brunson@usfbobo.UUCP (David Brunson) (07/14/84)
[] Excerpted from "Voice of Hope" by George Otis: ---- It was in 1975 that I first met with then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin ... I relished the opportunity to speak with this very bright and fascinating political leader. I was hoping that at least some of the things I wanted to share with him would help broaden his per- spective on the many evangelical tourists who visit his nation each year. "I'm not sure, Mr. Prime Minister," I said, "that you realize how much support Israel has among evangelical Christians. I would say that, as a group, they are second only to the Jewish community in America in terms of the support and love they express toward Israel." "I am so glad to hear you say that, Mr. Otis," Rabin replied. "As a matter of fact, I have noticed that most of the American tourists who come here are with Christian tour groups. And often these people seem to take as much interest in modern Israel as they do in seeing the sacred shrines." "I would say that we are as deeply interested in modern Israel as we are in her historic Bible landmarks, Mr. Prime Minister," I replied. "Oh?" "Yes, that's because we hold the Bible in such high esteem. And from the Bible we learn that God is alive and real today. We also learn that God promised long ago to retrieve the people of Israel from the four corners of the earth. So we see the existence of modern Israel as a major fulfillment of Bible prophecy and therefore a further confirmation of the validity of our own faith." "Hmmm, I see. But may I be frank with you, Mr. Otis?" "Please do." "Very well. First, let me ask you some questions." "Go ahead." "What do you know about Lebanon?" I felt puzzled. What did Lebanon have to do with our conversation about the Jews? I wondered. "Frankly, I don't know much. Lebanon is Israel's northern neighbor. And, of all your neighbors, it has been the least hostile through the years." "Correct," the Prime Minister said. "Did you know that of all the Middle East countries, only Lebanon has a Christian community that constitutes a significant percentage of the total population?" "Well, yes, I've met some Lebanese people in Southern California who are Catholics or Maronites and not Moslems. But I didn't realize..." "Perhaps as many as thirty-five percent of the population of Lebanon are Christians, Mr. Otis. But their existence is more threatened today than at any time in history." "How is that?" "Since 1970, when King Hussein of Jordan drove Arafat and the PLO out of Jordan, the PLO has made its headquarters in Lebanon. Since then they have been tearing Lebanon apart." "Why didn't the Lebanese government drive them out like Hussein did?" "For one thing, the PLO outnumbered the Lebanese army. They have managed to bully their way into power. And, in doing that, they have already brought about tens of thousands of casualties among the Lebanese people-- most of whom have been members of the Christian population of Lebanon. They want to tear down the delicate balance by which the Lebanese Christians and Moslems have worked together to run the country since Lebanon gained independence from France in 1943." "Mr. Prime Minister, you've taught me some things I didn't know, but I don't fully understand your point. What has this got to do with what we're talking about?" "Just this, Mr. Otis. Genocide is being perpetrated on the Christians of Lebanon. But I am not aware of a single Christian, evangelical or otherwise, who is doing anything to lend a hand to their Christian brothers up in Lebanon. So, why should I expect the Christians, no matter how warm their feelings for Israel, to be trustworthy friends of Israel in a time of future crisis, if they are doing nothing today for their own brothers in Lebanon?" --- David Brunson duke!ucf-cs!usfbobo!brunson