Opinion/Biblical Perspective/World Events

By Summer Lane

Photo: Deposit

How do Christians respond to the intense wave of anti-Semitism that has cropped up across the country in the past few months following the Hamas invasion of Israel? The conflict has set off a war in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine, and in the United States, college campuses have been mired in turmoil as fresh-faced academics have staged demonstrations calling for the annihilation of Jewish people and a subsequent push to recognize the State of Palestine.

Protestors at George Washington University, for example, recently picketed around campus holding Palestinian flags, while one individual carried a Nazi “final solution” sign calling for widespread genocide of the Hebrew people.

Indeed, anti-Semitism has risen rapidly and dramatically within the borders of the continental U.S. recently, and there are a few reasons for that. One, the Palestinian cause is broadly pushed on social media (TikTok, Instagram, SnapChat, etc.), and two, it’s being pushed on college campuses. The mainstream media is pushing their own narrative about the conflict overseas, and oddly enough, radical leftists on college campuses have found an ally in Palestine: they both hate America, and they both hate the God of Israel.

While Palestine and radical communist leftists in the U.S. may quibble over the details of gender identity and political ideologies, they share a common hatred of America and all that it stands for. Thus, it is not terribly surprising that college kids are so readily embracing the pro-Palestinian movement, which often preaches pro-Hamas sentiments (often, although not always) and the genocide of Jews.

To be clear, not all Palestinians hate Israel, that would be an unfair generalization. However, a good portion of Palestinians do believe that Israel should be exterminated, due to the ongoing tensions over the Gaza Strip. Case in point: a recent poll from the PCPSR found that 72 percent of Palestinians surveyed believe that the bloody Hamas incursion into Israel was “correct.”

New York Rep. Elis Stefanik (R) recently noted, “This is beyond unacceptable. Pro-Hamas protestors are using US universities as a platform to call for the genocide of Jews, invoking Nazi rhetoric, and woke administrators are allowing it to happen. We must cut off federal funding from schools that refuse to protect Jewish students.”

While there are many political nuances when it comes to the Palestinian authorities and the Israeli authorities, it should be acknowledged that innocent people on both sides of the Middle East conflict are dying, and that is a tragedy indeed.

This is beyond unacceptable. Pro-Hamas protestors are using US universities as a platform to call for the genocide of Jews, invoking Nazi rhetoric, and woke administrators are allowing it to happen. We must cut off federal funding from schools that refuse to protect Jewish… https://t.co/2j9OictBWd

— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) April 26, 2024

How do Christians in America square the violence overseas with what they’re seeing from college campuses? As a swell of anti-Jewish rhetoric has begun to dominate news headlines, it is a chilling echo chamber of the kind of narrative that many Germans may have heard in the preamble to the Nazi extermination of the Jews during World War II.

Quite frankly, it should terrify everyone that such a rash of anti-Semitic behavior has been able to rise so quickly and spread so fast. While the bulk of these protests are linked to dark money and shadowy organizations (Open Society Foundation, Jewish Voice for Peace, etc.), it is, nevertheless, chilling.

Christians are called to love and forgive, but to first and foremost, preach the good news of Jesus to all people. Here are a few Biblical pointers and facts that you can take to heart and apply to your everyday life amidst the hatred that has bubbled up for God’s chosen people.

• Support Israel. Lending support to the people of Israel doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to “agree” with every single nuance that the Israeli government exacts. I certainly don’t agree with most of what MY government does! However, the people of Israel have a special and Biblical mandate, and they are God’s chosen people. Genesis 12:3 gives this clear warning: “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
• Israel will always be under siege. The Holy Land has had it rough since its inception. The Hebrew people escaped Egypt (because of God!) and settled in the Promised Land (also because of God), only to suffer through centuries of awful kings, Babylonian captivity, and all manner of warfare and pain. Psalm 25:22 says, “Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.” Israel will be the center of the world’s attention until the book of Revelation is fulfilled.
• Israel belongs to the Lord, and it is the land of the Messiah. Israel belongs to God. This is stated on more than one occasion in the Bible in the book of Joel. It is also the land where Jesus walked and was, ultimately, crucified and rose again. It is a unique and holy place.
• Hatred for the Jewish people, no matter what the reason, is unbiblical and wrong. Hatred for anyone is wrong! What we are seeing now in America and around the world is an organized effort to stoke the flames of hatred against Israel. This kind of hatred does not come from God. Jesus says clearly in John 13:35, “By this all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.” Pro-Palestinian protestors who scream slogans purporting Jewish genocide are on the wrong side of history. The Bible tells us so!
• Global hatred toward Israel is prophesized in the Bible. All the nations on earth will scorn Israel in the End Times. Zechariah 12:3 says “all the nations of the earth will gather against it.” Hatred against Israel will increase as the end of the age draws nearer, but Christians, take heart: we know who wins the final battle!
• Pray for peace, advocate for peace, and show your love. Christians can pray powerfully for the peace of Israel every day. They can advocate for the peace of Israel here at home in the United States. Psalm 122:6 says to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” It is our job as Christians to do so, and to take whatever loving action we can to ensure that the United States stands with Israel, since there is a Biblical mandate that we must do so. In 2024, this also means voting for someone who will support Israel as well. It goes without saying that the current administration does not – do your research and support a candidate who recognizes the Biblical importance of Israel or at least will commit to protecting them.

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The opinions in this article are specific to its author, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the entire Counter Culture Mom team. This specific article was written by Summer Lane, and may not be reproduced, except to quote for reviews or interviews, without the express permission of the author. 

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Summer Lane is the #1 bestselling author of 30 books, including the hit Collapse Series. She is an experienced journalist and columnist who reports on news within the U.S. and abroad. She is the Associate Editor for Right Side Broadcasting Network. Additionally, she owns Write Revolution News, where she provides a rapid-fire feed of the nation’s most important America First news and events.

Summer is also a mom and wife who enjoys rural country living, herding cats and ducks, and reading fiction. She is passionate about writing on women’s issues, parenting, and politics from a theologically-grounded perspective that points readers to the good news of the gospel.

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