Prominent Evangelical Leader Opposes 'Blind Support' for Israel
A well-known evangelical leader known for her strong pro-Israel stance said she is opposed to Christians giving Israel "blind support" even when the country has done wrong.
Award-winning talk show host Janet Parshall – profiled as one of the top 100 talkers in Talkers Magazine, the leading trade publication of the talk industry – recently criticized Israel's parliament for condemning groups that share the Gospel.
The Knesset Christian Allies Caucus, a group in the parliament of Israel that seeks to build a direct line of communication and cooperation between the parliament and Christian leaders around the world, does not associate with groups that share the gospel of Jesus Christ, said Parshall.
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"I thought, wait a minute: we can't just blindly support Israel," she said, according to OneNewsNow.com. Parshall recently withdrew from speaking at a conference at a Jerusalem conference sponsored by the Knesset.
"We have to be able to tell them, as a friend, [that] you can't do that. You can't silence us."
Moreover, she highlighted that Israel's Shas political party has introduced legislation in the Knesset that would punish someone who shares the Gospel in Israel for up to a one-year prison sentence.
Christian Zionists are often characterized by "a kind of blind support that says no matter what Israel does, Israel can do no wrong," noted Parshall, according to the Christian news site.
"I don't believe that of our government and I certainly don't believe that of the Israeli government. And friends tell friends, in love, when they see things that they think are wrong."
Christians are arguably Israel's strongest and most vocal supporters in the world with American evangelicals making up 1/3 of American tourists that visit Israel, second only to American Jews.
Earlier this week, some 200 evangelical Zionists celebrated Israel's reunification of Jerusalem 40 years ago at the Knesset where they pledged their "undying love" for the Jewish people and apologized on behalf of "millions of Christians" for "crimes committed against the Jewish people throughout history in the name of 'Christianity,'" according to The Associated Press.
Parshall, though still pro-Israel, pointed out that Israel understands that being an evangelical Christian means sharing the love of Jesus Christ with others. The talk show host affirmed that there is only one way to salvation, even for Jews, and that is through Jesus Christ.
"We'll take your aid, your support and your tourist dollars, but we won't take your Jesus," imitated Parshall, who said Christians should not have to "choose between the cross or Israel."
Other vocal pro-Israel supporters include Dr. Jack Hayford, president of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel; the Rev. Dr. Jerry Falwell, founder of Liberty University; Paula White, co-pastor of the 22,000-membered Without Walls International Church in Florida; Pastor John Hagee, founder of Christian United for Israel and senior pastor of the 18,000-membered Cornerstone Church in Texas; Pastor Steve Munsey of the 12,000-membered Family Christian Center; and Stephen Strang, founder and president of Charisma Magazine.
