Not to say Christians of all colors are suffering, because we all as Christians face persecution of all sorts.
But this is a very biased, harsh article towards Israel and what they call “western American Christians”. As this being a National Geographic magazine, I am saddened that this issue will be in all sorts of schools, libraries, waiting rooms, etc.
Here is one quote from the article-
"…to American Christians in sneakers and “I [heart] Israel” caps, clearly stoked for the battle of Armageddon."
I guess that means you are a war monger if you have a heart for Israel, like St.Paul proclaimed himself in Romans.
Here is another-
"They come because this is where Christianity began. Here in Jerusalem and on lands nearby are the stony hills where Jesus walked and taught and died—and later, where his followers prayed and bled and battled over what his teaching would become. Huddled alongside Jewish converts in the caves of Palestine and Syria, Arabs were among the first to be persecuted for the new faith, and the first to be called Christians."
The reporter says Christianity began in Jerusalem. To be more technical, to show the biased he is dishing out, Jerusalem is where the New Covenant came to Israel. The Church, comprised of only Jews first, was giving the Holy Spirit on the Israeli feast of Shavuot. The first Church never divorced themselves from Israel, but preached the Gospel to Jews in and out of the land of Israel, facing many, many fierce persecutions from their own. This also refutes how Jesus’ first “followers” battled. They never battled, when the Church inside Israel was persecuted by their fellow countrymen, they rejoiced to God. All this before St.Peter went to Cornelius’s house.
Here is another-
"But they live in a hothouse world, where go-betweens are in constant danger of being trampled—by Muslims, by Jews, or by Western Christians, who (not unlike the crusaders) look right through them as they race past to stake their claim on God’s holy ground."
Here is another heartless stab at Western Christians who are ridiculously accused of looking past Arab Christians to take land, calling us crusaders.
Secondly, this stab at Jews shows that the reporter cares not what God has said in the last days. That is God he would bring his people out of all nations to settle them back in their land. If the Arab Christians knew their scriptures, they would see this, and thank
God that He is true to His Word.
I also find it interesting in this article that jobs are scarce to the Arab Christians, and that they have already or are pondering leaving the Holy Land to find work. Where do they usually go or wish to go? To Israel or America, the same places, along with “American Christians” that are lumped together with Islam, to be blamed for their problems. The Arabs want the wall down, but it is Israeli Agriculture and Industry that is behind that wall.
One Arab Christian even states she “hates all Israelis” because of a wall that deters Islamic terrorism and Jewish prosperity(settlements) brung on by a democratic nation. She even speaks for the rest and says “we all hate them.”
The reporter pushes the agenda that Arab Christians are a vital link between the West and Arab Muslim world.
No!
Arab Christians are grafted into the promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob(Israel). They are not pagans or follow the teachings of Islam. They are made one new made with the Jew in Christ. They are not made one new man with other Arabs, or any other ethnic people. The gentiles, as a whole, are made one new man with Israel, through Jesus Christ. Biblically, this is a miracle, only brought about by Jesus.
The Arab Christians there have more in common with Israel than that with Islam. Though most of Jewish Israelis are what St.Paul calls “broken branches”, God has placed a wonderful mission field for them to work.
It is ironic that Arab Christians claim that the rebirth of Israel has dryed up any work or opportunities for them.
