During the week covered by this review, we received 11 articles on the following subjects:
Missionary Activity
Christian Organizations
Political Issues / Christian Organizations
Bible
Archeology
Missionary Activity
Various Articles
Five articles reported that missionary posters were put up in playgrounds in different cities in the South of Israel. The articles stated that the posters were made by Messianic Jewish missionaries. One parent was caught after giving his four children posters to put up in a playground. In Israel, proselytizing to minors is against the law.
The sixth article reported that a bus driver has been trying to convert passengers to Christianity by preaching the Christian message while simultaneously denigrating Judaism and Islam. The driver has been told he is breaking the law but responded that he does not care. The company the driver works for said this is the second time they have received complaints and are weighing whether to terminate the driver’s employment.
Christian Organizations
Zman Ma’ale, June 4, 2020
The International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem (ICEJ) has donated 50,000 shekels to the municipality of Ma’ale Adumim in order to purchase computers for students. The need for home computers became more acute during the recent quarantine, when students were required to follow classes online from home. The municipality turned to the ICEJ for help with the goal of ensuring that every home had a computer in it. Each family is expected to contribute 150 shekels towards the new computer.
Political Issues / Christian Organizations
Maariv, June 11, 2020; The Jerusalem Post, June 12, 2020
The ICEJ has issued a statement regarding the possible upcoming annexation of parts of the West Bank by Israel. The ICEJ stated that the term “annexation” does not describe the political move, as Israel has a historic right to the land and is not forcibly taking something that does not already belong to it. The ICEJ said it stood by Israel’s right to make its own decision regarding the land without external pressures or threats. One article said the ICEJ constitutes the “international leadership of Evangelicals” and as such, its statement represents hundreds of millions of Evangelicals from over 170 countries. However, a second article noted that there may not be as much Evangelical interest in the question of annexation as the Israeli government may hope for. Messianic Jewish leader Joel Rosenberg said: “There is little attention being given to this issue except at the highest levels of a few key prominent Evangelical leaders.” This article argued that Evangelicals are likely to support whatever the Israeli government chooses to do, but nevertheless some believe President Trump may appear reckless if annexation leads to a destabilization in the region. While some Evangelicals believe Israel has the right to the land, they also believe that right will be instituted with the return of the Messiah.
Bible
Merkaz Ha’Inyanim, June 8, 2020
A recent survey showed that Mormons in the US are the most likely to read their bibles, with 77% of Mormons responding that they read their bibles on a weekly basis. They were followed by 63% of Evangelicals, 61% of Black Protestants, 46% of Muslims, 25% of Catholics, and 17% of American Jews. The author called these statistics an “embarrassment to the People of the Book”. In Israel, the percentage of Jews was slightly higher, at 21%. But of those who do not identify as Haredi or Orthodox, only 1% said they studied the bible on a weekly basis.
Archeology
Haaretz, June 9, 2020
This article reported on a study done by Hebrew University archeologist, Mitka Golub, who has been comparing the names that appear in particular books of the bible with the popular names of the same period unearthed archeologically. The assumption of the study is that if the names match up, we can assume the biblical authors put the story in writing closer to the time of the event, thus resulting in a more reliable account. If the names do not match up, the study assumes the author made them up or had less of an awareness of the time period narrated. Golub’s findings suggest that the books of Kings and Chronicles were first put in writing during the latter days of the First Temple period.