Op-Ed: Hannah Garces: Why standing with Israel is the moral choice for Christians around the world
"Christians stand on the Word of God and in that word is a promise to His people and He is a promise keeping God," Hannah Harces writes in her latest op-ed.
It’s one of those moments in life that you remember exactly where you were when you got the news. The light was coming through the windows of my bedroom that October morning. My husband and I stared at our phones that were ringing with message alerts. The first images coming through our screen of the situation in Israel. We didn’t know then what types of horrors were in store. The worst part of it all was that the world showed us the that their hatred for Israel and for the Jewish people wasn’t a past bogeyman but alive — well and growing with a momentum that seemed unfathomable in the wake of the massacre.
To think that we would never go back to the world of October 6th, 2023, still lingers but how can we? As a Christian, I looked to faith leaders to say something and be light in those moments. Far too few used their pulpits or platforms to say anything. It hurt. It shocked me. Did we, the Church, learn nothing from the German church in the 1930s? Was the church choosing to select what issues it would shepherd its congregants through? Were their politics leading their theology?
Absolutely, and sadly these congregations and their pastors were vocal during other tragic moments — but they neglected to speak during this one.
It’s odd. As a Bible-reading believer, we read daily about an almighty and powerful God that used a chosen nation for His plan and purpose. A nation and their history and how His faithfulness brought them through many a time. A people set apart by God himself: “I will be your God, and you shall be my people,” as we read.
If you are reading this day in and out — how, when the topic of Israel comes up in our current events, are you not paying attention — or worse, deciding to remain silent?
The slaughter and abhorrent massacre of those in Israel on October 7th was pure evil. The subsequent kidnapping and torture of those held hostage is despicable in every sense of the word. So, as some faith leaders chose to remain silent, it comes down to the individual Christian. Why, as an American Christian, should I be speaking out about this — or even care about this? If the above paragraph wasn’t explicit enough, I will break it down.
Let’s start with our everyday reality. Israel and its people have always been a safeguard of Americans against radical Islam. The hatred that was the catalyst for the October 7th atrocity is a hatred that is also pointing straight at us as Americans, but more importantly as Christians.
First comes Saturday, then comes Sunday. The radical Islamists will not stop until the infidels, non-believers, submit. Islam after all means submission. The violence and disregard for human life shown in the aftermath of the attack in the south of Israel illustrates the lengths in which these radicals will go to accomplish their jihad. Israel is a line of defense for us in the West. We take it for granted and some even attack it out of pure ignorance. What happened two years ago should be a wakeup call as Americans — and further still as Christian Americans.
The aftermath of October 7th was yet another test of the courage of the American church. For far too long, we have been lulled into the idea that we need to be nice Christians who keep our prayers in the church and politics and world matters outside.
When our Jewish friends began to be harassed on our shores because of Israel’s response to the atrocity, it didn’t highlight our courage but reflected our cowardice. Even the world knows the importance of the Jewish people’s connection to Israel. Yet the church must hold internal debate and theologically question if that connection stands and then how to react. From what I saw, most didn’t react at all. As time would tick on, some would event condemn Israel for the suffering of the Palestinians, while remaining silent at the circumstances of the Kibbutz communities and the Nova festival that were the cause of Israel’s reaction.
The line in the stand was drawn for me on October 8th, 20233. The wheat separated from the chaff. The mask of being anti- Zionist slipped, and the ugly, twisted and malicious face of evil became realized. All that hate targeted at my Jewish friends, neighbors, and the nation of Israel. It seems that my generation has not learned from the lessons of the past. That once again churches and believers remain silent or sing a little louder during worship to drown out the sounds and cries coming from our Jewish friends for help. It has made my resolve stronger.
I can’t unseen some of the horrific footage the terrorists took. What they meant for applause actually stirred those like me to action. I will not have my daughter grow up in a world where weak Christians lead on such things. I will not let Americans, in a frenzy of unrealistic isolationist ideals and conspiratorial inquirers, lead the charge.
America stands by her friends and against common enemies. Christians stand on the Word of God and in that word is a promise to His people and He is a promise keeping God. So, I will stand in that gap, because the blood of those split on October 7th will not go unavenged. My Jewish and Israeli friends will not stand alone in my lifetime if I can help it.
May their memory be a blessing and a rallying cry and may my courage stiffen the spines of others to stand up.
Hannah Garces is the Director of Outreach for Generation Zion.