Christian supporters of Israel and the Jewish people have expressed their concern over a motion to be put before the Church of England General Synod (parliament) meeting in York.
The Kairos Palestine document purports to express solidarity with Palestinian Christians while accusing Israel of genocide, colonisation, and ethnic cleansing. It even appears to justify the October 7, 2023, massacre of Jews due to “decades of injustice, oppression and displacement” in Gaza.
The Church’s Ministry among Jewish people (CMJ), founded in 1809 as the second-oldest Anglican missionary society, has written a letter to the Synod saying the voices of Jewish believers in Jesus and many others, including Anglicans, have not been represented.
While acknowledging the motion’s commitment to peace and justice, they say the voices of suffering Palestinian Christians are being heard in isolation from other faithful Christian perspectives.
Co-founded in London by slave abolitionist William Wilberforce, CMJ have been established in Jerusalem itself for over two centuries, during which time they have consistently reached out to both Jews and Arabs, witnessing true reconciliation as the two often become one in Christ.
CMJ General Director Rev Aaron Eime, with support from the mission’s trustees, wrote: “Many Anglicans affirm God’s continuing purposes for the Jewish people while equally supporting justice, dignity and security for Palestinians.
“Our historic vocation has been to strengthen understanding between the Church and the Jewish people… but we expect this to be a barrier to such engagement that will be interpreted as a threat to the Jewish community.”
Calling for a broader Anglican consultation on Israel, Palestine and the Jewish people, they held out the hope of further dialogue on the issue.
“We respectfully suggest that, if General Synod is encouraged to study Kairos Palestine, it should also be invited to engage with the significant body of theological reflection offered by Jewish believers in Jesus, Israeli Christians, Anglican theologians of differing convictions, and others whose scholarship presents complementary and contrasting perspectives. A process intended to deepen understanding should not inadvertently narrow the range of Christian perspectives from which the Church seeks its discernment.
“This document purports to seek peace but instead sows division and furthers hatred.”
Charles Gardner is author of Israel the Chosen, available from Amazon; Peace in Jerusalem, available from olivepresspublisher.com; To the Jew First, A Nation Reborn, and King of the Jews, all available from Christian Publications International.
