 8,
2019, in Washington. Patrick Semansky | AP
In 2017, Christian Zionists pestered Trump to move the American Embassy
from
Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. According to the Christians United For Israel
website:
CUFI has made moving the embassy to Jerusalem a central focus of its 2017
agenda.Pastor John Hagee, has used White House audiences with Pres. Trump
and Vice Pres. Mike Pence to urge them to move the embassy.
Days before Pres. Trump's inauguration, the CUFI Action Fund held a
Washington fly-in during which more than 260 leaders representing 49 states
urged that the embassy be moved. And CUFI members have sent more than
137,000 emails to the White House in support of moving the embassy to
Jerusalem.
The embassy move took place in May 2018 amid peaceful protests that
resulted
in dozens of Palestinian deaths by Israeli sniper fire.
The only side of the story?
Just 40 percent of Jews living in Israel believe that God gave them the
land; meanwhile, 82 percent of white American evangelicals believe it. How
is that possible?
Brenneman explained that because there is no visible counter-argument
against the damaging narrative of Christian Zionism, "Most people don't
even
realize that they hold a Christian Zionist perspective."
Like all extremist ideologies, it is built upon ignorance and insularity to
perpetuate a warped perspective about Palestinians and what is happening in
Palestine.
People passively hold these views because they are shielded from seeing
devastating humanitarian and environmental consequences of their beliefs.
Christian Zionism [presents a binary construct in which] Israelis are good
and barbaric Palestinians are bad, [and] places good "Western" Israelis
against evil "Eastern" Muslims."
The concealed truth
While mainstream media will never give a completely accurate picture of
world events, it does manage to contradict Trump on a regular basis. He
deals with these inconvenient truths by delegitimizing them as "fake news"
and, as Kellyanne Conway famously gave us, the phrase "alternative facts."
His flock follows suit.
In the arena of accurate news on Israel and Palestine, many sources
committed to rigorous reporting and educating are routinely denounced as
"anti-Semitic" for daring to show Israel's human rights abuses against
Palestinians. Most Americans are thus not exposed to the truth about the
injustice that Christian Zionism is inflicting on Palestinians through its
support of Israel.
What about 2020?
As determined as progressives are to make Trump a one-term president,
evangelicals and conservatives are resolute about winning him four more
years. They are also well-organized and well-funded.
Data analysts are scouring statistics nationwide, looking for new
conservative voters to register and recruit. Thousands of conservative, and
also often evangelical radio stations, sing Trump's praises; tens of
millions of churchgoers are faithful to him.
Mike Evans, a Trump advisor, pointed out that the evangelical bloc "gave"
Trump the presidency because of his pro-life stance and his support for
Israel - and that same group has the power to "fire" him if he does not
continue to toe the line. The current test will be if Trump endorses
Israel's planned annexation of parts of the Palestinian West Bank, a move
deemed illegal under international law.
Backed by Millions from Pro-Israel Interests, Antone Melton-Meaux Takes Aim
at Ilhan Omar
Antone Melton-Meaux, a union-busting attorney, is raking in millions in
campaign donations from pro-Israel groups to unseat Ilhan Omar.
MintPress News | Alan Macleod | Aug 5
When asked about Trump's re-election prospects, Evans explains how
pro-Israel policy translates into votes:
I have 68 million Facebook followers. When the president blesses Israel,
they feel strongly that God is going to bless us - He won't get 90 percent;
he will get 100 percent of this base."
In fact, according to a 2019 Public Religion Research Institute poll of
Trump supporters, 31 percent of white evangelicals said there is
essentially
nothing he could do that would lose their vote.
"Stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody"? Apparently he can
do
no wrong.
