I got an interesting e-mail this morning. It's about another conference is going on right now (March 12-17, 2010), but this one is not quite in the same category as the awesome, Bible believing ones mentioned yesterday. Now, I don't know very much about these things, but it seems to me that the thing that makes this particular conference kind of shocking is that this one's at Bethlehem Bible College in Bethlehem - the birth place of Jesus Christ (Matthew 2:6). Bethlehem means "House of Bread", and it is here in this very place that the "Bread of Life," the Word (the logos), was born to one day bring peace to the world. But ironically, it appears to me, the little brown blogger of very little brain, that those who claim to know Jesus Christ and believe in His Word are meeting in His place of birth to deny His very Word, and talk about their own ideas for peace.
They say that the aim of this conference is to:
...equip the global church to understand Scripture as it relates to the Palestinian context, and to discuss the theological importance of Peace and Justice in an Evangelical context.
Our hope is to provide a forum for evangelicals who take the Bible seriously to prayerfully seek a well-informed awareness of issues of peace, justice and reconciliation which are contextually sensitive as well profound to scriptural scholarship.
The speakers at this conference are listed here:
http://www.christatthecheckpoint.com/speakers.html
Today's keynote speakers may seem like a particularly surprising combo, but really this is no surprise. They are listed as Lynne Hybels and Tony Campolo.
Lynne Hybels, of course, is the wife of Bill Hybels of Willow Creek church and Willow Creek Association (which most seeker friendly churches today are members of). Besides partnering with the Tutus and the Warrens in social justice and world peace endeavours, Mr. Hybels has had the anti-semetic Jimmy Carter in to speak, as well as Tony Blair and Bono (Mr. COEXIST), etc. You may recall that Mr. Hybels is also a signatory of"¦
This "Common Word Between You and Us", complete with its own website and heavy hitting endorsements from the misguided likes of Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Leith Anderson, and Jim Wallis of the religious left, has proven to be more of a sophisticated anti-Israel propaganda tool than legitimate Inter-Faith dialogue.
-'A Common Word' -- Inter-Faith Dialogue or Propaganda Tool?
[www.christiannewswire.com]
Mrs. Hybels has also signed something:
"Something called the Christians Support Bold Action for Holy Land Peace campaign was launched; a letter signed by 50 leaders included Tony Campolo, Joel Hunter (president of the NAE); Bill and Lynne Hybels; Richard Mouw, President of Fuller; and David Neff, editor-in-chief CT.
This, my friends, represents a thrust deep into the heart of evangelicalism, so long a community that by and large supported Israel. That support is no longer guaranteed, and the presence of Hunter and Hybels cements the fact."
As far as Mr. Campolo goes, well, besides his contemplative, mystical, Ancient Roman Catholic spirituality, centering prayer side, he seems to think that Israel is "stealing" their own land"¦
Listen to Tony Campolo in Bethlehem, over breakfast at the Christ at the Checkpoint conference, where just a few days ago he said this:
Sizer: "What's wrong with the settlements and the wall and so on, is that for security?"
Campolo: "Well, you're stealing land I mean, I mean, let me put it this way, the Bible says 'thou shall not steal,' you're stealing land! Do I have to be more specific? Hehe..what do you want me to say, nice diplomatic words?"-Tony Campolo on the Israeli Occupation of Palestine
http://vimeo.com/10149203
Campolo's hope for this conference that is going on right now is that they will come up with a new way of thinking.
There is more on Campolo’s theology regarding Israel here:
Tony Campolo: Misinformed, bad theology
www.wnd.com
Tony might benefit by taking a closer look at the what the Bible says on this subject regarding The Land of Israel and To whom does it belong.
Other speakers at this conference include Brother Andrew, and Stephen Sizer.
Unfortunately, Brother Andrew has recently become somewhat imbalanced. Jacob Prasch writes that he...
"joins the Stephen Sizer and Gary Burge chorus of turning a deaf ear to the persecuted Christians in the surrounding Islamic countries to instead stupidly focus on the one nation in the region fully protecting the human rights and religious liberty of Arab Christians "“ Israel."
-Brother Andrew and Light Force
The Sorry Saga of a Has Been
[moriel.org]
Burge and Sizer are, of course, also speakers at this conference. There is so much anti-Israel stuff on the internet associated with Mr. Sizer and his [rotten] fruit, I simply don't know where to start. Here’s the scoop on Sizer's theology (he’s the one who interviewed Campolo in the video above):
Anti-Zionist Stephen Sizer
en.wikipedia.org
The Size of the Stephen Sizer Theology
moriel.org
Calvin L. Smith: Stephen Sizer as Anti-Replacement Theology Champion?
www.calvinlsmith.com
Stephen Sizer Complains to Police About Blogger
www.camera.org
Stephen Sizer and the Sons of Menelaus
moriel.org
He’s No "Sinner", He’s a False Prophet
www.moriel.org
Stephen Sizer Contra Melanie Philips
www.moriel.org
Response To Stephen Sizer’s Open Letter
moriel.org
Like I said, I don't know much about these things, but it appears to me that there is a battle going on within the ranks of those who claim to be the Bible believing body of Christ. It's not only over emerging church heretical things, or the six days of creation thing, and end time things, but also about what the Bible says about Israel. Are they all important? I think so, because they are all about taking God's Word at face value. Many reading this may disagree, but that's what I see.
As the friend who sent me the e-mail this morning said:
"just how much of such 'poking the finger in the pupil (apple) of God's eye' is He going to take from his "Body""
Zechariah 2:8
~ ~ ~
[*Disclaimer: As always, unless otherwise stated, the views expressed on the little brown blog are the personal opinions, rantings, and meanderings of this blogger.]
