Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) had to take a stand recently. He spoke to a group and mentioned Israel as America’s ally. Some attendees shouted him down, and he walked away. But what should infuriate any true Christian is: the group was a nominally Christian group.

What happened to Ted Cruz

The Daily Caller has the best report of what happened. The Eternal Word Television Network had a reporter on the scene. He shot one of the embedded videos below. (See also this report from Breitbart.) Afterward, the Senator said this to the press.)

The event was a conference of a group calling itself “In Defense of Christians.” It is supposed to represent Christians who suffer persecution in the Middle East, usually at Muslim hands. But the day before the event, Algemeiner.com made this report: maybe several supporters of Iran and “Hezbollah” (Party of Allah) in southern Lebanon have hijacked IDC.

That last might explain what happened. They invited Ted Cruz to speak. He came. He stepped up to the podium. And five minutes later the event broke down in a cacophony of booing and catcalling.

Why? Because Ted Cruz told them their staunchest ally was the Republic of Israel.

The minute he said the name of Israel, several at the dinner shouted, “Stop it!” Others cried “Boo!”

Ted Cruz spoke of “some people” who want to express hate. And someone shouted, “Most of us!”

Ted Cruz went on:

Those who hate Israel hate America. Those who hate Jews hate Christians. If those in this room will not recognize that, then my heart weeps. If you hate the Jewish people you are not reflecting the teachings of Christ. And the very same people who persecute and murder Christians right now, who crucify Christians, who behead children, are the very same people who target Jews for their faith, for the same reason.

No one listened. At last, Ted Cruz said,

If you will not stand with Israel and the Jews, then I will not stand with you. Good night, and God bless.

And he walked off the stage.

Why would a Christian group protest Israel?

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Before answering that question, CNAV would point out some interesting Biblical parallels to Ted Cruz’ conduct. He said if they would not stand with Israel, he would not stand with them. This recalls Paul of Tarsus telling an angry crowd that if they would not take his message about Jesus Christ, he would speak to those who would. Does IDC have any sense of irony? If they have, they might notice that Paul of Tarsus was speaking to angry Jews and saying he would carry his message to Gentiles. Now Ted Cruz tells angry Gentiles he will stand with Jews. Because God intends His Messages for everyone, that’s why. Because Ted Cruz was obeying the Golden Rule. And because Ted Cruz knows: God is not through with national Israel. (Paul of Tarsus made that point, too. See Romans chh. 9-11.)

So why would a “Christian” group express hate toward Israel?

The Daily Caller quoted an anonymous “Middle Eastern analyst” as offering this excuse:

Israel’s policies have led to demographic pressure that’s made the West Bank and Gaza far more Muslim than in 1948.

Israel, its neighbors, and disputed territories. Graphic: Central Intelligence Agency

Well, whose fault is that? Can that analyst really blame the Israel Defense Forces as they work in Judea and Samaria? He should reserve his judgment for Muslims, not Jews. If Israel held that territory without dispute, those Christians could stay. Everybody knows that.

Art Moore at WND has evidence to support another idea: the Christians have struck a Faustian bargain with Arab nationalist groups in Judea, Samaria and elsewhere. Robert Spencer (The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades) lays it on the line:

It is shameful that these Middle Eastern Christians heckled Cruz for standing with Israel. This is the result of their long historical identification with Muslims as fellow Arabs. The Arab nationalist imperative was largely an attempt by Christian Arabs to ease the pain of dhimmitude by creating a secular framework upon which Christians could enjoy equal, or almost equal, status with Muslims. Practically this meant the utter co-opting of Christian communities in Arab countries: they became politically, culturally, and socially indistinguishable from the larger Muslim population. This was because for Muslims Islam was always the heart of the Arab identity in any case — as was succinctly summed up by pioneering Arab nationalist Michel Aflaq: “Arab nationalism is Islam.”

Absolutely correct! Because Islam is pan-Arab nationalism in religious dress. That’s why Muhammad invented it.

Spencer closes with some hard advice:

Also, farther back than the advent of Arab nationalism, dhimmi communities were also kept apart and at odds with one another. They were communities of fear, living under an ever-ready threat of death if they got out of line. And so mostly, they didn’t.

But at this point, they should be able to throw off these old and outmoded cultural attitudes. They need to realize, as does Cruz, that all the communities threatened by jihad and Islamic supremacism need to hang together — or we will most assuredly hang separately.

Benjamin Franklin would certainly agree.

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