What to do with a Christian Zionist
dealing with the most touchy issue at the Saturday breakfast. PREFACE
My original running title and subheading was actually:
I have upset a pearl-clutching Zionist
(and he’s threatening to gather up all his toys and go home.)
I think that’s more catchy and probably would attract a few more readers than the blander title above, and it’s essentially true. But it’s a bit unfair. Indeed I had a run-in regarding Israel and the Jews with David Bagley at the church, and indeed he got angry and called me antisemitic. After speaking to me he walked over to Pastor John and after a brief back-and-forth I heard him say, “I might not be coming back.” Pastor John was pretty sure David's words were even more definite than that, and didn’t expect him back. But to his credit, David came back to discuss the issue in front of the whole men’s breakfast group. He was not belligerent (at least in my opinion; I don’t know if the entire men’s group agrees), didn’t raise his voice, and was willing to listen. Furthermore the day after the breakfast he came to Sunday fellowship as usual with his kindhearted wife Winona, so I had to change that somewhat hostile title.
Almost six weeks have passed since the ‘run-in’. I have been hesitant to write this piece for a number of reasons. For one, David Bagley has been back for four Saturday breakfasts and in each meeting we have discussed this topic from a Biblical perspective. I was worried that if I wrote a stack or two on this issue he might take it as a belligerent hit piece against him and he’d hesitate to return, as he had threatened. But I wanted him to return and I wanted to discuss the issue. Secondly, there are people I have business with who more or less subscribe to the Israel-first thinking of David, and they read my articles. I didn’t want to post this until the issue had been fleshed out during Bible study, then I could relate what we had discovered. All readers of my stack should be interested in this topic, whether they are believers or not, whether Trumpian or anti, whether pro-Israel or anti, whether right or left, or anything in between these polar opposites.
In today’s installment, before getting to the details of my encounter with David, I just want to explain why you should be interested. At last Saturday’s breakfast, we agreed that we had covered the topic well enough and it was time to move on, so I feel like I’m free to write about it.
Now, why are the issues of Israel, Zionism and Jews so important?
PREFACE- Why it matters
In a nutshell it’s this:
Much of the insanity of the policies and actions of our nation stem from the special, undeserved status that we’ve allotted Israel and modern Jewry.
I will offer now just a single example, though there are countless ones. The reason I offer the following as an example is because it was when I saw this proposed law I decided I had to take this piece off the backburner and post it.
This can’t be real, right? This has to be fake. Who would propose such a law? Who can’t see that this is tyrannical and about as unamerican as it gets? It is so contrary to the 1st amendment it’s farcical (let alone the 8th which bans excessive fines and cruel and unusual punishments). Who would craft such a bill? Who would sign it?
Answer: These guys crafted it
and if you have been paying attention, you know that based on who financially supports him, whom he’s indebted to, who his advisers are, who compromises his administration and cabinet, and to whom he pledges unending support, this guy would sign such legislation in a heartbeat:
Happy news: The bill, notwithstanding our unconditional support for Israel, all the millions in pro-Israel lobbying bribes, and the AIPAC minder/babysitters that each DC lawmaker has hovering over his shoulder, has been taken off consideration for the time being. They must have sensed that it might not pass.
Dear Marjorie, thank you for helping to temporarily scupper such legislation. As for your third sentence, c’mon sweetcakes, you know damn well how such a bill can be considered. Robert Massey can tell you why. Pat Buchanan could tell you why. So could Paul Findley, Chuck Baldwin, Norman Finklestein, James Trafficant, Richard Nixon, John Kennedy, General Patton, Bobby Fischer and a slew of others, including Alex Jones and RFK jr. before going to the dark side. They would agree with what I already wrote above:
Much of the insanity of the policies and actions of our nation stem from the special, undeserved status that we’ve accorded Israel and modern Jewry.
And the reason we accord them this special status is largely because of a misunderstanding of who the modern Jews are. This is the issue we’ve been discussing at Saturday breakfast and I hope you are interested in the story of my confrontation with David Bagley and what conclusions we arrived at in the men’s group.
-to be continued
I applaud you for being a true journalist, willing to touch the third rails of politics in the search for truth. I applaud David Bagley for having his strongly held beliefs and being willing to have them tested in the arena shared by other men who are, themselves, honestly seeking truth.
We are all on a path, not at our final destination, when it comes to finding truth. My dust bin is full of beliefs that I considered immutable truth as a younger man. I thank God for allowing me to live long enough to learn that a lot of things I thought I knew just weren’t so.
You, sir, are exhibiting the patient of a saint with brother David Bagley. I doubt very much that the Patriot Pilot is correct in his reading of brother David Bagley. The brother's mind is not his own. Zionism is not a belief that a Christian could come by honest reflection and prayer. It stands antithetical to the atonement of our lord and Savior. While l of course pray that the brother shall be released from the grip of the mortal error, l would be careful as to what further actions he should take will under its spell.