Christian Zionists Plan to Set Holocaust Day Agenda

From the website “Learn from history.eu“:

They gave us our roots. We cut them off and sent them to die in places like Auschwitz, Dachau and Birkenau. While we were silent they disappeared like smoke before our eyes.

Apparently “we” does not refer to a bunch of ancient Nazis; “we” are the people of Europe in 2006, who need to make amends for Nazi atrocity. And how?

Now it is time to repent and learn from history. Only by confronting the past can we build a better future in Europe. No longer can we remain silent when the calls to destruction are again echoing in the world.

Now it is time to repent and learn from history. Only by confronting the past can we build a better future in Europe. No longer can we remain silent when the calls to destruction are again echoing in the world.

This time let’s get it right. Perhaps the old roots can start to give life again? Perhaps the rain will fall again over the hills of Europe, and the trees bear new fruit.

…The objective of this initiative is to make the week leading up to January 27 also a week of remembrance, and pro-active action against anti-Semitism, for the church in Europe. What role did the church play in Europe in the 1930’s? What role could we play today in order NOT to repeat the mistakes of the past? Are the Jewish people still threatened to destruction today?

The answer of course, is “yes”: there’s Ahmadinejad, Hamas, Islamist extremists in Europe chanting “Death to the Jews” (along with “Death to pretty much everyone else as well”, but let’s not dwell on that), Holocaust deniers, plus condemnation of Israel from the bloke who wrote Sophie’s World (Jostein Gaarder, mis-spelt on the site). Does this not prove that Holocaust Day should also become a day of unconditional support for the State of Israel? That would seem to be the inference:

“Learn from History” will provide you with speaking points, background material and a DVD about how Christians today are raising their voices against anti-Semitism and are promoting better relations between Europe and Israel.

…Sign up today – adopt January 27 as a day of remembrance in your church. Our goal is to have churches in each 25 member states signing up to take part in the campaign. During the Remembrance event we will also provide you with an opportunity to financially support the work which is today carried out by European Coalition for Israel to fight anti-Semitism and improve relations between Europe and Israel.

I looked at the European Coalition for Israel here; it’s a project of Christians for Israel International, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, Bridges for Peace and the Christian Friends of Israel. The lobby group was founded in Jerusalem in 2004, with the blessing of hard-right Israeli politician Yuri Stern, of the racist anti-Arab Yisrael Beiteinu party.

“Learn from History” also has a leadership team:

Colin Dye, Pastor, Kensington Temple London, United Kingdom

Dye is influential in British charismatic Christian circles; as it happens, I visited his church early in 2003, just before the invasion of Iraq. I recall Dye prophesied an easy victory, followed by a mass conversion of Iraqis.

Ulf Ekman, Pastor, Word of Life, Uppsala, Sweden

Ekman is a preacher of the Prosperity Gospel, with links to Oral Roberts and an underground church in Afghanistan; I’ve touched on his activities in the past.

Ingolf Ellssel, Pastor and Chairman of Pentecostal European Fellowship

Ellssel, who represents 5 million Pentecostals, was in Israel just the other day, where he was joined by an official from the Holocaust museum Yad Vashem in re-enforcing the “criticise Israel and you’re an anti-Semite” message. The International Christian Embassy reported:

We regret that certain churches are considering divesting from Israel, while we’ve also seen some nations in Europe stepping away from Israel,” Rev. Ingolf Ellssel of Germany, the Chairman of PEF, told the gathering. “Pentecostal and Charismatic churches in Europe have a tradition of praying for and engaging with Israel, but we are determined to harness our rapidly growing movement to do even more for the Jewish people and their embattled nation.”

In response, Shaya Ben Yehuda, director of international relations at Yad Vashem, called the growing movement of Christian supporters of Israel the “modern righteous Gentiles of our day.”

…”We recognise that Israel remains elect of God and a focus of His redemptive plan for the entire world,” added Ellsell. “We understand that the remarkable Jewish return to this land is a fulfillment of biblical promises to Israel, and this encourages us to believe that God will keep His prophetic promises to us as well.”

Back to the list:

Johannes Fichtenbauer, Chief Deacon, Catholic Diocease of Vienna, Austria

Fichtenbauer is a Charismatic Catholic, and he founded an ecumenical charismatic grouping in Vienna called “Turn to the Lord“. He is also involved with “Toward Jerusalem“, which works with Messianic Jews.

Willem Glashouwer, Reverend, Reformed Church of the Netherlands, Chairman ECI

Glashouwer is president of the European Coalition for Israel; I previously noted his tasteful comparison between not feeling the need for religious references in the European Constitution and killing six million Jews.

Wolfhard Margies, Pastor, Church on the Way, Berlin Germany

That’s apparently the largest church in the city.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, Agape Press offers a platform for the dominionist and anti-Arab Israeli far-right:

No more concessions to Palestinians — that is the pledge a pro-Jewish movement within Israel’s Likud Party has made if it is able to gain control of the leadership next year…Shmuel Sackett is co-founder and international director of the Jewish Leadership Movement, the largest faction within the Likud Party. Sackett says his group would take a much different approach to the Palestinian problem. “They will not be allowed to function as an independent people, as a state, with weapons inside God’s promised land,” he explains. “Absolutely, positively not.” He says the first thing they would do would be to immediately annex all of the covenant land that has been given away. “We will take back the Temple Mount. We will take back Jerusalem. We will take back all these areas,” he states. In general, he says, the Leadership Movement would make it very clear to the Arabs that “their future is not in the land of Israel.”

Perhaps those running the European Coalition for Israel do not share such an extreme view; but given their perspective and theology, would it be possible for them ever to speak out over Israeli treatment of the Palestinians? After all, Sackett belongs to a nation which, in the words of Glashouwer,

…”is not just one of the nations. It has a special dimension to it. They are God’s chosen people, the apple of His eye, His firstborn son.”