The Christian Right: Not Right, Not Following Christ

Christian Right pastors and spokesmen in thousands of churches swear that Israel has a biblical right to bomb Gaza and Lebanon. They teach that to resist Israel is to interfere with God’s Plan. The normally Israeli-sympathetic network media is giving wings to the neo-theology of the Christian Right. A recent story in the Baltimore Sun reveals a rare honest glimpse of the weapons superiority of Israel over Lebanon’s rebel Hezbollah. Comparing Hezbollah weapons to Israel’s is like comparing the Spirit of St. Louis to the Challenger.

Who can deny that the USA is the bully in Iraq or that Israel is the bully in Lebanon? The Christian Right has the newest story to defend the bully in the schoolyard: “God told them to do it.”

Why do the Christian Right pastors and spokesmen in thousands of churches swear that Israel is right? Because God ordained Israel’s acts, they tell us, but not one can present a credible argument from scripture.

“Israel’s war is God’s war and let no man stand in the way.”

It would be hard to overstate Bennett’s devotion to Israel. He volunteers without reservation that “Arabs live to destroy Israel and kill Israelis.” Darien Bennett is one of several pastors at upscale Scottsdale Bible Church, a success story with a membership of 6000. Bennett claimed he had met Arabs in their homes in Gaza, and when pressed for a reaction to them as mankind, he describes them as “fools”…. because “they cannot compete militarily” and “God loves Israel and God does not love them because they oppose Israel.”

Pastor Bennett and thousands like him impute the wrath of the Old Testament God to Jesus, while ignoring Jesus’ admonitions to be peacemakers. Pastor Bennett justifies the bombing on Beirut by 2500 year-old prophetic references to the destruction of ancient cities of Sidon and Tyre, cities in today’s Lebanon.

In his eyes God hand on Israel is now destroying Sidon and Tyre, with Beirut thrown in for good measure. He is sure no Christian would want to defy God by siding with anyone but Israel. Televangelists and Celebrity Christians play biblical Scrabble, which they support with sophist logic to arrive at their unwavering support for Israel. Some Christian-Zionists leaders as well as Israeli secularists have quoted the beautiful Christian book of Isaiah as justification for Israel to destroy the state of Syria. (Chapter 17).

A contemporary Israeli book talks of Israel’s destiny to nuke Damascus. If the USA gives Israel the green light to nuke the millions in Damascus the Christian-Zionists would flock to Isaiah 17 to proclaim it is God's will. The Christian Right cannot be Christian because it is biblically un-Christian.

Most of the Christian Right is not right about preserving life, therefore, it cannot be Christian.