This Isn't Blondie's Rapture
I feel like I could, and should, recommend my friend M.J. Rosenberg’s weekly essay for the Israeli Policy Forum every week. But this week’s column is particularly interesting, even by M.J.’s high standards.
A lot has been written about the pros and cons of a Jewish communal embrace of Christian Zionism and Pastor John Hagee’s Christians United for Israel (CUFI) in particular. Including by me.
But what is most interesting about M.J.’s piece this week is the contrast he draws between the Jewish community reaction (more accurately, reactions) to phenomenon of Christian Zionism and the reaction(s) to Pope Benedict’s announcement that the Catholic Church will permit greater use of the pre-Vatican II “Latin Mass.” Here’s the key section:
… some Jewish leaders are concerned about Pope Benedict’s recent decision to permit Catholic use of Good Friday liturgy that was dropped upon the orders of Pope John XXIII in 1962.
The prayer says: “Let us pray also for the Jews that the Lord our God may take the veil from their hearts and that they also may acknowledge Our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us pray…that they may acknowledge the light of your truth, which is Christ, and be delivered from their darkness.”
Abraham Foxman, head of the ADL, is lobbying the Vatican to drop plans to revive the prayer, noting that the prayer is a part of a “history of teaching contempt” and a tradition of conversion by "expulsion, inquisition and burning at the stake.
”In general,” Foxman says, “the way Catholics pray is not an issue for Jews, except when that prayer is offensive and insulting.”
CUFI’s theology is more offensive and insulting, although that has not kept Hagee from being lionized in some segments of the Jewish community. Conservative Catholics who prefer the old liturgy to the new are not trying to influence America’s policies in the Middle East. They do not lobby. They have no political agenda.
The Christian Zionists do. In my opinion, it is neither pro-Jewish nor pro-Israel. They are simply using Jews to advance a worldview that is intrinsically hostile to Jews.Special bonus – M.J. provides a link to this wonderful – fascinating, frightening, even funny -- video report from the CUFI conference by Max Blumenfeld, a reporter for the weekly Forward. It’s by no means objective, but it is interesting. I’m particulallary fond of the part where Senator Lieberman compares Pastor Hagee to Moses.