Disturbing Antisemitism Within the Christian Conservative Camp: Why? What to Do?
by Laura Densmore
A deeply disturbing trend has been emerging in the last 6 weeks since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas. I am seeing antisemitism within the Conservative Christian camp in many arenas:
*through comments made on social media
*at Christian special event gatherings
*from online Christian teaching platforms
*from online conservative and alt-right news platforms
*spoken by family members or church members within a congregation
*deafening silence in some churches about Israel and the war with Hamas.
However, this form of antisemitism is not out-and-out Jew-hatred. It is much more subtle, and therefore, perhaps more dangerous.
This form of antisemitism manifests as dark and false accusations against Jews and the government of Israel. It is anti-Jewish, anti-Israel, and anti-Zionist. What are those false accusations?
*The Rothschilds founded, bought, and own Israel
*The Deep State Cabal is deeply entrenched in Israel and they are calling the shots
*The Israeli government was complicit in the Oct 7 slaughter
I am not surprised when I see cancerous Jew-hatred in all the usual places: from Arab nations, from pro-Hamas supporters demonstrating in the streets of London, Paris, Washington DC, on college campuses, and from woke liberal leftists who are funding the Pro-Hamas demonstrations in America.
In a recent poll, three in four Palestinians support Hamas’s Massacre. None of this surprises me.
What DOES surprise me, perplexes me and deeply disturbs me is the antisemitism I see within my own ranks: from within the Christian Conservative camp. How can this be?
Why is This So?
I believe it goes back to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. We went down the rabbit hole of exploring the dark conspiracy theories concerning the 9/11 attack in the USA. There was some credence to it, there were some hidden facts that came out. We went down the rabbit hole of the conspiracy of the 2020 Covid “Plandemic”: again, there was evidence brought forward that this was not a “natural” outbreak but a planned bioweapon release. So we followed those newscasters who fed us that information.
And now, those same newscasters whom we have come to know and trust are spouting dark and evil conspiracy theories about Israel and the Oct 7 massacre. They accuse and blame the Israeli government for what happened on Oct 7. This is such a dark and evil twisting of truth!
Reason #1: Over-Focus on the Dark Side
Why does this happen? I believe it is because these newscasters over-focus on the DARK SIDE. They are plucking fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and eating mostly EVIL fruit. In their unending search to find out who is to blame for the latest world crisis, they are focused on this: What is SATAN up to in the world?
They completely MISS what God is up to because they are just not looking there.
What is God doing in the land of Israel right now and what is He doing with the Jewish people? These dark conspiracy newscasters and podcasters don’t even ask that question.
Their entire show and platform is based on spouting the latest conspiracy theory, over-emphasizing negativity and evil in the world.
Reason #2: Many Christians are Sitting in Churches Where Replacement Theology is Spouted
What is Replacement Theology? In a nutshell, it is the false teaching that the church has replaced Israel, that the covenants God made with Israel and the Jewish people are null and void, and that those covenants now apply to the church. The “New Testament” has replaced the “Old Testament”. Nothing could be further from the truth!
So, because many sitting in the pews are sitting under this mindset, they are ignorant. They are asleep. They don’t know God’s heart for Israel and the Jewish people because they believe the covenant He made with Israel has been done away with!
The roots of Replacement Theology goes back many centuries. One of those roots goes back to Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation. Yes, he unchained the bible from the pulpit, and with the advent of the Gutenberg printing press, got it translated into plain English and into the hands of the common people.
But did you know that he wrote a book later on, called “On the Jews and their Lies”? It was filled with hateful diatribes against the Jews.
Ideas and words have great power. Did you know that, 400 years later, the Nazis revered Martin Luther, and his book was widely circulated and read? And did you know that “Kristallnacht”, the “Night of Broken Glass”, happened not on just any random day, but was chosen to happen on Nov 9-10, 1938, in honor of Martin Luther’s birthday? (his date of birth: Nov 10, 1483)
His words were put into ACTION by the Nazis 400 years later. So one of the ROOTS of Replacement Theology gave us a very evil fruit! Kristallnacht is what kicked off the Holocaust. The Western civilized world was silent. The churches were silent. So Hitler took this as his permission slip to proceed with the “shoa”.
There is a new twist to the Replacement Theology mindset today. There are some within the Hebrew Roots world, who say that the Jews over in Israel are “fake Jews”. They are not “real Jews”. And one day, when Messiah comes, THEY will replace the “fake Jews”. When I hear this, it makes my blood boil! Most of these folks don’t have a single Jewish friend and have never been to Israel.
Reason #3: Lack of Bible Knowledge
Many of those who get caught up in the deceptive web of antisemitism have a lack of bible knowledge. What is God’s heart towards Israel and the Jewish people? Let’s see what the scriptures say:
Thus says the LORD
Who gives the sun a light by day,
The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night,
Who disturbs the sea,
And its waves roar
(The LORD of hosts is His name):
“If those ordinances depart
From before Me, says the LORD,
Then the seed of Israel shall also cease
From being a nation before Me forever.”
Jeremiah 31:35-36
In other words, when the sun stops shining, when the moon and stars no longer light up the night sky, THAT is when God’s covenant with Israel will cease. His covenant with them is ETERNAL!
Long ago the LORD said to Israel:
“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
With unfailing love, I have drawn you to myself.
Jeremiah 31:3
God says it here very clearly: He LOVES the children of Israel with an unfailing love!
For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. Deuteronomy 32:9-10
The children of Israel are the “apple of his eye”. He loves and cherishes them and the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and to their descendants STILL STANDS TODAY and is for ALL ETERNITY! The Jewish people are the descendants of Abraham. We, as Christians, are grafted in by faith to the olive tree, Israel (see Romans 11).
Reason #4: A Bitter Root and/or A Critical Spirit
Some of these online bible teachers and newscasters may have a “bitter root” against Israel and the Jewish people. I can think of at least two Messianic Jewish bible teachers who fall in this category. How do you discern if a “bitter root” or a critical spirit is at play?
If you never hear anything positive or good about Israel and the Jewish people, if it is always negative, negative, negative, that teacher or newscaster may have this issue.
Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. Hebrews 12:15
If you discern that a newscaster or bible teacher is speaking from a place of bitterness against Israel, DON’T DRINK FROM THAT POISON WELL ANYMORE!
What is in the Heart is Being Revealed
The Israel-Hamas war has brought individuals, churches, and nations into a valley of decision. What was once “hidden” in the heart is now being revealed by words and actions.
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45
It’s all about what’s in the heart. No matter where a person is in the political or religious spectrum, if they love the God of Israel and they love the bible, then, if they are seeking truth, they will also love the land of Israel and the people of Israel, the Jews. God loves them, and so, to be in alignment with His heart, we are to love them also.
For those who spout Jew-hatred, this is a revealing of what is in their heart. And, sadly, many are choosing the dark side.
What to do?
Do not be silent! Speak up!
Martin Niemoller was a Protestant Pastor during WW2. He did not “wake up” to the Nazi threat until it was too late. He spent seven years in German concentration camps. As a result, he wrote these words:
First, they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews And I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me.
“To be silent is to be complicit.” Richard Edelman
Many churches are openly pro-Israel and are standing strong with Israel. That is FABULOUS!
What if Your Church is Silent About Israel?
Many churches are silent. You can hear crickets. What can you do about that? If you attend a church that is silent about Israel, schedule a meeting with your Pastor. Ask questions. See if he would be open to having some teaching about Israel be brought into the church. There are some great resources available, and videos you could share in your church, bible study, or home group:
This is That Time: A Wartime Call to the Christian World
The Truth About Israel and Gaza
A Call to Christians and Jews to Fight Evil Together
Spiritual Roots of Conflict Between Israel and Hamas
PRAY for Those You Encounter Who Are Walking in Antisemitism
Pray for your church leaders, the online bible teachers, and conservative newscasters that the Holy SPIRIT will pierce the darkness of deception with the LIGHT and TRUTH from God’s word! Pray they will step away from negativity, darkness, and hatred, and they will come into the LIGHT and LOVE of Truth from the scriptures!
Counteract LIES with Truth!
Call people on the antisemitism whenever and wherever you encounter it. On social media, when someone sends me a post that is of the “dark conspiracy theory” or Anti-Israel accusation and judgment I set a boundary and reply:
“Please do not send me anti-Israel propaganda. I am 100 percent in full support of Israel in their war against Hamas terrorists. I do not buy into the globalist deep state theories regarding Israel.”
Share some of the teachings and videos listed above with those who are going down this dark rabbit hole. Some of them have been crawling in the sewer of negative news sludge for a long long time. Shine some light at them with truth and with scripture!
"Separate from" and "Cleave to"
For those who are deeply entrenched in antisemitism, you may have to separate from or distance yourself from them. I have had to end news subscriptions to several conservative news blogs that I no longer follow due to their anti-Israel slant.
“Cleave to” groups and people who have a like mind and heart: they have a deep love for Israel and the Jewish people. Gather with them on Zoom, on phone prayer calls, or in person. Pray for Israel, pray for the IDF, befriend the Jewish people, and support them. Pray for God to grant Israel victory in defeating Hamas!
I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
They shall never hold their peace day or night.
You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent,
And give Him no rest till He establishes
And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Isaiah 62:6-7
Am chai Yisrael!
One Comment
Diana Hawbaker-Tavary
Beautifully stated. I am a Jewish person who follows Yeshua and His Torah. I am sickened by messianic Jews and church people on their deep state cabal belief system of Israel . Just proof they do not read!