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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Carl Medearis' Take on the U.N. Vote for Palestinian Statehood

Great Mosque of Cordoba

I always love what Carl Medearis has to say about anything related to Western-Muslim relations. His most recent article on CNN's Belief Blog is no exception. I could probably say what he says just as well, but I don't have the clout that he does. What follows is an excerpt and then a link to the full post. The comments are racking up quickly as well.

The most important part of the article:
Rather than allowing obscure Old Testament promises to dictate our foreign policy, what if we stuck to the clear commands of God - love your neighbor, your enemy and the foreigner in your midst - which appear in Exodus, Leviticus and three of the four gospels.

Many Christians in America think of Jews and Christians as “us” and anything that sounds Muslim or Arab as “the other.” But the call of Jesus is to be more loving towards the “other” than towards the people we think of as “us.”

This command works both ways. When I’ve had audiences with leaders in the Hezbollah or Hamas, I tell them the same thing: That Jesus said to love your enemies. Who are your enemies? Israel.

It’s true that there are elements of Palestinian society that do not want peace, no matter the price. They need to be isolated and dealt with.

The same goes for elements of Israeli society that don’t want peace. The good news is that extremists are a minority on both sides of the conflict.

People ask me all the time what I think about Israel and end-times theology, and how the Palestinians factor into that.
Here’s my answer: If your end-times theology trumps the clear commands in Scripture to love neighbors and enemies, then its time to rethink your theology.

Link: My Take: Jesus would support Palestinian statehood bid by Carl Medearis

 

 

 

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