Mainline Churches vs. Israel
At The National Review, Elliot Abrams analyzes a letter that leaders of some of America’s largest mainline denominations sent to members of Congress this past July. In the letter, leaders from the Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Methodist Church, and the United Church of Christ (UCC), among others, expressed “grave concern about the deteriorating conditions in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories which threaten to lead the region further away from the realization of a just peace.” Abrams finds many factual errors in the letter, and also looks at its broader implications: “[The] letter will affect cooperation between the signatory organizations and the Jewish community, as the reactions of major American Jewish organizations already demonstrate. And it will affect the willingness of the United States to come to the defense of beleaguered Christian communities in the Middle East, for some of the Christian groups that might be expressing concern and solidarity and demanding action are instead spending their time denouncing Israel.”