The Gospel is on the line – but not where you think

While scrolling through Facebook the other day, I came across a photo on the Bethlehem Bible College website featuring Munther Isaac alongside one of his quotes: “The credibility of the gospel is on the line. Support for genocide cannot coexist with Christian faith.” The photo shows him inside the Church at the Crossroads conference in Chicago, Illinois.

I agree that no Christian can support genocide, but I recognize that this quote is intended as an attack on Israel and on Christians who support it.

The Bible says, 'I will give you this land as an eternal covenant,' and I believe if the State of Israel were, in fact, committing genocide, I would be against the government but would still believe the promises of God.

I don't believe, however, that Israel is committing a genocide in the Gaza Strip.

The fact that Israel drops leaflets and sends text messages to warn civilians in Gaza to evacuate is a clear indication that its intent is not genocidal. By contrast, Hamas is a terrorist organisation that openly uses deception – including tactics justified within its own ideology – which is another piece of evidence worth noting.

If Israel wanted to wipe out Palestinians, you wouldn't send messages to ask them to get out of the way.

But now, let's look at Isaac's quote and shift the focus to the Palestinians.

In 2006, the Palestinians held elections, and 44.45% of the vote went to Hamas.

The original charter identified Hamas as the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine and described its members as god-fearing Muslims raising the banner of Jihad (armed struggle) in "the face of the oppressors."

The charter further defines the struggle as being against the Jews and calls for the creation of an Islamic Palestinian state across all of former Mandatory Palestine, alongside the obliteration or dissolution of Israel. It has been widely criticized for its antisemitic language, with some commentators describing it as incitement to genocide.

Although Hamas’ 2017 charter removed the explicitly antisemitic language and stated that its struggle is against Zionists rather than Jews, this is the charter that people endorsed when they voted for Hamas in 2006. Palestinians knew what Hamas stood for: it is a genocidal terrorist organization. Yet 44.45% of the Palestinian population voted for them.

A poll conducted among Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank asked for their views on the October 7 terror attack, according to a report by the Associated Press (AP).

Despite the devastation, 57% of respondents in Gaza and 82% in the West Bank believe Hamas was correct in launching the October attack, according to the AP. A large majority believed Hamas’ claims that it acted to defend a major Islamic shrine in Jerusalem against Jewish extremists and win the release of Palestinian prisoners. Only 10% said they believed Hamas has committed war crimes, with a large majority saying they did not see videos showing the militants committing atrocities.

Was October 7 a genocide or just a massacre? I believe it was a genocide. Hamas holds to a doctrine of destruction, and on that "Black Shabbat," the terror group acted on it.

Cambridge University Press states that the evidence examined in this article demonstrates that the attack on October 7th by Hamas constitutes genocide under international law.

In conclusion, Munther Isaac, can you truly support the Palestinians?

Approximately 57% of Gaza residents and 82% residents living in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) support the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.

Evidence concludes that the October 7 surprise invasion and massacre of 1,200 people was a genocide against the Jewish population in Israel.

So, I echo your own words: “The credibility of the gospel is on the line. Support for genocide cannot coexist with Christian faith.”