Even before last weekend’s Hamas attack on the state of Israel, a growing share of Israelis believed the prospects for a two-state solution were fading. A “two-state solution” was a promise of post-World War II ideology that would have created…
My heart and my mind are in conflict about Israel and Hamas
The unexpected Hamas incursion into Israel, and the resultant deaths that are yet occurring, bring to mind our own experience of 9/11. The rhetorical choices made after 9/11 included labeling the attackers as “terrorists” rather than “criminals,” designating 9/11 as…
Violence begets violence: Hamas’ Pyrrhic victory
Pyrrhic victory: “A victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that is tantamount to defeat. The phrase originates from a quote from Pyrrhus of Epirus, whose triumph against the Romans in the Battle of Asculum destroyed much of…
Here are some ways to listen to Palestinian Christians
With war raging once again in Israel and Palestine, it seems far more people have opinions to proclaim about it than openness to listening. After the horrific attacks carried out by Hamas in which more than 1,600 people were killed…
Christian and interfaith tours to Israel canceled, while some already there are stranded
Being in Israel during the outbreak of war is like witnessing the unfolding of history in its most horrible and violent aspects, George Mason said Oct. 9 from near the Sea of Galilee. Mason had been in Jerusalem two days…
In this war, there are no ‘good guys’
Normally, I’m a defender of the so-called “mainstream media,” in part because I am one of that group. However, when it comes to understanding and reporting on Israel and Palestine, almost all media outlets have failed Americans who seek clear…
This week, we must remember the Palestinian Nakba
May 15, 1948 — 75 years ago yesterday — a human rights travesty began that most U.S. politicians, religionists and media outlets do not mention. On May 15, Palestinians and those of us who are in solidarity with their liberation…
Southern Baptist support for Israel has traveled a winding road, scholar explains
The staunch theological and political support for the state of Israel that the Southern Baptist Convention is known for today was preceded by decades of diverse opinions among Baptists about the Zionist movement that eventually birthed the Jewish nation in…
How Trump’s latest comments on Israel align with evangelical Zionism
Donald Trump is in the news again making negative statements about American Jews while flattering his evangelical fanbase. In my piece last week, I wrote about how the dispensationalist obsession with the end times led evangelicals to embrace the Christian Zionist…