Joel Rosenberg: It’s Time for Israel to Appoint an Ambassador to the Christian World & Establish a Commission on Religious Freedom

(Jerusalem, Israel) — This morning, The Jerusalem Post published a new column of mine calling on the next Israeli government and Prime Minister to do two things:

1. Appoint the first-ever Israeli Ambassador to the Christian world; and
2. Establish a non-partisan Israeli Commission on Religious Freedom and Minority Affairs.

Here are a few excerpts:

• In a world of some 7.3 billion people, fully 31% are self-described followers of Jesus of Nazareth. That represents a global Christian population north of 2.2 billion people, including more than 600 million Evangelical Christians.
• That makes Jesus – known in Hebrew as Yeshua – the world’s most famous and beloved Israeli, and the New Testament the best-selling Israeli book in the history of mankind….
• The vast majority of Christians have a deep love for the Land of Israel and its rich biblical history. Many routinely “pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” as commanded by the psalmist. And far more Christians than Jews visit Israel. In 2018, fully 61% of tourists to Israel were Christians. For many more, it is a lifelong dream to visit the Holy Land and walk where Jesus and the prophets and apostles walked.
• To be sure, not all Christians understand or support the modern State of Israel. But many do, and more could. A full-time ambassador to this enormous and strategic world would help…..
• The responsibilities of such an ambassador should include….
• Serving as the government’s primary liaison to all Christian communities outside the State of Israel, educating them about the history of Israel, promoting healthy Jewish-Christian cooperation, and refuting lies told against Israel and the Jewish people in the media, academia and….
• Serving as the government’s primary liaison to all Christian communities inside the State of Israel. Fully 2% of Israeli citizens – upwards of 180,000 people – are followers of Jesus. Most are Arabs, but some 30,000 have Jewish roots. In addition, there are many foreign Christians studying and working in Israel. This ambassador should be responsible for serving these communities, answering their questions and helping resolve their problems….
• Serving as the prime minister’s senior adviser on Christian affairs, including….

To read the full column, please click here.

Note: These are my own personal views. I am not writing in my capacity as the Founder and Chairman of The Joshua Fund, which is a non-profit and non-partisan organization that is never involved in political or legislative affairs.

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