Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, September 1987, page 16

Religion and the Middle East

By the Rev. L. Humphrey Walz

Two of America's most prestigious, independent religious journals have published, just a few days apart, unrelated but mutually reinforcing first-hand accounts of little-known aspects of life in Israel and its occupied territories.

The liberal-ecumenical Christian Century's July 1-7 issue carried a double-length feature on "Invisible Palestinians: Ideology and Reality in Israel." Its author, a Catholic professor of applied theology at Garrett-Evangelical Theology Seminary in Evanston, IL, is Rosemary Radford Reuther. She points out that censorship in Israel and timidity in the Western press tend to limit information about Palestinians to news of their "terrorist" few. Her article seeks to clarify who the Palestinians are and, especially, the circumstances under which they live.

The Rev. Byron Spradlin, executive director of Artists in Christian Testimony, based in Cucamonga, CA, took a totally different, but hardly contradictory, approach in the July 10 issue of the conservative-evangelical Christianity Today. His article, "We Can Love Israel Too Much," reflects the sentiments of the Evangelical Mission Quarterly, from which he quotes: "It is dangerously possible to be so enamored of the land, to be so taken up with Israel's cause, that one can forget the desperate spiritual blindness engulfing Israel today."

Reuther has just finished a teaching term in Israel. Spradlin is back from a tour of that country hosted by its government. Both writers have packed in so much solid, seldom-considered substance that Washington Report readers would do well to study the full texts, not just the excerpts that follow.

Reuther: "Invisible Palestinians"

"Western journalists sense that Israeli treatment of Palestinians is a topic too hot to handle," writes Reuther. Donning asbestos gloves, however, she offers that following flaming tidbits, (and her own cooling comments) to Christian Century readers:

"The systems of government in Israel and the occupied territories are entirely different. Israel has the structures of a Western democracy...but the non-Israeli residents of the occupied territories are ruled by the military government. They have no civil rights: No legal redress for violations to their persons or property, and no rights of political assembly, freedom of the press or habeas corpus...In addition to confiscating land, Israelis have taken control of road systems, water supplies, electricity, employment, and markets in the occupied territories...The ultimate means of frightening this controlled population is torture...designed to terrorize without leaving physical marks."

Reuther is not without appreciation for some Israelis or disapproval of some Palestinians. Her overall goal is to set thinking and attitudes straight all around. She concludes: "A shift from ideological self-justification is needed so that those committed to Israel's well-being can acknowledge the injustice of the present situation and work for a more just social order."

Spradlin: "Loving Israel 'Too Much?'"

"I genuinely love the land where Jesus walked," Spradlin observes. "But is it possible to love Israel so much we fail to see a nation made up of primarily unrepentant people?" He is troubled by the fact that "in spite of their frequent trips to Israel, conservative American Christians do precious little missionary work" in response to this moral-spiritual-ethical challenge. He also shares the unhappiness of indigenous Christians over the fact that most major Christian leaders visiting Israel "seemingly avoid contact" with them.

"The Israeli government has effectively" contributed to this state of affairs, he avers, "by recruiting conservative Christians to the political cause." But he does no exonerate the recruits whose "lack of critical thinking about Israel's ultimate purpose" appalls him.

As an example he tells of how, by governmental arrangement, his group "was entertained by a mysterious South African Jew named Stanley Goldfoot. After a charming time in his home, he directed our conversation to the rebuilding of the temple" (destroyed 1,917 years ago) on the site long occupied by the Muslim Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque. "Goldfoot led me to believe," says Spradlin, "he would be willing to use force...to wrest the temple site from Muslim control...and he explained how Christians could provide encouragement and financial support...

"His appeal did not surprise me, for I know there are militant Jews who would love to lay siege to the Temple Mount. What did surprise me was the seeming credulity among some of my group. They appeared to support fully the notion that occupying the temple site is central to the full redemption of the Jews." And they failed to "see that such blind support of Israel undermines the overall evangelical witness of the church."

On his own, he sought out Israeli Jews who had converted to Christianity. They "may be as many as 3,100," though, "because of regular opposition," they "keep a low profile." (He does not specify the 1977 "Anti-Missionary Law" which can penalize converts with up to three years in jail.) In his eyes, their "building bridges with other persecuted minorities...is part of the answer to peace in the Middle East."

The Rev. Benjamin Weir Concludes Moderatorship

On September 14, 1985, his Shiite captors released the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Weir. On June 11, 1986, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) elected him Moderator. Between those dates he and his wife Carol recounted in speeches, on video-cassettes, and through the mass media the experiences and impressions that would later appear in their book, Hostage Bound, Hostage Free. (See listing in the AET Book Club Catalog in this issue.)

In his moderatorship of a national denomination with world-wide programming, the Reverend Weir naturally focused on many areas outside the Middle East. However, his 33 years in Lebanon enabled him to contribute fresh perspectives on the global responsibilities of his church. On his visits to Indonesia and North India, in particular, he was able to give seasoned appreciation to constructive Christian-Muslim developments there. During appearances in 69 presbyteries across the US, he used his first-hand experience to answer questions about the impact abroad of confused and contradictory American foreign policies.

A major contribution was his four-day San Francisco conference on the Middle East in April 1987. More than 100 presbyteries sent delegates to discuss with a galaxy of experts stereotyping, terrorism, regional history and trends, Biblical and theological issues, church programs on peacemaking and interfaith dialogue, and resources for each field.

Near East Report Castigates Rev. Weir

With the end of his moderatorial year, Dr. Weir will have more time to concentrate on Middle East issues. Apparently anticipating this, the June 22 issue of Near East Report, organ of the Israeli lobby in Washington, inexplicably placed a derogatory headline, "Weir Waffles," over a story revealing that he hadn't waffled at all on a matter of vital concern to Christians in the Middle East. He had successfully opposed an attempt to get the Presbyterians to endorse "the continuity and irrevocability of God's promise of land to the people of Israel."

Accurately the item reported: "Weir said such wording could be interpreted as saying 'that the land of Palestine (sic) is in possession of Israel in perpetuity.' That could be an embarrassment to Christians in the Middle East." One wonders if the headline writer hadn't read the article or was trying to undercut Weir's devastating credibility!

Benjamin Weir and his wife, Carol, who taught Christian education in Beirut, are now beginning new careers on the faculty of San Francisco Theological Seminary.

The Rev. L. Humphrey Walz, DD, a retired Associate Executive of the Presbyterian Synod of the Northeast and founding editor of The Link, is active in Christian-Jewish and Christian-Muslim dialogues.