Cleaning Up After Pat Robertson...Again
Pat Robertson is at it again. A news account says:
The Reverend Pat Robertson says Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's massive stroke could be God's punishment for giving up Israeli territory.
The founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network told viewers of "The 700 Club" that Sharon was "dividing God's land," even though the Bible says doing so invites "God's enmity."
Robertson added, "I would say woe to any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course."
He noted that former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated.
Robertson said God's message is, "This land belongs to me. You'd better leave it alone."
Sometimes, as a Christian leader and writer, after Pat Robertson makes a public statement, I feel like the guy following the elephants with a scooper. His latest spew requires some more scooping. So, here goes:
First: You must understand that Pat operates from a notion that modern Israel is the heir of historic Israel. Most Christians, myself included, think that's whacked. In the Christian view, historic Israel fulfilled its critical role in history--to be a light to the nations--in the Person of Jesus Christ. The first believers in Christ, Jews themselves, even called the Church, "the new Israel."
Israel has a right to exist among the family of nations. But the greatest leaders of modern Israel, starting with David Ben-Gurion himself, have not seen a direct line between historic and modern Israel.
Second: Robertson is one of those who believes that it's possible to somehow force God's hand, bringing about the return of Jesus by provoking a war in the Middle East. His support for the modern state of Israel, then, is rooted in no love for Israel, but in his notion that such a war is a necessary prelude to Jesus' return.
This belief is sick at several levels:
(1) For a Christian, it subordinates God's sovereignty to our machinations. Apparently, Mr. Robertson has forgotten one of the petitions of the Lord's Prayer: "Your will be done."
Jesus said during His time on earth that all of the conditions for His return had been met and that only God the Father would call the shots on the timing.
(2) Robertson's views make an entire nation--Israel--a mere toy in the hands of a selfish and manipulative group of "Christians." He would prevent peace in the Middle East in order to advance his wrong-headed interpretation of the New Testament.
Third: Robertson claims that God is telling modern Israel that, "This land belongs to me. You'd better leave it alone.”
Actually, the Bible says that the whole earth is the Lord's, not just pieces of it. I find no evidence to indicate that God minds at all people voluntarily ceding territory in order to gain peace. I rather think that the God Who prompts us to share and sacrifice--you might want to check out the Sermon on the Mount, Pat--would take a positive view of these efforts to bring peace to the Middle East.
Cleaning up after Pat can sometimes feel like a full-time job!
[I first saw this story here.]