Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Politics and Religion
Update on the crisis in Gaza: and my 2 concerns over what I am hearing from many American pastors and leaders

Update on the crisis in Gaza: and my 2 concerns over what I am hearing from many American pastors and leaders

Last updated on: October 14, 2023 at 9:00 am by Rob Dalrymple

Update on the crisis in Gaza: and my 2 concerns over what I am hearing from many American pastors and leaders 2023-10-14T07:39:10-08:00 Rob Dalrymple

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel has led to Israel’s devasting response. Courtesy Atlantic

“Blessed are those who mourn” (Matt 5:4)

Reports at the time I write (and they are certainly changing each day) indicate:

Israel has reported 1,200 deaths and 2,900 injured by Hamas forces. This does not include the number of those who have been terrorized by Hamas’ attack.

Reports from Gaza as of Friday, Oct 13 indicate that 1900 Palestinians have been killed and 7,400 hundred have been injured.

Israel’s expected ground assault into Gaza, which is expected to begin at any moment, has already resulted in 187,000 displaced persons. The number of deaths and injuries is expected to be significantly higher.

“Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matt 5:9)

I want to begin with a note I received from Andrew Bush who is one of our colleagues at NEME (the Network of Evangelicals for the Middle East). Andrew and his wife Karen live in Bethlehem and work both at Bethlehem Bible College and as pastors at a church in East Jerusalem. Andrew writes,

“We thank you for your emails and expressions of concern in response to our last email. Many especially have requested updates about Shady and Ghada Najjar and their children, as well as all the Christians in Gaza. This morning I messaged Shady, though I was reluctant to do so since he might not have much battery charge left on his phone. Israel has ordered that all people in the northern part of Gaza—more than one million—relocate immediately to the southern half of Gaza. This is impossible with no running cars (no gas) or any other kind of transport. Nevertheless, I asked Shady if he had relocated.

Shady wrote back a few minutes ago:
“We did not pass as (there) are very catastrophic circumstances. We left our house and we are in the Latin (Roman Catholic) Church with all Christianity in Gaza. There is no electricity and no water and there is not much for us. All Christianity in Gaza is in the Latin Church and the Orthodox Church.”

Andrew then concludes his note:

“It is impossible to overestimate what a desperate situation the Christians of Gaza are in. These churches are in the northern part of Gaza. Let us lift the Christians, the buildings they are in, and the surrounding neighborhoods in prayer continually before the Lord for their deliverance. More than 400 children have already been killed in Gaza. Let us pray fervently for the safety of the innocent and for some way to be made for a cessation of the violence on both sides.”

It is this kind of violent response that we feared and that I was writing about in my last post.

Now I do not deny that Israel is justified in their response to Hamas. And I do not deny that Hamas is evil and that they have committed horrific war crimes against the people of Israel.

My concerns, which I expressed in my last post, with regard to the entire issue have focused on American pastors and leaders along 2 lines:

1) Binary thinking (good v bad)

There are many (see my response to Russell Moore’s editorial which I posted on Oct 11) who are viewing this through a lens of one side is good (that is our side—which is Israel and the US) and one side is bad (which is Hamas; and sometimes this is extended to include all Palestinians).

This line of thinking is not helpful for several reasons.

First, there is no question that we are continuing to weep with Israel and those who have suffered tremendous, unspeakable losses at the horrors inflicted on them by Hamas. I have no hesitation in affirming that Hamas is led by persons who are bent on doing evil: including desiring to see the destruction of all Jews and especially the state of Israel. And we condemn their acts of terror that have been perpetrated on innocent Israelis.

I also have no hesitation in calling all Christians to weep and grieve with the Israelis who have suffered so greatly at the unspeakably horrible acts leveled on them by Hamas over the past week.

The reason, however, why I believe that this line of thinking is not helpful is that biblically speaking we should not look at others (i.e., the state of Israel and the US) strictly as though they are innocent victims. Hamas’ damnable actions over the weekend were not the beginning of a war. They were a response, an evil response, to the oppression that Palestinians have felt for the last 75 years.

Now, in saying this, I am by no means declaring that the Palestinians have been innocent victims for the past 75 years. This is, in fact, the very sort of binary thinking I am arguing against.

Second, the line of thinking that one side is good and the other is evil leaves us justifying a violent response.

NB: Now, I am not saying that nations cannot or should not defend themselves. This is certainly the right and even the responsibility of every nation.

What I am saying is that the church should not support or encourage a violent response. Violence is what the nations do. And violence begets violence (see Matt 26:52: “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword” [Jesus]).

The way of the Kingdom of God, which is the first priority for the people of God (“seek first His kingdom and His righteousness”; Matt 6:33), is one of cross-bearing love for the sake of the other.

Note:

Gal 5:14 “For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”

James 2:8 “If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.”

Now I recognize that the ethic of Jesus does not work for nations. No nation could survive if they laid down their arms and told their enemies, “Go ahead and slap me on the cheek and I’ll just turn the other to you.”

But that is my point. The ethic of God’s kingdom does not operate in accord with the ethic of the nations. This is why the binary thinking that encourages one side to respond to violence with violence is so problematic.

The way of Jesus is the way of peace. And the people of God must exhort the nations to find a peaceful solution.

NB: those who say that peaceful solutions are not possible in conflicts like this lack an awareness of history. The primary obstacle to peace in this conflict is the political will to make it happen.

2) End Times preachers

My 2nd line of concern has to do with the rise of end-times sermons that have already begun to infiltrate too many of our pulpits.

I have written about the End Times fairly extensively (see my book Understanding the NT and the End Times) in the past, so I will be brief here. (See blog post “The Signs of the Times and the Return of Jesus”; you can also search on a variety of end times topics on my blog; just click the “blog” tab at determinetruth.com and scroll down the page).

in this book, I propose that the end tines have begun in Jesus and why this matters for us today

There are a number of problems with this view.

First, the end-times began with Jesus!

Second, the “war” described in the book of Revelation (which is a fulfillment of the prophecies of Ezek 38-39 and other passages) is the war that the Dragon (Satan) wages against Christ, the angels of God, and/or the people of God. The war is not against a secular state.

NB: See the “7” occurs of “the war” (See Rev 11:7; 12:7, 17; 13:7; 16:14; 19:19; 20:8)

NBB: the Devil is brilliant—evil, but brilliant. He is waging war against the people of God and has us distracted by looking to the Middle East and rejoicing over wars that devastate peoples.

Third, promoting the present events as some end-times fulfillment of prophecy causes the church to focus on and even rejoice over “war, violence, and tragedy” instead of weeping over it.

NB: I have watched numerous clips this week of popular American pastors getting applause over the proposition that these are signs of the times and Jesus’ return is near.

Fourth, it is quite common for the end times prophetic pundits to promote war and violence as the proper response. After all, one of the primary features of these end-times scenarios is that Russia and Iran (and some will say China) will attack Israel, led by some Antichrist figure—which is a complete misunderstanding of what the NT says about the “Antichrist,” but that is for another day. This view, of course, leads me back to my opening concerns over pastors and leaders encouraging war.

Fifth: I would like to request that you save this post as a reminder in 5 years/10 years (or shall I say 7 or 3.5 years?) when Jesus has not yet returned, so I can say, “I told you so.” Now, I don’t plan on saying that. I am just making a point.

NB: Of course, if Jesus does return—which, if He does (Amen), I will strongly assert it was not because this war is a sign of the end times—you will not be able to say “I told you so” because we will be in the New Jerusalem and there is no “I told you so’s” in the New Jerusalem.

My point is that I have heard this drumbeat for much of the past 50 years. The USSR was going to invade Israel any day, said Hal Lindsay. The Gulf War was a clear sign of the end. Covid and the vaccine was the Mark of the Beast. Can we stop this nonsense? Instead of reveling in the horrific tragedies because they are signs of the end times, can we get back to being the people of God who mourn over injustices and who cry out for peace?

Perhaps the best way to finish a post like this is the way we began: “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matt 5:9)

Our goal is to keep these posts free of charge. I do not intend to ever hide them behind a paywall. I can only do this if those of you who have been blessed by them and can afford to give ($5, $10, $25, or more/month) do so. You can give a tax-deductible contribution by following this link.

Please share this post and let others know about determinetruth.

If you wish to view this blog on your smartphone through the Determinetruth app simply download the “tithe.ly church” app on your smartphone and insert “determinetruth” as the church name you wish to follow. Once it is loaded, simply click on the “blog” icon and it will automatically load.

If you would like to have Rob speak at your church or organization in person or via Zoom, please let us know by filling out the contact info on the Contact me tab on this site.

Progressive Christian

Politics and Religion

History and Religion

Hamas

Israel

Israel Palestine

About Rob Dalrymple

Rob Dalrymple is married to his wife Toni and is the father of four fabulous children, and two grandchildren. He has been teaching and pastoring for over 34 years at colleges, seminaries, and the local church. He has a PhD in biblical interpretation. He is the author of four books (including Follow the Lamb: A Guide to Reading, Understanding, and Applying the Book of Revelation & Understanding the New Testament and the End Times: Why it Matters) as well as numerous articles and other publications. He is currently completing a commentary on the book of Revelation titled, “Revelation: a Love Story” (Cascade Books, pending 2025). You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

October 11, 2023

The "War" in Israel-Gaza: My response to Russell Moore's editorial

Next Post

October 23, 2023 Has the American Church given in to the Beast by silencing the wrong voices? Beast #4

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 000 1 Cor 11:17-34 1 Corinthians 1 John 1 Peter 1 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 10 Commandments 2 Corinthians 2 John 2 Peter 2 Thessalonians 2 Timothy 3 John 666 Abortion Acts 2:42 Ahmaud Arbery AIPAC All Saints Day America antisemitism BDS Beast Betting Bible Bible study Biblical Interpretation Biden Book of Acts Boycott Campus Protests Catholicism Ceasefire Chavez Ravine Christian Nationalism Christian Zionism Christianity Today Christmas Church Colossians Communion Convict Leasing Covid-19 Craig Blaising creation Crucifixion Daoud Nassar Deception Deconstruction Democracy Devotional guide Discipleship Easter Eden Education Election End-times Ephesians Eschatology Ethnic Cleansing Evangelicalism Evangelicals Evolution Fall Famine Fascism FIFA Freedom of Speech Galatians Gary Burge Gaza Gaza; Genocide; Boycott Genesis Genocide George Floyd Global Warming God's will Gospel Gospel of John Gospel of Luke Gospel of Mark Gospel of Matthew Government Grace Great Prostitute Hamas Harris healthcare Hebrews HeGetsUs Holy Spirit Holy Week Honor Father and Mother ICJ Immigration Indigenous peoples day Iran Israel Israel Palestine Itamar Ben Gvir James Jesus Joel Willits Jude Just war Justice Kamala Harris Kingdom Of God Kings and Queens land of Israel Law (OT) Lazarus Les Miserable LGBTQ+ Love Luke Mahmoud Khalil Man of Lawlessness Mark Mark of the Beast Marriage Martin Luther King Jr Mercy Mexican Repatriation Military-Industrial-Complex Ministry Mission Money NAFTA Nakba Netanyahu New Creation New Testament Nicaragua Nicodemus Non Violence Occupation Pacifism Palestine Parable Paul Peace Pentecost Peonage Philemon Philippians Politics Poor Power Prayer Pride Month Priests Pro-life Propaganda Prophesy Prophet Qatar Queen Elizabeth Racism Reconstruction Redemption Reformation Resurrection Revelation Roe v Wade Romans Romans 13:1-7 Rome Russia Sabbath Samaritan Seals Sermon Settlements Slavery Spiritual gifts Taxes Tent of Nations Terrorism The Beast Theology Titus Torture Trump truth Ukraine Uncategorized Veteran's Day War Warsaw Ghetto wealth Wedding Women World Cup 2022 Worldview Worship Wrath Yemen Zionism

Select a Month September 2026 May 2026 February 2026 November 2025 October 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 August 2018 June 2018 May 2018 March 2018 September 2017 July 2017 May 2017 November 2016 October 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which principle is taught in "turn the other cheek"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Do not retaliate Fight back Mock your enemy Argue your case

Support this
Column