The devil you know ....

Israeli newspaper is quick to play on the dissatisfaction with the Catholic Church's response to the Holocaust against the ready apologetic Evangelicals. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1242212366444&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Playing on such a rift between the Catholics and the Evangelicals is of course advantageous since the Evangelicals make up 70% of the tourist traffic into Israel, are adament Zionist Christians and rake in big money into the Holyland. However patting them on the back, calling them buddies.... does not cover the fact that they are evangelicals - something that we have experience with and the Israelis don't - no solid theology and tradition, eclectic belief system ..... all it takes is a "prophet" to come and say something contrary, and you'll see the entire evangelical movement turn on its head, "moved by the Spirit" so to say. The author fo this article is an evangelical christian who's also playing on the privilege it enjoys from the present Ministry of Tourism .... but trying to drive a wedge between Jews and Catholics is not a wise thing to do, especially with a motive to advance your own privileges. Judaism and the Catholic Church have been around for the past 2000 years; Evangelical christianity is only 270 years old (not 400 as the author claims; an example of selective / manipulative use of information, trying to link it with Luther's reformation). It cannot claim to be part of the Catholic Church as the article is nuancing; yet another example of selective / manipulative use of information. And I wonder if evangelical christianity has never had a moment of anti-semitism as the author claims (actually he was nuancing the entire Protestant history) .... well read up your history, folks.

Just read this critique by a post-evangelical christian on the CS Monitor "Evangelicalism doesn't need a bailout. Much of it needs a funeral. " http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0310/p09s01-coop.html And watch the key phrase "the money will dry out" - evangelicalism is pumping "billions of dollars ... on youth ministers, Christian music, publishing, and media has produced a culture of young Christians who know next to nothing about their own faith except how they feel about it. ... young people have deep beliefs about the culture war, but do not know why they should obey scripture, the essentials of theology, or the experience of spiritual discipline and community. Coming generations of Christians are going to be monumentally ignorant and unprepared for culture-wide pressures." When the money goes, so will tourism.

Israel has no experience with the new evangelical movement as it has with the Catholic Church for 2000 years - albeit stormy at times. She can be all supportive of the movement for the moment for all the advantages it brings before it fizzles out, but she ought to know history better than any other country on earth. Better the devil you know than the devil you don't. Remember, you never know where the Spirit blows.