80 Christian leaders bless Bennett, express support for Israel
More than 80 Christian leaders sent a letter of congratulations and thanks to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
“We want to thank you in advance for protecting our shared values as they apply to Israel’s citizens, whether Jews, Christians, Muslims, or Druze; for guarding the holy sites and welcoming religious pilgrims from around the world to discover the birthplace of their faith; for defending Israel from outside aggression; and for continuing to work toward peace with Israel’s neighbors,” the letter read. “In return, we pledge to deepen our friendship with your country and its wonderful people.”
The letter was spearheaded by the Philos Project, an American nonprofit based in New York City that seeks to promote Christian engagement in the Near East.
Robert Nicholson, the organization’s president, said that “it is a historic moment in Israel. Things are changing politically, and we thought this event was momentous enough to lead this effort and show the prime minister, the coalition and the world that there is not only real Christian friendship for Israel and the Jewish people, but a very wide-ranging group of Christians who care about the country and its people.”
The letter is signed by Christian leaders of multiple denominations, including Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christians from around the world – North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. They represent hundreds of millions of Christians involved in churches and other Christian organizations. Signees include representatives from American’s National Prayer Committee, National Religious Broadcasters, Christians United for Israel, The King’s College, International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, The Congress of Christian Leaders and more.
The leaders wrote that what unites them is their “love for – and strong defense of – a sovereign Jewish state with Jerusalem as its capital.”
They also told the new prime minister that they will pray to God that He “grants you wisdom and strength as you make hard decisions that will affect the lives of millions, and we trust that He will answer those prayers.”
Nicholson said that sometimes there is “confusion” as to why Christians care about Israel and the Jews.
“The letter points out the source of this connection,” he explained, which is “shared values and particularly the values that come out of the Hebrew Bible. There is a feeling of kinship between Christians and the people who wrote the Book we all read.”