Cruzin for a Bruisin

A funny thing happened to Senator Ted Cruz on his way to an “In Defense of Christians” event,  he turned it into a rally for Israel and an attack on Christians who disagree with his narrow views.  When a hit piece on the conference alleged that one of the Lebanese Patriarchs had worked with Hezbollah against ISIS,  according to Reinvented Daddy, the senator decided to deploy his “hate-seeking Cruz missiles” and ditch the group in order to score points with  the Israeli lobby.

First of all he showed his Philistine ways by confusing  the purpose of the event and who his audience was and made outrageous allegations towards members of the group.  These Christian leaders are in a life and death struggle with ISIS and didn’t need the senator to pile on top of the most persecuted group in the world, Middle Eastern Christians.  Amazingly the group was able to cobble together the Patriarchs of the Middle East of various squabbling denominations.  What brought them together was a focus on those already martyred for their faith in the worst mass genocide by Muslims against Christians since the Armenian/Assyrian holocaust 100 years ago.  The purpose of the conference was to build unity and to educate Washington about the desperate plight of Christians and the indifference that the “Beltway”  has towards them.  That indifference and ignorance was on full display by Mr. Cruz.

The unity came to a screeching halt when the “Bull came into the China shop” and addressed the audience as the key-note speaker and ignorantly highlighted Iran and Syria as the main state sponsors of terrorism and  Christian persecution rather than the true axis of ISIS evil, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.   Then he went on to insensitively make more false claims like, “Israel is the greatest ally of Christians in the Middle East. ” This ruffled the feathers of the Lebanese Christians in attendance who rightfully lay claim to that honor.  In fact it was Israel pushing Palestinian refugees into their country that upset the delicate balance of Christian rule in Lebanon and helped cause the Lebanese Civil War and downfall of Christian sovereignty there.

Unsatisfied with that gaffe, he kept burying himself by making what appeared to be a planned grandstanding statement that: “If you hate the Jewish people you are not reflecting the teachings of Christ.”

To which an audience member rightly corrected him: “Nobody said we hate the Jews…the meeting is for the Christians.”  Then the misguided  “Cruz missile” went on in his condescending tirade to lecture those in attendance saying:  “I am saddened to see some here, not everyone, but some here are so consumed with hate–”

And an audience member responds: “We are not consumed with hate, no, you are consumed with hate!”

Cruz then pandered to the Israeli lobby even more  with a line he probably pre-planned on delivering after trying his best to provoke the audience: “…if you will not stand with Israel and Jews, then I will not stand with you.” And then childishly stomped out of the room.

To put his  deliberate and self-serving confrontation in perspective one must understand the bizarre Christian Dispensational beliefs of Senator Cruz.  His end times Dispensationalism is a mix of neo-conservativism and Zionism that denies that God has always had just one people, instead promoting the idea that there are two ‘dispensations’.  One destiny for Israel (earthly) and one for Christians (heavenly) as opposed to the  classical and more widely held Christian belief that Abraham’s seed and heir was Christ and spiritual Israel  is the Church.  This new Dispensational doctrine which has only been around 150 years,  requires a physical Israel to begin animal sacrifice again in order to fulfill its end-times prophecies.

This requires Ted Cruz to preach an extreme form of hatred for anyone who does not give blind support for Israel.   Even Orthodox Jews don’t agree with Zionism, so are they haters too according to Mr. Cruz?   see video of Orthodox Rabbis protesting  the aggressive nationalism of Israel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IapWP8hq9Mc While I and most Middle East Christians in America recognize Israel’s right to exist and wish them well, we do not give blind support to any country.

In fact, this favoring of one foreign nation over another was expressly discouraged by George Washington where he wisely encouraged America to remain neutral and avoid entangling alliances in his farewell address: “Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence  the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake; since history and experience prove, that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of Republican Government. . . Excessive partiality for one foreign nation, and excessive dislike of another, cause those whom they actuate to see danger only on one side, and serve to veil and even second the arts of influence on the other. Real patriots, who may resist the intrigues of the favorite, are liable to become suspected and odious; while its tools and dupes usurp the applause and confidence of the people, to surrender their interests.

The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is, in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible.”

This is exactly why we must guard against dangerous demagoguery supporting the foolish foreign policy  lobby like that of Ted Cruz and other neoconservatives, which does not put America first nor does it take into consideration Israel’s long term best interest but instead sacrifices America’s interest at the altar of an erroneous view of Christian eschatology.

While Mr. Cruz may be good on domestic issues, he needs to repent for disrespecting persecuted Christians  and make their needs a priority as the Bible mandates in Galatians 6:10: “So then, as often as we have the chance, we should do good to everyone, and especially to those who belong to our family in the faith.”

Ted Cruz can begin his penitence by starting a congressional investigation of Saudi Arabia and Turkey as being state sponsors of terrorism in funding Al Qaeda and ISIS and by stopping the CIA arming of Syrian rebels.    While I acknowledge that Israel is on the front line in the war on terror and has a right to defend herself, Christians are behind enemy lines and in a do or die fight for their very existence with no one coming to their aid.   Christians continually get caught in the crossfire between the warring parties of Zionism and Islam and are tired of being “collateral damage”.   As for me and my house, we will stand with my Christian brothers in the Middle East who have been harmed by years of bad foreign policy influenced by false Christian teaching as well as institutional Islamic oppression.