the Glocal Trekker Blog

Tonight I was interviewed on Sirius Satellite Radio by Mike Feder - it's a talk show - the following are some of the things that we covered.

A TWO-STATE SOLUTION
As we begin there are 3 core things that must be kept in mind.

First, reconciliation is the ministry all of us are a part of.

2Cor. 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.

Relational diplomacy – people to people – is the key. Top down dealing with powers and bottom up – dealing with people at the most basic level of needs. It was my exposure to the Afghans and others I met in the Middle-East that began to change how I thought.

Second, understanding the divine promises related to Israel and all nations.

Third, honest historical examination. A great book is Tony Maalouf’s “Arab’s in the shadow of Israel deals with this – and is good to read because it’s from an evangelical Arabic scholar.

WHY?

First, we are allowing speculative theology to formulate foreign policy. That’s very dangerous. When conservative Bible believing scholars can’t agree – for one opinion to be pushed to the point of war is arrogant and dangerous.

Second, as a Christian we say we care about the Middle-east and Muslims and want to see them come to faith in Christ. We are saying accept Jesus, and our politics. The thing they care about most, we ignore. We are so one-sided in our position we’ve ignored the very people we would want to reach. None of us would ever support suicide bombers – but neither should we allow refuge camps to exist. We should serve people, not because we are trying to convert them – but because we have been converted. God is just to the just and the unjust alike – who are we to pass judgment on and say these can live in refugee camps, be displaced and these cannot. Tell that to a child, to a young family – what is Christian about that? Because we have not addressed it in a just manner – we are breeding the very behaviors that we all despise.

Third, we have not respected the views and situation of Palestinian evangelical Christians. Before ’67 2/3rds of Palestinians present were Christians – now that’s 8 to 12% depending on who you talk to. How could we have ignored their concerns – these are our brothers in Christ. This makes no sense. Who was better positioned to tell people in the Middle-East about Jesus than the Palestinians?!!! We’re responsible to some degree for them having to leave. I’ve spoken to seminary professors who teach there – it’s hard for Christian students there to understand. We tend to interpret Scripture in light of our own culture and experience. I was on my way to Egypt when someone showed me this verse – Isa. 19:23 “In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. 24. In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. 25. The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.” If we want to make a Bible verse come true – this one certainly wouldn’t hurt. A theology professor said, different people from different nations underline different verses – when we see the whole world – we underline the whole Bible!

Fourth, we are creating an environment that creates an atmosphere for war. And whereas we would disagree with a war “jihad” from the Muslim perspective - we are guilty of the same thing when we push our troops in harms way because of our “personal” theology. As Christians we should view war as a last resort – even then in response to a Hitler who is killing millions of Jews – not someone who’s policy we disagree with.

Fifth, faith should bring us together and cause us to treat one another with respect – not fear and confrontation. This is what Jesus did – it cost him his life. This is what Augustine did. This is what St. Francis did. We need new models of Jesus followers to emulate.

Sixth, some Christians have forgot the teaching of Jesus that when the Apostles wanted a physical kingdom – he said no. When Peter picked up the sword he made him put it down. God’s kingdom isn’t temporal or physical but eternal and heavenly. God does have an eternal covenant with Israel, but it is eternal and heavenly – not temporal and physical – Jesus said this, Hebrews 11 says it. David says it in the Old Testament.

Seventh, God loves all the nations. Abraham was only Abraham when he became the Father of Nations not just the Father of a nation. The nations are not done away with. The Bible teaches they will exist throughout eternity – and that people from every tongue, tribe, and nation will be present and living in peace. Rev. 22:1-5 – Jesus will be the king. God has a commitment to every nation that has ever existed. Rev. 7:9

Eight, God’s expression of favor on Israel was not because of who she was or what she did. He loved her as the least. She was a picture of what a nation looked like when she followed God and the disaster that would come when she didn’t. She was to be a light to the nations in the world. This is why David and Abraham sought for a city that did not yet exist that would only exist in eternity – according to Hebrews 11. Abraham was a stranger on this earth – there was an eternal city, world, that he longed for and lived for. They longed for a heavenly country and city.

Ninth, some people believe that either what we do with Israel or how fast we “convert” others will hasten the coming of Jesus Christ. That is arrogant and unbiblical. The Father says no one knows when Christ will come, only when the Father sends him – not even the son. We do what we do because Jesus lives in us and we love him and others – not to manage God’s agenda – he does that just fine.