Initially, let me tell you what I believe about the nation of Israel, so that I will not be misunderstood. (I’ve been called an anti-Semite twice in my life, both times for suggesting that people of Jewish descent need to hear the gospel.) I support the right of the nation of Israel to exist. I recognize that many Muslim nations and other anti-Semites deny that right and would like to wipe Israel off the map (and literally do so in children’s textbooks).
I believe Israel should aggressively defend herself against her enemies. I want justice to be done, and we should hold politicians accountable to behave righteously. Israel is an ally of the United States and should be treated accordingly. There is no question that many do target Israel because they think they are attacking God himself. The Holocaust occurred, and is worse than we thought.
Also, I try to be very careful about utilizing third party testimony against a brother or sister in Christ (or any other person for that matter). Accusations better be well-founded and from original and relevant sources. Most everything I want to say in this article is in response to the actual CUFI website or sources from within Christians United for Israel. I believe the goals and methods of CUFI are counter to the gospel and are draining resources from the only means of truly blessing the people of Israel: the preaching of the gospel. CUFI claims a membership of over a million people. How do I see the organization?
First, CUFI is devoid of the Christian gospel. Like many Christians in America, CUFI has replaced preaching with politics. In the end, they get everything backwards. Here is just a sampling:
Christians are called upon by CUFI to
“Learn, Pray and Share about Israel every day.”
“Therefore, CUFI On Campus equips and trains Christian students to become effective advocates for Israel on their campus, in their church, and in their community.”
“We hear over and over again from attendees who tell us that they never understood the Biblical mandate to support Israel and the Jewish people until they came to one of our events. Now, they write, the dots have been connected and they have a new focus and a new mission. (emphasis mine)”
It appears that CUFI has replaced “Go and preach the gospel…first to the Jew” with “go tell everybody about Israel.”
CUFI’s goal is to teach Americans about Israel, but there is NOTHING about teaching the people of Israel about Jesus. The Savior’s name is not mentioned once, even though He is the only true Hope of Israel. I did find the name Jesus mentioned once: one of the speakers for an event was named Jesus Infante (pronounced Hay-soos), and he was of Hispanic heritage.
Sadly, all of this is in keeping with the heretical doctrine that Pastor John Hagee (founder of CUFI) promotes, that the Jewish race can be saved apart from hearing and believing the gospel of Jesus Christ. He thinks Jews are saved by keeping the Law(!!), which they never were, not even during the Old Testament era. Abraham and David, like all other believers was saved by faith, according to Romans 4.
Here is Hagee’s viewpoint, according to the Houston Chronicle:
“I’m not trying to convert the Jewish people to the Christian faith,” he said….
In fact, trying to convert Jews is a “waste of time,” he said. “The Jewish person who has his roots in Judaism is not going to convert to Christianity. There is no form of Christian evangelism that has failed so miserably as evangelizing the Jewish people. They (already) have a faith structure.”
Everyone else, whether Buddhist or Baha’i, needs to believe in Jesus, he says. But not Jews. Jews already have a covenant with God that has never been replaced by Christianity, he says.
“The Jewish people have a relationship to God through the law of God as given through Moses,” Hagee said. “I believe that every Gentile person can only come to God through the cross of Christ. I believe that every Jewish person who lives in the light of the Torah, which is the word of God, has a relationship with God and will come to redemption.
“The law of Moses is sufficient enough to bring a person into the knowledge of God until God gives him a greater revelation. And God has not,” said Hagee, giving his interpretation of Romans 11:25. “Paul abandoned the idea (of Jews knowing Christ). In the book of Romans, he said, `I am now going to go to the Gentiles from this time forward.’ Judaism doesn’t need Christianity to explain its existence. But Christianity has to have Judaism to explain its existence.”
His position is a little unusual for evangelicals, who believe that the new covenant does supersede the old. Those who disagree with him are scathingly termed as “replacement theologians.” The San Antonio pastor says such persons are anti-Semitic.
At its website, CUFI suggests 10 ways to bless Israel. Not one of them even hints at the gospel.
But the Bible teaches that Jews (and Gentiles) can be blessed today:
1. By not being offended at the gospel:
Romans 11:26 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me
2. By turning from their sins
Acts 3:26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
3. By hearing the gospel.
Romans 15:29 And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
4. By being seated in heavenly places with Jesus.
Ephesians 1:3b Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
5. By reading the book of Revelation:
Revelation 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
6. By dying in faith.
Revelation 14:13 Blessed [are] the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth:
Finally, I ask. If this is a Christian organization, and not simply a secular political organization hiding behind religious nomenclature, why is there no mention of Jesus, evangelism or the gospel? What kind of hope is there for anybody apart from Jesus? How does this bless Israel?
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In his book, With Christ in the Voting Booth, Shedlock addresses at length the relationship between nations, governments, and the gospel.