Untitled Document

A statement from concerned Christians and Jews

Please join Jews on First, the Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism*, and Jewish Voice for Peace and sign this joint petition.

As people of faith we have been deeply concerned with the extremist ideology of Pastor John Hagee and his organization, Christians United for Israel (CUFI). The latest revelation of Pastor Hagee's claim that the Antichrist is Jewish, makes us believe we need to speak out to let our voices of protest be heard.

What we are asking is that all politicians follow the lead of Senator McCain to disassociate themselves from Pastor Hagee and CUFI, noting that the extremist views he represents are not representative of the great majority of the American public, and certainly not of the great majority of Christians and Jews.

We are asking that you join your voices with ours in "signing" this statement to be published on a prominent blogsite.

Thanks for speaking out!

* Christian Zionism refers to a set of beliefs based on the idea that the modern state of Israel is a divinely-ordained phenomenon that will be central to the Second Coming of Christ. Christian Zionism holds that all of biblical Israel was given by God to Israel and thus strongly opposes any land-for-peace negotiations as a possible resolution to the problems among Israel and its neighbors. For Christian Zionism, Palestinians and Jews in Israel - and Jews throughout the world - are not important in their own right but rather as pawns in the End Times scenario that will bring about the destruction of all non-Christians and an end to history.

For more on Christian Zionism, go to the Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism (http://www.christianzionism.org), Jewsonfirst.org (http://jewsonfirst.org/christian_zionists.php). For a good overview of Christian Zionism and the founding of CUFI in 2006, read this article from the Nation (http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060814/new_christian_zionism/single).

A statement from concerned Christians and Jews

Psalm 122 – Pray for the peace of Jerusalem

As Jewish and Christian leaders and members of worshiping communities in the United States, we write to address the ongoing controversy surrounding Pastor John Hagee. We are concerned by the content of his statements, his organization, Christians United for Israel (CUFI), and the theological ideology of Christian Zionism underlying both.

We have concluded that John Hagee is a poor representative of how faith can inform discernment regarding public life and discourse surrounding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It is regrettable that any public figure would choose to be associated with Pastor Hagee or his organization, CUFI. We were surprised to learn that three elected officials are scheduled to speak at CUFI's upcoming "Washington-Israel Summit": Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), Rep. Elliot Engel (D-NY), and Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT). We call on each of these elected officials to disassociate themselves from the extremist views of Pastor Hagee and withdraw from this event.

We feel they should do so for the following reasons:

    * Pastor Hagee has claimed that supporting the State of Israel is "God's foreign policy." But his work to support the State of Israel does little than ensure that Israel's conflict with the Palestinians and its other Arab neighbors will continue into perpetuity given his adamant opposition to a negotiated peace.

    * He prays for the peace of Jerusalem, but not its shalom, as he looks forward instead to the false peace established through a treaty offered by the Antichrist, whom, we now know,Pastor Hagee believes must himself be a Jew.

    * Just as his ideology blames Jewish unbelief in Jesus for their centuries of suffering at the hands of Christians and provides a simplistic justification for the Holocaust (also based on Jewish intransigence), Pastor Hagee has again found a way to blame Jews for their own demise . . . this time at the hands of their self-supplied Antichrist.

    * In this political season, Pastor Hagee's radical views were first exposed by his description of the Roman Catholic Church as a "false cult system" that is the "Great Whore" of Revelation 17 and 18. Ignored in most media coverage of this controversy was the fact that these attacks on Catholicism were central to Pastor Hagee's ideological Christian Zionism.

    * Pastor Hagee's support for the State of Israel is at the expense of many others, including the Roman Catholic Church. Now, it has become clearer than ever before that Pastor Hagee's support for the State of Israel comes even at the expense of Jews.

As CUFI sought to expand its congressional influence, Rep. Betty McCollum (DFL-MN) wrote that Hagee’s public comments “demonstrate extremism, bigotry and intolerance that is repugnant.” 

We agree.

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Display in list as "Anonymous"

0-25 of 502 signatures

Number	Date	Name	Location
502	February 04, 2009	Anonymous	cleveland, OH
501	January 26, 2009	Caryll Faraldi	Cairo
500	August 17, 2008		,
499	August 16, 2008		,
498	August 11, 2008	Jacques Nr	san francisco, CA
497	August 11, 2008	Pat Henderson	Rockwall, TX
496	August 03, 2008	Terri Robson	Kimberley, BC
495	August 02, 2008	Noman Bajwa	Philadelphia, PA
494	August 01, 2008	robin winogrond	zurich
493	July 28, 2008		,
492	July 28, 2008	Marilyn Ditmanson	Chico, CA
491	July 27, 2008		,
490	July 25, 2008		,
489	July 22, 2008	Lynn Martin	Pleasanton, CA
488	July 22, 2008	Mary & J.Peter van der Veen	Bellingham, WA
487	July 22, 2008		,
486	July 21, 2008	Shana Avery	San Antonio, TX
485	July 21, 2008	David Maleham	Milton Mills, NH
484	July 21, 2008	James Griffith	Shelbyville, KY
483	July 21, 2008	Carlos Warter MD	Honolulu, HI
482	July 21, 2008	Benjamin Newman	riverdale, NY
481	July 21, 2008	Lynne Gillooly	Cornelius, NC
480	July 21, 2008	Michael Lewis	Shreveport, LA
479	July 21, 2008		,
478	July 21, 2008	Michael Callahan	Bloomington, MN

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