CHUCK
BALDWIN, NETANYAHU, JEWS,
AND THE CHRISTIANS
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
By
Rabbi Nachum Shifren
February 18, 2017NewsWithViews.com
[NOTE:
The opinion in this article is the opinion of the author and is
not necessarily the opinion of NewsWithViews.com, it's employees, representatives,
or other contributing writers.]
My
Response to Pastor Chuck Baldwin [Link]
I have
had the good fortune to see my articles in NewsWithViews.com over the
years. I say this because being one of the "deplorables" in
America today limits our access to many journalistic opportunities, and
yet like many of the faithful of publisher Paul Walter, we wouldn't have
it any other way.
As such,
many of you who've been following Pastor Chuck Baldwin's philosophical
meanderings through the years might have caught a slight dissonance in
his recent column, "Is Netanyahu Finished", as if something
was out of sync.
I am
using this opportunity to rebut his points, one by one. I look forward
to your heartfelt responses to my article. Let me say from the outset:
this is a no-holds-barred rebuttal to his opining of Netanyahu, Israel,
Jews, and Christians. We all know that if you want to get people riled
up, just talk about Israel, Jews, and Christian attitudes to the above
and you'll open the Pandora's Box.
PB (Pastor
Baldwin): "Bibi is one of the most corrupt political leaders on the
planet"
RS (Rabbi
Shifren): Perhaps it is so, but being in the middle east, surrounded by
those who want your demise, is not an easy situation for any leader. Here
is a country where literally nothing is normal (I may seem to be leaning
here toward Pastor Baldwin, but for different reasons). Fully 50% doesn't
want to, or rebels at, anything resembling traditional Judaism. You have
an active, aggressive Gay/Lesbian population eating away at the thousands
of years of Biblical prophecy and Divine intervention. And you also have
open communists with an axe to grind in the spirit of Marx, Trotsky, and
Alinsky.
Then
there are Hellenists, who if they had no Israeli passport, would resemble
anybody windsurfing at Waikiki or eating sushi in Beverly Hills, and Yeshiva
students who never see the light of the sun, squinting at obtuse tractates
of Talmudic law under the cover of dimly lit florescent bulbs. Last but
not least, there is an active, healthy underground fueled by pimps, prostitutes,
and a mafia which would make Meir Lansky blush. So yes, Pastor Baldwin
is right about the insanity of Israel....but to be its LEADER, well now,
that takes an acute level of ability that the Democratic Party of Waters,
Ellison, and Pelosi could hardly dream of.
And
he's right: Bibi is the darling of many Christian groups who want their
own fantasy relationship with the people of the Book, the progeny of the
Holocaust. What many don't realize is that Bibi was for many years ensconced
in Manhattan during his position in the UN, gleaning from the rich and
powerful, all eager to get in his good graces, being close to a real Israeli
war hero, regardless of issues of character or philosophy.
Bibi
cleverly marshalled his well-honed English fluency, good looks and Machiavellian
political moxie to ingratiate himself into the "salon" milieu,
managing to be everything to everybody seeking to find an excuse for being
pro-Jew/Israeli. Bibi is so well spoken that when you hear him, you believe
every word he says.
Pastor
Baldwin doesn't illuminate why Bibi is going down, and I tend to think
that even hardened Israelis have occasionally had it with his hegemony.
But the good pastor doesn't get: many Israeli politicos are corrupt. It
is endemic, just as the 25% of the underground economy who is fleeing
the tax man.
How
legitimate could one be to sit in a coalition with Palestinian Arabs enumerating
their hatred for the Jewish state from the dais of the Knesset (parliament),
encouraging and abetting intifadas and blood-letting. Really, this is
one aspect that the media has left unturned: the special ability to reconcile
with a perpetual terrorist sword drawn against its very survival, giving
the pretense that this is true "democracy.” So yes, nobody
normal, least of all the coalition factions of orthodox rabbis whiling
away the tedious speeches of the Arabs, the Israeli Left, and otherwise
crass corrupt philistines, could imagine the horror of governing such
a witch's brew. Truly, Bibi has his hands full just keeping Israel alive
and safe.
PB:
"He is pressuring Donald Trump to ratchet up a war against Iran"
to give cover and deflect from his misdeeds...
RS:
Here the good pastor shows a complete lack of understanding of the Israeli
mind-set. Note well: Israel doesn't need America, and is fully capable
of neutralizing the Iranian threat. Nonetheless, a joint coalition would
certainly be favorable and elevate the raison de guerre of Israel in her
continuous war to find favor in the eyes of the Gentiles. Yet when the
boom is ultimately lowered, Israel will stand alone, just as it did at
Entebbe and the Iraqi nuclear facility. They know it, American insiders
know it--everyone but Pastor Baldwin knows it.
PB:
"There is one common denominator that links the mainstream media
with the so-called conservative media: infatuation with the modern state
of Israel" (wonder what he means here by "modern"...would
these pundits have preferred the Israel of King David? I rather doubt
it…)
RS:
I detest knee-jerk thinkers and groups, Jewish or Gentile. I abhor "Black
Lives Matter" because I know who these punks are. In the same way,
I detest playing the Holocaust card. It's so easy to do, and who wants
to be labeled in the same Jew-baiting ranks with Goebbels, Streicher,
Eichmann....the entire Jewish leadership plays this card to a tee. Pathetic
and stifling of any discussion. Pat Buchanan and Mel Gibson will tell
you volumes about going against the Israeli/Jewish bulwark.
PB:
"He is mobilizing accelerated (illegal) settlements on private land
owned by Palestinians"
RS:
Is this man a pastor, a man of god? What religion is he representing?
This is perhaps his most puzzling statement to date. Does Pastor Baldwin
believe in God? Which God? Because if it's the God of the Old Testament,
and the God of Heaven and Earth, then there is only ONE God...and that
same God stated: "The Land of Israel will be an eternal inheritance
to your seed". "Those that bless you will be blessed, those
that curse you will be cursed." Genesis 12:1-3.
The
problem the pastor has is that his rhetoric and ideology have trumped
his divine calling. I know of not ONE Christian (who truly is a Christian,
devoid of anti-Semitic leanings), who does not stand behind this doctrine
and other pronouncements in Exodus, giving the Land of Kanaan (Israel)
exclusively to the seed of Abraham (see appropriate passages regarding
the banishing of Ishmael and his claims).
Therefore,
his mention of Palestinian "rights" is curious, suspiciously
incongruent with the foundation of Christian theology. Yet, it is difficult
to stand up to the nay-sayers in today's Christian church. Many a man
of integrity and knowledge of scripture has given in to the leftists and
Palestinian inciters' relentless assault against traditional belief (It
was none other than Arafat that confided that the "Palestinian"
cause was bogus, used only as a means to weaken and destroy Israel).
Of course,
there have always been malevolent purveyors of Jew-baiting in the history
of Christianity. Yet, when candid, these erudite haters will quote you
chapter and verse about the exclusivity of the Abrahamic covenant with
God, having zero mention of "Palestinian rights.” So, what
then must we conclude from Pastor Baldwin's strange rhetoric? It doesn't
have to be complicated: somewhere, somehow, a Jew stood before him and
obstructed his pathway. This is not unique.
PB:
"Neither does it hurt that Trump's son-in-law is a MAJOR financial
backer of the (illegal) settlements"
RS:
As Reagan would say, "There you go again!" But hey, somebody
needs to come up with the green to finance that which the Israeli government
has been doing: putting facts on the ground that will never be erased.
If God is real (is he, really good Pastor?), and the scriptures are not
fake, then this land is part of the biblical Land of Israel, whether we
(our congregations/clerics) approve of it, or not. God gave it to Israel,
and a lot more than they have today belonged only to them.
PB:
"Billionaire Sheldon Adelson is starting to back away from Bibi"
RS:
Here's a man who understands when he's throwing good money after bad....
PB:
"Many Christians have accused me of heresy" for what I said
about Bibi
RS:
I won't. You have accurately described Bibi...it's just that you haven't
seen the big picture. Or that you just have lost your ability to withstand
pressure from apostates within your church, or otherwise leftist/anti-Semitic
agitators who you might have been courting or perhaps you are the leader
in this courting since in one article you stated that the Jews of Israel
are not the Jews of the Bible. Well then, PB, who are they? Because many
can trace their ancestry back to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
PB:
"For many professing Christians, the modern state of Israel is every
bit as important as Jesus Christ himself and their own personal salvation.
RS:
This is probably your only righteous statement. The State of Israel is
every bit as important as Jesus Christ because Israel is the Wife of God,
and the Church states they are the Bride of Christ. The Abrahamic Covenant
is unconditional and includes the land, and God does not lie, and neither
does he go back on his promises.
[Editor's
Note: See Bibi Netanyahu and President Trump at a press meeting in DC
on 2-15-17]
PB:
"Netanyahu is not only a crook, a globalist, and murderer, he is
also a Talmudist"
RS:
A murderer, really? I wasn't aware, whom did he murder? Your argument
has no feet. Not once in your invective have you called to task the unrelenting
war of Arab terror against Jews. You've saved your arrows for those evil
"Talmudists" like Bibi, who actually teaches a Bible class every
week.
But
how hysterical are you? Bibi a Talmudist? Even Woody Allen would laugh
you off your lectern... Bibi is a politician and puts on a yarmulke when
he goes to a Concentration Camp, or a funeral. Do you know his heart?
You cannot claim you do.
PB:
"If you think the Koran is bad, try reading the Talmud."
RS:
Yes, you've finally come to your senses: the Koran is definitely bad!
Regarding the Talmud, what about that ever-problematic passage about "an
eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth?" Do you know what that means?
Of course not, you know nothing of the Talmud except to cherry-pick problematic
statements of which you have no clue. Actually, the passage in question
refers to monetary damages due to the aggrieved, and not in removing the
plaintiff’s eye. So, there you have it, now you can certainly rest.
The remainder is a life's work and toil about what was given over on Sinai,
and what was transmitted orally, known as the Oral Law (as opposed to
the Bible, or Written Law). Few have the time, patience, and determination
to dive into the minutia and profound manner of the arguments given forth...you
least of all.
PB:
"Iran is being painted as the next big, bad wolf"
RS:
For such a smart guy, how could you be so wrong?! The problem you're facing?
You've never lived in Iran as a Christian, or anywhere else as a Christian
in the Middle East....good luck. Yes, not one American boy should be sacrificed
to shut these maniacs down. So, when Israeli jets take off one night during
Ramadan, remember I told you so....
PB:
"Sanctions against Iran are a violation of the 2015 treaty"
RS:
Are you kidding me?! A treaty with Iran, you say? Pastor, this is delusional.
Find someone in your congregation that can teach you about Iran....let
me elucidate for you a cardinal principle: the Saudis hate Iran, so they're
going to be good news for us. Period. The way of the world.
