Our veteran, California vigil leader, Craig Hanson, is planning another vigil at Lakeview Assembly Church in Stockton, CA. Before every vigil a letter is sent to the pastors and staff at the church telling them about We Hold These Truths’ vigil and why they should cancel the Christians United For Israel event they are hosting. Craig is very passionate about our mission to wake up Christians to the dangers of Christian Zionism theology because he was a Christian Zionist, himself. Be sure to listen to his remarkable story, “Confessions of a Former Christian Zionist.” [Ed.-TEC]
To: Pastors Joey and Jennifer Steelman, and the Staff of Lakeview Assembly Church
From: We Hold These Truths – https://whtt.org
Subject: CUFI “Night to Honor Israel” Event – 11/06/16
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We are saddened to learn that your fellowship, once again, is hosting a Christians United For Israel (CUFI) “Night to Honor Israel” event on Sunday, November 6th.
CUFI presents itself as a “Christian” organization, but is nothing more than a lobbying arm for the State of Israel. CUFI has been called a “Christian AIPAC” by it’s founder, John Hagee, who is on record for praying for war. He also believes in a “dual-covenant” theology whereby Jews do not have to believe in Jesus to be saved. In fact, the name “Jesus” is rarely mentioned, if at all, in a CUFI gathering, and then only “in Jesus Name, amen”.
We Hold These Truths is an organization whose mission is to awaken the Evangelical Church to the dangers of Zionism and specifically the branch known as Christian Zionism.
We Hold These Truths held a vigil at Lakeview Assembly Church during the CUFI event they held at the church in Stockton, CA in June of 2015.
We will be outside of your church on the public sidewalk conducting a peaceful vigil during the CUFI presentation, to alert your congregation that CUFI does not represent the Prince of Peace. It is our hope and prayer that you will cancel this CUFI event.
Your motto on your home page states: “To love God, love people, win souls, and serve.” And, on your “Salvation” page you present the sinner’s prayer which in part says: “I dedicate my life to You and vow to live everyday according to Your Word.” To love God and His Word means that we have to examine ALL that we believe in light of His Word. Pastor Joey, in your sermon “David’s Greatest Hits Part 14” you state “Truth can stand examination.” We at We Hold These Truths completely agree with you on that statement!
Christian Zionism and support for the Jewish State of Israel is nowhere to be found in the New Testament.
Christian Zionism does NOT look like Jesus and is incompatible with His teachings: “Blessed are the Peacemakers”, “Do good to those that persecute you”, “My kingdom is not of this world”, “Blessed are the merciful”….
If you research the roots of Christian Zionism (we have many articles and links on our web site to help you), you will find that Christian Zionism is built upon a faulty Biblical hermeneutic, or interpretation of scripture, that does NOT represent the historic teachings of the Christian Church. Christian Zionism supports the confiscation of land by brute force, dispossessing people groups, supporting wars, deceptions, frauds, and murder of innocents – which does NOT represent Jesus!!!
An excellent examination of how Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises in the Old Testament can be found in Pastor Rob Dalrymple’s book These Brothers of Mine.
Today’s Zionism is a secular political agenda that has taken scriptures from the Biblical narrative out of context and misapplied those scriptures to Zionism to give it an appearance of legitimacy.
Pastors Steelman, I attended an Assembly of God Bible School, I know the doctrines. God used the AG Church mightily in my life. For that I’m thankful. As I’ve grown in my faith, whenever I see doctrines and practices in the evangelical church that do NOT reflect Jesus’ teachings – I have to speak up. Can you honestly picture Jesus driving a Caterpillar tractor uprooting Palestinian olive trees and smashing their homes? Yet that is what Christian Zionism supports.
There were many Christian pastors and others in the early 20th century that spoke out against Zionism – but their voices were drowned out by the Zionist forces of that day. In 1949 Professor Millar Burrows of the Yale School of Divinity in his book Palestine Is Our Business states: “A terrible wrong has been done to the native people of Palestine…Our own interests, both as Americans and Christians, are endangered. The interests of the Jewish people also have suffered. And we can still do something about it”. He goes on to say: “One thing is certain. Nothing that is essentially unjust or contrary to the Spirit of Christ can be the will of God. Let him who speaks of the fulfillment of prophesy remember Jer. 22:13 – ‘Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness’…”
Pastors Steelman, we would welcome any dialog that you would like to have with us during this vigil, or before the vigil through email. We also are brothers and sisters in Christ and our desire is “to seek peace and pursue it”, 1Peter 3:11.
In Christ’s Love,
Craig Hanson
We Hold These Truths
10/25/16
If you’d like to join Craig at the vigil at the Lake View Assembly Church (2111 Quail Lake Dr., Stockton, CA 95207, map) on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 5 pm. please contact him at craig@whtt.org or 707-484-2196.
