AN OPEN LETTER TO AMERICAN CHRISTIANS
I subscribe to a magazine called “ZION’s FIRE”. It is of the highest technical quality and the founding editor is a man I highly esteem and respect. I have followed at a distance his mission for a number of years. He is a tireless advocate for Jesus Christ and as a Jewish Christian has zealously promoted a very specific tradition within the Church. I know this tradition well. When I answered God’s call to prepare myself for the ministry, it was the tradition that I initially received my training in. I studied theology initially using Lewis Sperry Chafer’s Systematic Theology as our main text. 
As you perhaps know by now, my passion is to advocate for the UNITY that we have in Christ as Christians, and to insist that we must treat oneanother with love and dignity. I choose to do this by the simple method of letting others tell us in their own words what living and practicing their faith tradition looks like to them. Usually I do not try to debate their position or criticize it. I honestly believe that we have much to learn from oneanother if we will take the pains to listen to what they see from their perspective. Yet,this is perhaps one of the most difficult traditions for me to be faithful to that practice for the simple reason that I am not neutral on so many interpretations of Scripture from this perspective. But I will demonstrate my love for Marv Rosenthal and many other personal friends also from this tradition by withholding any comments. Within the great diversity which is the Body of Christ, this too is a recognizable and definable contributing part. Although I do not consider myself of this tradition, I am convinced we can be greatly strengthened by paying close attention to their emphasis.
I do believe that Rosenthal’s letter, the position within American Christianity that it represents and the political influence on foreign policy that is greatly affecting world peace and the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ, justifies not only calling this to the attention of everyone I know but also highly recommending its reading by as many as possible. Thank you brother Marv for being so transparent.
FROM the HEART of MARV ROSENTHAL (a few excerpts)
During almost two thousand years of dispersion, one thing alone sustained the Jewish people. It was a small candle in a dark place. But it burned brightly in their hearts. They believed above all things that one day their Messiah would come. Who He would be and when He would come, they did not know. But the hope of His coming was an anchor of the soul, so strong that no storm of adversity which Satan could throw against them could make that anchor break.
In May of 1948 the impossible became the possible. What had never happened before in the annals of history came to pass as God had foretold in His Word. After nineteen hundred years of being buried among the nations of the world, Israel was reborn. They are a people with their own land and capital city. They lack only one thing to make their national resurrection complete. Their King, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Son of David, “the seed of the woman”, must return !
OPEN LETTER FROM MARV ROSENTHAL - Take time to get to know the ministry of Zion’s Hope including the beautiful music from the Jewish-Christian tradition. You will not find a more readable and precise statement of the theology that drives much of the “religious right” politics in America.
November 20, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Thanks for posting this. Very interesting. I greatly admire your diligence in promoting mutual understanding and keeping an open channel between those with varied religious views. I agree that there is much commonality and we can strengthen each other. You have provided some great ideas here for my next post.
Blessings – MoSop
November 20, 2008 at 6:20 pm
MoSop-
You continue to be a great inspiriation in what I advocate. I looked at your post and thought you did a terrific job of handling the commonalities and yet going on to put the emphasis on exhorting the people of God to be all that they have been called by the Gospel to be- regardless of what is happening in the world. That’s exactly what I believe the true Prophets and Apostles will focus on; we have a task to finish that no one else in the world can do-why should we leave off “buiding the Temple of the Almighty” for some lesser work. I loved the video with the messages from the recent past and the loving concern evident for the saints.
In this battle against evil on one hand and the urgency to finish the mission on the other, we must recognize oneanother across the barriers of our traditions and partner as much and as often as we can. See my post HIGHEST PRIORITY-
With appreciation-John Paul
November 21, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Readers outside America and those that don’t understand how influential this position is in American christianity may want to consider a recent book by a non-American Christian leader, Vicar Stephen Sizer, published by Inter Varsity Press, ZION’S CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS.
See promo (pdf) at http://www.sizers.org/graphics/zcsmaster.pdf
December 12, 2008 at 1:49 am
“In May of 1948 the impossible became the possible. What had never happened before in the annals of history came to pass as God had foretold in His Word. After nineteen hundred years of being buried among the nations of the world, Israel was reborn. They are a people with their own land and capital city.”
John, I am not sure whether you agree with the above views or not. But these are most outrageous words I have ever heard about intruding other countries and taking over the lands of other nations! In 1948, Israel was created by stilling Palestinians lands. After that they continued to stay in power by full support of British and later US governments. I respect all religions including Jews but the story of Israel is a shame for all human kind. It is so shocking to see how one uses religion to reason such a shameful regime.
December 12, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Parsin-
I agree with your comments fully-it is OUTRAGEOUS. Even more outrageous for me is far too many american christians actually hold and support this view. That is precisely the point of this post and the previous one about Elias Chacour. He is a palestinian christian who tells the tragic story about how the Jews stole their land. He is one of my heroes-a peacemaker working in his own land with Jews, Muslims, and Christians.
Yes, the story is a shame for all humanity. Thank you for giving me a chance to clarify what my position is. I posted the link so anyone could inform themselves as to what this kind of agenda teaches in their own words.
I greatly appreciate your very helpful friendship. Salaam.