Читать книгу Christian Zionism ... Enraptured Around a Golden Calf - Abraham A. van Kempen - Страница 21

Not that long ago, in Barcelona, my American friend, an Evangelical Christian, jumped up from his chair in the hotel lobby to greet a dozen or so Israelis who were rushing out through the revolving door to catch the airport bus. To my surprise and I melted with embarrassment, he startled them with: "I'm Israeli too. As Christians we're Jews. I'm honored to meet you." And jubilantly he reached out to shake as many hands in genuine ‘brotherly love.' His idolized ‘Israeli brothers' responded subtly but unmistakably with disdain. But my friend, so thrilled to meet Israelis in the flesh, was enraptured in their presence.

Afterward, I snapped at him, "you're no Jew." My arrogance stemmed, I later realized, from my ignorance. "Only Jews are Jews" I persisted. "Christians aren't chosen. God has chosen the Jews as His own" – never mind that 65 percent of us¹, have lost faith in Judaism and questions God's existence.

"Haven't you noticed their smirks; I bet they're laughing all the way to Tel Aviv." Inside of me, I felt a bit stepped on my toes. How could any other people think of themselves as being equal to people like me, whose Holier –than- thou eminence is biblically affirmed? Many of us might no longer believe in God, but we take our chosenness seriously. Once chosen, always chosen.

A few years later I encountered salvation, which reminds me of another story. My driver in Beijing told me he chose for Christianity. "Why,” I queried.

"Going to heaven, Chinese style is difficult; too many hoops. The Christian way takes one step. I just say ‘yes' to Jesus, and I'm saved, and I've got my ticket to heaven. That's it. Easy! "I don't think it's that easy," airing my doubts, but then I didn't know enough about Christianity to complicate matters, so I just left it at that.