Compassionate Conservatism

May 31, 2016

3 min read

Jim Fletcher

George W. Bush was a wily politician before he ever got to Washington. He knew that running for president in the aftermath of the leftist Clinton Regime would require some deft campaigning. That’s when someone came up with the phrase “compassionate conservatism.”

It was a bid to peel-off some Democrat and Independent votes in the general election, in the hopes that more people would like George.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, it also led to conservatives being seen as somewhat soft. Remember, the left is always brutal, relentless, and contemptuous of conservatives.

When Bush declared just after 9/11 that Islam is “a religion of peace,” it signaled our enemies that we weren’t totally serious about waging total war. We are dealing with the fall-out from that to this day.

BIN-OpEd-Experts-300x250(1)In the pro-Israel world, I have noticed that key voices seem to follow the same path. They believe we can even dialogue with some of our enemies.

I noticed this week that Joel Rosenberg tweeted the following:

“I’m praying for Palestinian President Abbas’ health and strength, especially as he’s 81 & signaling to colleagues he may soon step down.”

I strongly disagree with this approach. But there are a lot of moving parts in the community Rosenberg lives in, namely, the evangelical elites.

The bestselling novelist runs in lofty circles. I admit to being fascinated with how he got access to so many top officials on both sides of the Atlantic. I interviewed him once, and he seemed affable, if a bit reserved. Rosenberg is perhaps the top eschatological writer today.

Yet I’ve noticed a tendency on his part to dialogue with people who have troubling theology or contrary political views. I suspect that when one rises to the status Rosenberg has, the Big Tent makes it harder and harder to stand fast on bedrock principles. This is identical to a mega-church pastor who consciously makes a decision to avoid “controversial topics” in the pulpit. He knows he might alienate a significant number of congregants.

And then the cash starts to dry up.

Honestly? It infuriates me that Abbas has made it to 81. Many of his victims did not. Does anybody remember he was one of the architects of the ’72 Munich murders?

Does anybody still care about that in Christian circles?

Why the fawning over such an individual?

According to a 2013 story in Frontpage:

“Palestinian Media Watch has reported that the Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas, has honored Palestinian terrorist Ahmad Abu Sukkar, who murdered 15 Israelis and Americans, and wounded 77 others in the Zion Square Refrigerator Bombing on July 4, 1975. Among the dead were American citizen Rivka Ben-Yitzhak and husband Michael, who left behind two small children. Daoud Khoury, an Arab accountant at the King David Hotel, was also murdered.

“The PA also gave Abu Sukkar an official military funeral after he died of a heart attack at age 78. His coffin was draped in a Palestinian flag and brought from the hospital to the center of Ramallah in a military vehicle.

“In a eulogy, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stated, ‘His pure soul passed on to the kingdom of Heaven during these blessed days in this honored month [Ramadan] after a journey of struggle full of exceptional giving and devoted activity for Palestine.’”

What kind of a sick mind glorifies murderers?

I can’t understand Rosenberg’s bouquet of roses to Abbas.

He isn’t the only one who does this.

Openly now, whether in “pro-Israel work” or in interfaith dialogue between jihadists and evangelical leaders (a key plank in the Muslim Brotherhood’s attempt to infiltrate American Evangelicalism), more and more evangelical leaders are reaching a hand to those who wish us dead.

As for pro Israel activists, I can’t understand anyone advocating for a “two-state solution” at this time. The Palestinians should be told that only by tangible efforts to eradicate anti-Semitism from their national life can they hope to achieve statehood. It is repulsive to think of rewarding them for murder.

Ten years ago, the usual suspects within “evangelicalism” (the ones I call the Christianity Today crowd—“evangelicals” who identify more with the center-left mainline) were advocating for a two-state solution, firing off letters and signatories to Bush.

Today, more traditional evangelicals are doing the same.

The left knows where our weaknesses are, and they exploit them. Seeking dialogue with people like Abbas, or Sami Awad, or the Muslim Brotherhood or CAIR operatives weakens us.

A long time ago, the jihadists hatched their plan to overthrow the West. The fight was always going to be hard enough.

It’s galling that we are tying at least one hand behind our back.

Reprinted with author’s permission from Rapture Ready

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