In its Constitution, in public life, in every sphere of endeavor, the Bible has for centuries been the source of America’s inspiration and the hallmark of its success. Explicitly or implicitly, it has, at least until somewhere in the middle of the 20th century, been the life-source of America’s values and way of life. And that is precisely why in my view President Obama’s speech in Cairo on 4 June, and his commitment to the Two-State solution, is a massive, explosive watershed in American history. For the first time, as far as I am aware, an American President is explicitly abandoning his nation’s adherence to the Bible.
Yes, he says he is a Christian. Yes, he even quotes from the Bible. But it is remarkable, if you read the Cairo speech carefully, that in his desperate attempt to appease the Moslim world, Obama performs every possible linguistic and intellectual gymnastic trick in the book to avoid any acknowledgement of the truth of the Christian Bible. (Strange for a guy who says he is committed to saying “openly the things we hold in our hearts”). Instead, he cites the Koran (ahead of the Bible!), he bends over backwards to say how good the Moslems have been, he even says nice things about the Jews (at least those who suffered in the holocaust).
But he conveniently forgot to mention that the Jesus whom he professes to follow was a Jew, that He died a Jew, that He will return as a Jew, and that He will sit on the throne of His father David, and reign over the house of Jacob forever (Luke 1:32-33).
The thing that really blew me away in his speech was when Obama talked about Jerusalem being “a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims, and a place for all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together as in the story of Isra, when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed (peace be upon them) joined in prayer”.
Since when did Jesus join with Mohammed in prayer??
And who says Jerusalem will be a lasting home for the Muslims or Christians? It’s a nice idea, but in my Bible it says that Jerusalem was not given to the Muslims or Christians, but to the descendants of Isaac and Jacob as an everlasting inheritance.
Believing in False dreams
In our desperation to resolve tension and conflict, we run the risk of believing in false dreams. I am sure Obama is a well-meaning guy, and that he genuinely wants to see the world live in peace. So do I. But, sadly, he has committed himself – and the rest of the world with him – to a process that cannot produce real and lasting peace. True peace can only be built on the word of God. Not the God we create for ourselves, but the God who chose Abraham, entered into a covenant with Isaac, and became flesh in the Jewish Messiah.
Remember the guy who built his house on the sand, and what happened when the storm came in?
If you want to read some excellent analyses of Obama’s speech, and some reactions from the Muslim world, I highly recommend the following articles by Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Caroline Glick (why is it that women often have so much insight?)
Ayaan Hirsi Ali (appeared in The Australian)
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