June 17, 2002

Land: Support for Israel is obedience to God
___ST. LOUIS (BP)--Supporting Israel is a "matter of being obedient to God," Richard Land said at a briefing on the Jewish state June 10.
___Oliver North and Jerry Falwell joined Land at the briefing, which was sponsored by the new Stand for Israel campaign.
___The effort, announced in late May, has a goal of mobilizing 100,000 churches and 1 million American Christians to support Israel.
___In giving a biblical defense for a Christian backing of Israel, Land pointed to God's covenant with Abraham in Genesis that included a promise to make of him a great nation through Isaac and to bless those who bless him and curse those who curse him.
___"God doesn't make conditional covenants, and he doesn't negotiate. It's God's way or the highway," said Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. "For us, supporting Israel is a matter of being obedient to God and obeying God's command to bless his chosen people."
___God also promised to bless and to multiply Ishmael and his descendants, the Arabs, Land said.
___"God has blessed them, and he will bless them, everywhere but Palestine, because God gave Palestine to the descendants of Isaac forever."
___Land, Falwell and North all said support for Israel is important to the future of the United States.
___Although the United States has not been perfect, it has been "the least anti-Semitic country in the world" in the last century, Land said. "God has blessed us in large measure because we have blessed the Jews."
___Falwell said he believes God has blessed the United States, in part, because America has been committed to the people of Israel.

The Baptist Standard



News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

---

Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!/ Signup for FirstLook