Greg Laurie is urging Christians to speak out in support of the Jewish community amidst a rise in antisemitism, saying the world is facing a “pure evil” that is threatening Israel’s existence.
The pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship posted a photo of him and his wife, Cathe, at a pro-Israel rally and defended the need for a Jewish state.
“One of the primary reasons the modern state of Israel was created was so Jewish people could have a homeland in which they could live their lives in peace and safety,” Laurie wrote. “There have been Jews living in their homeland of Israel, given to them by God Himself continuously for 3000 years. But thousands returned in the aftermath of the Holocaust, and Israel again became a nation on May 14, 1948.”
“Yet, since the brutal and barbaric attack against Jews on October 7th in their homeland of Israel, acts of Anti-Semitism have risen 300%! People are chanting ‘Gas the Jews’ and more on campuses and rallies around our nation.”
One of the primary reasons the modern state of Israel was created was so Jewish people could have a homeland in which they could live their lives in peace and safety.
— Greg Laurie (@greglaurie) October 30, 2023
There have been Jews living in their homeland of Israel, given to them by God Himself continuously for 3000… pic.twitter.com/MShTjsJiw0
The Anti-Defamation League said in a report last week that antisemitic in the U.S. had increased 388 percent since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack compared to the same timeframe last year.
“This anti-Semitism is pure evil,” Laurie wrote. “We as Christians must speak up for our Jewish friends and speak out against the evil being perpetrated toward them.”
Evangelist Franklin Graham also spoke out against antisemitism and referenced the storming of an airport in Dagestan, a Russian republic, where a mob began searching for Jews upon the landing of a plane from Israel. Graham also mentioned the shutting down of the Brooklyn Bridge by pro-Palestinian protesters.
“We are seeing escalating protests all around the world,” Graham wrote. “Antisemitism is a dangerous cancer that is rearing its head everywhere we look -- it’s not hiding anymore. Have these people missed the fact that Hamas attacked Israel? Are they overlooking that Hamas brutally murdered 1400 Jewish men, women, and children and took over 230 hostages? We are still hearing details of the barbaric atrocities they inflicted on their victims. They are open about their goal to kill all Jews (and Christians) -- it’s no secret. Yet the protests go on.”
The Brooklyn Bridge had to be closed Saturday because of hundreds of anti-Israel protesters. In Dagestan, hate-filled anti-Israel protesters stormed the airport where a flight from Tel Aviv was landing and they thought Jewish evacuees were on board. We are seeing escalating…
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) October 31, 2023
The church, Graham added, must pray.
“While Israel defends itself and is on a mission to rid the world of Hamas, there are innocent civilians in Gaza. Israel has given warnings and taken many precautions,” he wrote. “They have allowed food and relief supplies to go into Gaza for the civilians trapped there, but they are fighting an enemy that uses the lives of innocent people as human shields to protect themselves and further their evil agenda. Join me in praying for the peace of Jerusalem.”
Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Leon Neal / Staff
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
