Christian leaders reacted to the news of Hamas terrorists attacking Israel with a show of support for Jerusalem, calls for prayer, and concern that such an assault was possible in the first place.
As of Monday, more than 800 Israelis had been killed by the Hamas attack, and 100+ had been taken hostage, with more than 2,000 wounded.
It was the most devastating attack on Israel since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Israel has called up 300,000 reservists -- the most since it called up 400,000 in 1973, according to the Times of Israel.
Here are how seven Christian leaders reacted to the breakout of war:
Joel Rosenberg, author and editor-in-chief of All Israel News and All Arab News
“This is Israel’s version of 9/11,” Rosenberg said. “This is Israel’s own Pearl Harbor.”
“The first objective, of course, has to be repelling the Hamas attack and finding and liberating the Israeli hostages seized by Hamas,” he wrote. “The next objective will have to be punishing Hamas and crippling its capacity to wage another such attack in the future. Then will come the soul-searching and the government investigations. How in the world did Israel’s political, intelligence and military leadership let such a disaster take place? Why was the border with Gaza effectively unguarded yesterday morning? How could the IDF not have picked up on clues that such a massive and bloody attack was coming? What happens next?
“How can Israel protect itself and win this war without inciting the wrath and hatred of a world just waiting for us to make a mistake and be so sure that this is all our fault to begin with?”
Rosenberg, who lives in Israel, also pushed back on social media suggestions that Israel “wipe out” Gaza.
“Genocide is not the answer,” he wrote. “... 2 million Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip. They are also suffering under Hamas’ reign of terror.”
Brent Leatherwood, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention
Leatherwood, in comments to Baptist Press, called the scenes of violence “horrific.”
“They serve as a stark reminder of all Israel has to endure merely for the right to exist. Condemnation of these deplorable acts by Hamas, targeting civilians and threatening Israel’s sovereignty, should come from all corners of the world,” he said. “Vulnerable lives are caught up in the midst of this warfare and they need our urgent prayers.
“At the same time, we must realize evil is advancing in multiple theaters across the globe right now, threatening to render even more innocent lives vulnerable to terror. Our leaders must be clear-eyed about confronting and halting the extremists and regimes that endanger the lives of defenseless image-bearers, no matter the context.”
Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
“Hamas is the new ISIS and must be stopped!” he said. “We call upon all Christians and people of faith to pray for Israel. We call upon the US government to provide all the support Israel requires in order to secure a victorious outcome and eradicate Hamas once and for all.”
Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
“The Bible instructs us to ‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem’ in Psalm 122. I am praying for Israel -- I pray that God will protect them from their enemies,” Graham said. “Will you join me in this prayer?”
Robert J. Pacienza, senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and president of Coral Ridge Ministries
“The violent attacks on Israel necessitate an urgent call to all Americans to pray for the state of Israel and the people in the region,” Pacienza said. “These events have been perpetrated by terrorists and resourced by the terrorist state of Iran. Democracy and principled freedom in Israel, throughout the Middle East, and the world are at risk because of these efforts.
“Christians in particular should be concerned for the humanitarian rights and religious liberties that will be threatened as a result. Considering the biblical duty of peace and honor, and the principles of just war, we have a responsibility to speak out on behalf of those that are being unjustly assaulted.”
Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
“Israel right now is in a fight for its life,” Mohler said on his podcast, The Briefing. “... There are major players seeking to bring about the non-existence of Israel. At the top of that list would be the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran is a major force for destabilization throughout that entire region of the world. And frankly, its terrorist involvements go far beyond the Middle East.
“...The Scripture tells us that we are to pray for the peace of Israel, and that is a very important issue for us to remember. We need to pray for the peace of Israel. That means for the existence of Israel, that means for the security of Israel, that means for the flourishing of Israel.”
Greg Laurie, author and pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in California
“The Bible tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). We want to pray that they arrive at some kind of peace. We want to pray that this horrific terrorism stops, and that they’re able to get their hostages back. And we want to pray that God places His hand of protection on the nation of Israel during this unprecedented war and guides them as they deal decisively with this wicked terrorist organization, Hamas which is backed by Iran.”
Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Image/Justin Sullivan/Staff
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.