A Christian Call for Peace and Solidarity 

This wooden cross was made here in Israel for Christians around the world. It is a symbol of the ultimate sacrifice, love and mercy. As a Christian who lives in Israel, I can tell you that on one hand, I am grieved when I see things like this: an IDF soldier desecrating a statue of Jesus, or a nun being violently attacked in Jerusalem. These actions are morally wrong, reprehensible, and they have been publicly condemned by the Israeli government and the IDF. 

I can tell you that the Israel I live in is so much more than these viral incidents you see. Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the Christian population continues to grow, and where incidents like this, when they happen, are publicly condemned, pursued and prosecuted. 

So how should we respond as Christians? I want to challenge you to think biblically, historically and critically, because the misleading and distorted rhetoric coming from the Tucker Carlson Podcast and others does not embody an honest response for almost 2000 years. The Jewish people have been persecuted, maligned and killed under the banner of the cross and in the name of Christ. This could not be farther from the heart and character of Jesus of Nazareth, a Jewish rabbi who, as he hung from the cross, dying willingly, said these words: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." 

As a Christian who loves Israel and the Jewish people, I cannot ignore the painful and dark history of antisemitism in the church. We cannot turn a blind eye to the evils of the Crusades, the Inquisition and the Holocaust. Christians, we must repent from ever using or associating Jesus' name with any of these heinous acts. Does this history and context excuse the actions of those who desecrate religious symbols or attack Christians? No, no, of course not. 

What I am saying is this: Christians, are we able to model the heart and forgiveness of the Jewish Messiah we profess to follow and say, "I forgive you, I will love you, and I will pray for you," because we do not fight evil with evil, but with good? In a time when the world is turning against the Jewish people, I say never again. Never again will the people of Israel stand alone. We join Israel's calling to be a light to the nations, that the nations would know the God of Israel.