Wednesday, January 14, 2009

A just war?

More than 1000 Palestinians have died in Gaza in the past 19 days, 90% civilians.


More than 300 of the dead are said to be children.
4,700 people in Gaza have been injured.


13
Israelis have been killed, including three civilians and 10 soldiers.






In the past week among Israels crimes against humanity are:
- Destroying a Christian Aid medical clinic.
- Shelling a house where they had told 100 women and children to move to.
- For 4 days preventing medics from reaching starving, traumatised children who were standing over the bodies of their dead mothers.

Olmert wants to show Israel's 'iron fist' in order to provide security for the Israeli people. I seriously doubt that he has made his people more secure by orchestrating this bloodbath.

It makes me sick that any Christian could attempt to justify or condone the actions of the Israeli military. It makes me not want to call myself a Christian. I continually have to remind myself of the teachings of Jesus and the values of the kingdom which seem to be lost in the churches blindness and indifference.

To anyone who seeks to use theology or prophecy to in someway excuse or 'be balanced' in their arguments I would recommend 2 books-

'Light Force' by Brother Andrew
'Zion's Christian Soldiers' by Stephen Sizer

Sizer's conclusion is-

…the choice is between two theologies: one based primarily on the shadows of the old covenant; the other on the reality of the new covenant. In identifying with the former, Christian Zionism is an exclusive theology that focuses on the Jews in the land rather than an inclusive theology that centres on Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. It consequently provides a theological endorsement for racial segregation, apartheid and war. This is diametrically opposed to the inclusive theology of justice, peace and reconciliation which lie at the heart of the new covenant. (p.260).

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey John,
You might be interested in this series of blogs on 'Just War' by Shaun Groves.

http://www.shaungroves.com/shlog/comments/just_war_part_8_de_vitoria_when_no_ones_right/

It's quite long, but worth the read.

Jamie

roast honey said...

How successful do you think the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will be speaking with Olmert and the President? I read that Hamas reps did not reject Egyptian suggestions, but did not accept it. Just wondering how to pray for an end to Israeli campaigns.

Anonymous said...

Here is a challenge to Stephen Sizer which I hope he accepts.
I have Stephen's books and I also have Jacob's.
This debate should clear a few things up at least from a biblical point of view.
Let's find out what God thinks, and not let our politics/presuppositions get in the way.
The invite to debate is on the moriel web site.


Repeated Debate Challenge

"Jacob Prasch wishes to repeat his challenge to publicly debate Anglican Stephen Sizer on Sizer's contentions that Zionism is apartheid and that the modern state of Israel does not fulfill biblical prophecy. As an Anglican in a church ordaining homosexual clergy and with a Druid Arch Bishop of Canterbury now calling for Britain to integrate elements of Islamic Sharia, anti Zionists like Sizer in a church with a pro Islamic hierarchical agenda must be challenged.

We are compelled by the evidence to regard Sizer as hypocritical and biblically ignorant and would relish the opportunity to demonstrate this in public debate before a video camera in a properly moderated format.

It is also difficult for us not to additionally suspect Sizer of being a pseudo-academic fraud, but he at least deserves the opportunity to demonstrate otherwise in a public forum.

In view of the widespread persecution of Arab, Persian, Asian, and African Christians throughout the Moslem world it is nothing short of ludicrous that Sizer continually targets Israel as the perpetrator of injustice when Israel is the solitary country in The Middle East assuring the rights and security of its Christian population.

Our expectation is that Sizer will continue to run as usual. This however simply serves to underscore the indefensible implausibility of his pseudo-scholarly and pseudo-biblical antics." end quote

I would agree with Sizer that there is an element in Christian Zionism / "Hyper Dispensationailsm" that is exclusive, but not all dispensationalists are hyper.

Christianty is exclusive though, it excluds those who do not believe the Gospel.
So I disagree with this idea that we should not be "balanced" when it comes to this conflict.
I do believe the human shields argument holds some truth and I also believe that it is impossible to live with Islam, their own Koran forbides such intergration.
Jihad demands the death of all who reject Islam, Jihad is a Holy writing that CANNOT be changed.

Because of the Hardness of heart, in both Jew and Arab, they will both perish.
A Jew with hatred and malice in his heart who is not saved, is every bit as evil as a suicide bomber.

This idea that the world and especially the European Union can fashion, diverse and different cultures together is absurd.
The reason God confounded the nations and languages in Gen was because of man's sin and hatred of of one another.
So for me as much as I wish that the Jew and the Arab would get along, I don't see it happening without a common denomenator.
A man can never really change unless he/she has been Born again.

The only way peace can come and will come is through Christ.
My prayer is for Salvation to the Jew and Arab alike.

Jason

Anonymous said...

Stephen Sizer's goal is seemingly to demonise Christian Zionism and Christian support for Israel - for some he is Christianity's answer to Israel Shahak.

In addition, Sizer has surprising connections with Holocaust deniers, antisemites, neo-Nazis, terrorists, liberation theologians and Islamofascists. Read more at Seismic Shock.