Contact: Rev. CJ Conner, 651-373-9137

MEDIA ADVISORY, Jan. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- In early January, 66 Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America plan to go to Palestine and Israel to study Jewish "oppression" against Palestinians.(1) This after Palestinian Hamas has canceled a cease fire and began bombing Israel again at Christmas time, stridently provoking the present war.(2) No doubt each Bishop will come back with stories of this highly orchestrated trip, perhaps too naive to realize that they will only see what Hamas sympathizers and Christian Dhimmis like the Lutheran Bishop of the Holy Land, Munib Younan, want them to see.(3) They will be fed the one-sided anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian narrative that their Presiding Bishop and President of the Lutheran World Federation, Mark Hanson, has become notorious for.

It is common for delegates of ELCA's Middle East "fact finding" trips to return home only to compare Israel to Nazis.(4) And like most of the Mainline leaders, Hanson has rushed to demand an end to hostilities when Israel defends herself, while remaining silent all this time about the hundreds of rockets launched by Palestinian Hamas against Israeli civilians.

The Bishops will meet to strategize their next big push in their fight against Israel- a propaganda campaign against the Christians around the world who have dedicated themselves to supporting, praying for, and befriending Israel and the Jewish people. In partnership with other liberal Churches, they have put together study guides(5) that demonize friends of Israel, not only painting them with a broad brush-stroke label of "Christian Zionist," but dishonestly mischaracterizing what Christian Zionism really is as a theological construct for understanding the identity of Israel in the salvation history of God.(6)

"Christian Zionism is a dangerous and radical political movement," lies Hanson, all the while hoping nobody catches on to the ELCA's own political activism and un-Christian agenda against a responsible peace in the Middle East.

Angry about those under him who don't agree with his radical views, Bishop Hanson spoke at a meeting in May 2008, as reported by Alan F.H. Wisdom:

Hanson did not hesitate to denounce fellow Christians who disagreed with him on Middle East issues. "Let us as Christians admonish and challenge--publicly and face-to-face--those fellow Christians who espouse the ideology called Christian Zionism,"

Hanson also wished to "admonish the leaders in our churches who think that, given all the pressure, conflict, and uncertainties people face, tranquility in the church is what we seek to maintain." Referring to the ELCA standards for ordained clergy and rostered lay leaders, he asked pointedly, "How can one say that I am living in the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit and conclude the end of the Christian life should be tranquility?" The bishop wanted church leaders to engage Middle East issues even at the risk of bringing new conflicts into their congregations."(7)

This kind of "in your face" approach advocated by the good bishop in his Church is the same militant method for "peace-making" he brings to the Middle East, some say fanning the flames of conflict. Because the ELCA has allowed Hanson to play diplomatic "house," a complicated situation has become more complex, and the blood of innocents on both sides of the Gaza border stains their hands.

Much like Hitler's Germany, the Bishops of the ELCA have expanded their fight against Jews to include the Christians who befriend them, pray for them, and protect them. They also continue to treacherously extend hollow words of peace to Israel- a smoke screen to conceal the dagger in their left hand- the millions of dollars they have poured into de-stabilizing the Jewish state. Even though their partnerships and organizations have sweet sounding mission statements, theirs is always a "blame the Jews first and often" approach to "peace" in the Middle East.

For example, Holy Land Lutheran Bishop Younan enjoys a close partnership with Sabeel- led by Anglican priest Naim Ateek- who fans the flames of anti-semitism by saying that Israel is like those who crucified a Palestinian Jesus. Sabeel supports Palestinian violence against Jews, through subtext, subterfuge, and silent provocation, joining Younan in hoping for a 3rd intifada- which today it seems they accomplished.(8) Both men enjoy quiet time today at their safe and cozy Jerusalem flats, counting the U.S. dollars of personal wealth they have raised with their anti-Israel rhetoric.

Bishop Hanson dishonestly represented Yasser Arafat's relationship with Christians in the region, thanking the father of modern terrorism for his support of Christians in what amounted to a public eulogy of the evil man shortly after his death.(9) Not only is it shameful for Christians to receive favor from the anti-Semitic and hateful murderer Arafat, Hanson minimizes and altogether ignores the harsh persecution Christians have suffered under Palestinian rule, as illustrated in journalist Justus Weiner's monograph "Muslim and Palestinian Persecution of Christians."(10)

On June 15th of 2007, Younan made a statement about the Palestinian Civil War, in which he is angry that the world would not recognize and happily accept the Hamas government as democratically elected. He said "Maybe it is time for deep self-evaluation for Palestinians, Israelis, and the International Community." This kind of intentional language of "deep self-evaluation" is the English translation for the Arabic word Jihad.(11) Though Younan's wording is a call to Jihad to the Middle Eastern ear, it is innocuous to the Western ear. Younan and Hanson are brilliant in crafting their language to always allow for plausible deniability, while their audience always knows what they really mean.

The ELCA, in their "nuanced" divestment strategy against Israel, even funds Palestinian NGO's that refused to promise that the money they receive will not be used to support terrorism.(12) Munib Younan is the president of the board of managers for the International Christian Committee of Israel in Jerusalem, a member organization of Ittijah. Ittijah led the charge to reject the signing of "anti-terror" clauses as a condition to receive International Aid for Palestinian NGO's.(13)

Mark Hanson and his Bishops are leaders of the New Anti-Semitism.(14)

- Rev. C.J. Conner
Author- Jesus and the Culture Wars: Reclaiming the Lord's Prayer
To review the full unabridged guide, please visit: www.revcjconner.com

1. Bishop Kevin Kanouse to be part of ECLA delegation to Middle East   

2. Hamas rockets pound Israel as truce hopes fade 

3. Journalist Dexter Van Zile Illustrates Bishop Younan's Dhimmi Roots
 
4. ELCA delegate and radio host Jerry Hayes compares Israel to Nazi's: 

5. The Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism- Not one characterization of Christian Zionism is true.
 
6. In Defense of Christian Zionism: (The ELCA shares the position of Hamas on "Christian Zionism")
 
7. One Part Harmony by Alan F.H. Wisdom
 
8. Dorit Evan writes about Sabeel's provocation of violence
    Bishop Younan and Sabeel
 
9. Hanson's Statement on Arafat 

10. Justus Weiner's monograph 

11. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL)

12. Most ELCA beneficiaries are members of Ittijah, PNGO, and have supported the rejection of anti-terror clauses  

      Younan is on the Board of Directors of HCEF

      http://www.ngo-monitor.org/editions/v2n11/v2n11-2.htm

13. Younan, President of ICCI, Member of Ittijah
 
      http://www.elcjhl.org/admin/bishop/biographicalsketch.asp

14. ELCA Bans Jews From Conference in Germany, Invite Hamas Politician as a Speaker