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To whom it may concern
Christian Peacemaker Teams
October 31, 1997
Sir/Madame
I am writing from the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, in
response to a piece by Kathy Kern called "Blessing Israel?", sent out on
your network on October 28.
As far as I can ascertain, Ms Kern has not taken the trouble to speak to
anyone at the ICEJ, although this organisation hosts the Feast of
Tabernacles celebration she trashes -- along with its thousands of
participants -- with such venom.
Had she done so, we would have happily corrected a few grave
misunderstandings she has -- misunderstandings she has now regrettably
shared with your mailing list. We hope CPT will do the ethical thing, and
send out this response to your readers.
Christian Zionism is an historical and highly-regarded stream within
Christianity, and has adherents in virtually every denomination of the
Christian church worldwide today (including the Mennonites, incidentally).
We are not a bunch of lunatics spreading a gospel of hatred against Arabs
and we certainly do not justify human rights abuses against them. We simply
believe the Bible. And that Bible, which we understand has not been
revoked, makes it very clear that God has given this land as an eternal
inheritance to the Jewish people. His words, not ours -- if Ms Kern or the
CPT have a problem with that eternal covenant, they should take it up with
Him directly. To those Christians who hold that the Church has replaced
Israel as God's chosen people, we would simply say: If God can dump one
chosen people for another, what assurance do we have that He will not dump
the Church too? The God we believe in says He is the same yesterday, today
and forever. If we don't believe that any longer, we might as well all go
off and become Buddhists.
We do not "throw unequivocal support behind Israeli government policy". We
disagreed strongly, for example, with the decision by the current
government to withdraw its troops from most of Hebron, the first Jewish
city in history. We aren't wildly in favour either of the unconditional
release from Israeli prisons of men who have been convicted of murder and
similar crimes.
Our support for Israel and the Jewish people is based not on Likud policy
or Labour policy -- but on our understanding of God's Word -- and that
understanding, crucially, does NOT include the distasteful belief that
"once all the Jews in the world emigrate to Israel, two-thirds of them will
die in Armegeddon and one-third convert to Christianity". There are some
who call themselves Christian who subscribe to that teaching. We do not,
and have sought to refute it where possible. Ms Kern's assertion to the
contrary is, quite simply, defamatory. Pity she didn't take the trouble to
check her facts before sending off her diatribe against us.
.
Patrick Goodenough
International Christian Embassy Jerusalem
Middle East Digest/ICEJ News Service
PO Box 1192
Jerusalem
91010
Tel: ++972-2-5631418
Fax: ++972-2-5631062
email: meid@icej.org.il
ICEJ website: <http://www.icej.org.il>
Preface to Response from Kathy Kern
One thing I do want to do is make a distinction between the many Christian
Zionists of good will out there and the people who run the Christian Embassy.
I have friends and family members who see in the ancient prophetic texts
contemporary endtimes scenarios. I've even had loved ones take tours to
Israel sponsored by Christian Zionist agencies. I have met warm, friendly
people who work in Jerusalem for the Christian Embassy.
However, when I read their material, I feel a fury building within me that's
somewhat similar to the fury I felt in the 1980's when I would watch
broadcasts of the 700 Club describing the sad plight of the "Freedom Fighters"
(Contras) in Nicaragua. The professional looking and sounding reporters on
the 700 club left out all mention of the massacres, rapes, tortures and
bombings that the Nicaraguan Contras continually inflicted on Nicaraguan
civilians.
The slick, well-packaged news releases--at least those pertaining to Hebron--
that the Christian Embassy (ICEJ) puts out on the internet are often simply
recycled releases from the right-wing Israeli settler movement. They do not
reflect the reality of what I have witnessed in the 14 months I have lived in
Hebron over the last two years. But how would an uninformed North American
who's never been there know the difference?
Just to bring the whole Nicaragua thing full circle, the ICEJ branch in
Honduras supplied aid to the Nicaraguan Contras in the 1980's. (See Tom Barry
and Debra Preusch's "Ambassadors of Zion," _The Christian Century_, Jan. 25.
1989, p. 79.)
Those interested in other stuff I've published on the Christian Embassy may
check out the July/August 1995 issue of _The Door_ and Winter 1995 issue of
_Mennonot_. I will also make available at the Chicago office an unpublished
article on my experience with a Christian Zionist tour at the settlement of
Kiryat Arba."
Detail of Kern Response
Response of Kathy Kern to the Christian Embassy
>October 31, 1997
>
>Sir/Madame
>
>I am writing from the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, in
>response to a piece by Kathy Kern called "Blessing Israel?", sent out on
>your network on October 28.
>
>As far as I can ascertain, Ms Kern has not taken the trouble to speak to
>anyone at the ICEJ, although this organisation hosts the Feast of
>Tabernacles celebration she trashes -- along with its thousands of
>participants -- with such venom.
Mr. Goodenough,
You are correct that I have never attended a Feast of Tabernacles event,
although I have watched an International Christian Embassy (ICEJ) videotape
of one. I have, however, visited the International Christian Embassy several
times to pick up literature. (Incidentally, for those interested, the
building in which the Christian Embassy is housed used to be the family home
of Professor Edward Said--whose family fled to Egypt to escape the fighting
in '47-48.) I have also spoken on two occasions with your director Willem
Vanderhoeven and with your chaplain, Fans Klopper (please excuse the
misspellings.)
The material on which I base the articles I have written is largely from
publications I have picked up at the ICEJ and at the Christian Zionist
Congress held in Jerusalem spring before last. I have also written on the
Christian Zionist tour of Kiryat Arba I took at that time.
I have found your publications, _A Word from Jerusalem_ and _Middle East
Intelligence Digest_ very helpful in understanding Christian Zionist
philosophy and theology. Also helpful were Tom Hess's _Let My People Go_
(Progressive Vision International, 1993), and a booklet of poems by Thelma
Manning, _Jerusalem Your City_ I picked up at your Jerusalem offices as well.
I am not sure how closely you are related to CIPAC, _Arm of Salvation_ and
_Project Shofar_, but I have read their material with great interest also.
Oh, and let's not forget _Armageddon, Oil and the Middle East Crisis_ by John
F. Walvoord.
As far as secondary sources on Christian Zionists go, I highly recommend
Grace Halsell's _ Prophecy and Politics: Militant Evangelists On the Road to
Nuclear War_ (Westport, CT: Lawrence Hill & Co., 1986.) and Donald
Wagner's _Anxious for Armageddon: A Call to Partnership for Middle Eastern
and Western Christians._ Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1995.
>
>Christian Zionism is an historical and highly-regarded stream within
>Christianity, and has adherents in virtually every denomination of the
>Christian church worldwide today (including the Mennonites, incidentally).
Um, most Mennonites reading this could list a number of unsavory beliefs that
pockets of the Mennonite Community have promoted at one time or the other.
But that is beside the point.
By whom are you highly regarded besides other Christian Zionists and
right-wing Israelis? Certainly professors, writers and church leaders from
bastions of mainstream evangelicalism in the U.S., such as Wheaton, Fuller
Seminary and _Christianity Today_ do not support your views. None of the
Israeli and North American Jews we have talked to or worked with support
your views. When I asked a rabbi here in my home community about how he
regarded the Christian Zionist movement, his one word description was
"nefarious."
>We are not a bunch of lunatics spreading a gospel of hatred against Arabs
>and we certainly do not justify human rights abuses against them. We simply
>believe the Bible. And that Bible, which we understand has not been
>revoked, makes it very clear that God has given this land as an eternal
>inheritance to the Jewish people. His words, not ours -- if Ms Kern or the
>CPT have a problem with that eternal covenant, they should take it up with
>Him directly. To those Christians who hold that the Church has replaced
>Israel as God's chosen people, we would simply say: If God can dump one
>chosen people for another, what assurance do we have that He will not dump
>the Church too?
This is rhetoric that seems to always come up when I am in coversation with
Christian Zionists. I have nowhere said that God's covenant with the Jewish
people has been abrogated, nor do I believe it. This is an argument for
people like Jerry Falwell who do not believe that God hears the prayers of
Jews-- not me nor other Christians who believe human rights for Jews,
Palestinians, etc. supersede nationalistic loyalties.
And it is entirely beside the point.
>We do not "throw unequivocal support behind Israeli government policy". We
>disagreed strongly, for example, with the decision by the current
>government to withdraw its troops from most of Hebron, the first Jewish
>city in history. We aren't wildly in favour either of the unconditional
>release from Israeli prisons of men who have been convicted of murder and
>similar crimes.
In other words you only disapprove of actions that Netanyahu has taken that
went against the wishes of his right-wing constituency.
>Our support for Israel and the Jewish people is based not on Likud policy
>or Labour policy -- but on our understanding of God's Word -- and that
>understanding, crucially, does NOT include the distasteful belief that
>"once all the Jews in the world emigrate to Israel, two-thirds of them will
>die in Armegeddon and one-third convert to Christianity". There are some
>who call themselves Christian who subscribe to that teaching. We do not,
>and have sought to refute it where possible. Ms Kern's assertion to the
>contrary is, quite simply, defamatory. Pity she didn't take the trouble to
>check her facts before sending off her diatribe against us.
So, Mr. Goodenough, will you explain to the readers of Mennolink how YOU
interpret Zechariah 13:7-9?
Question #2: Does the possibility that when the Prophets referred to Babylon
in their writings they were really talking about Babylon (and not New York
City, the Soviet Union etc.) ever come up when Christian Zionists do exegesis
of Scripture?
Question #3: I have it from a secondary source that your director, Willem
Vanderhoeven, in his address at the Christian Zionist Congress in Uppsala a
few years ago said the following:
"I pray that... even if it takes anti-Semitism in American, God may use it to
get His millions back to Israel. So if we have six million American Jews
coming, we cannot give up the West Bank, can we?"
Did he indeed say this? And if not, where may I get a tape or transcript of
his address?
Sincerely,
Kathleen Kern
Christian Peacemaker Teams
Christian Peacemaker Teams is an initiative among Mennonite and
Church of the Brethren congregations and Friends Meetings that
supports violence reduction efforts around the world. CPT P. O.
Box 6508 Chicago, IL 60680 tel 312-455-1199 FAX 312-666-2677
email cpt@igc.org WEB http://www.cpt.org/