Vox Veterana : In Response to Brain Mclaren

Author and Emergent Church pastor Brian Mclaren has been playing the part of useful idiot (‘idiot’ in the sense of ignorant or unlearned, not in the sense of mental defect) perfectly for the ever so gifted “Carrot on the end of a Stick” Palestinian propaganda machine. On his recent “pilgrimage” to Israel/West Bank Mclaren blogged about his experiences on his website www.brianmclaren.net. Throughout his many posts Mclaren decries the occupation of Palestine by Israel. Gone from those same posts are any credible facts about said “occupation” or why exactly Israel has had to build “segregation walls” as he calls them along the West Bank. Perhaps Mclaren doesn’t know much about the situation and therefore makes his statements out of ignorance, however, as he says speaking about himself:

“I’ve been an avid reader on the subject for quite a while, but being here now, I see how many of my most basic assumptions were skewed from a lifetime of half-truths, unfair and imbalanced news, well-planned propaganda, and misinformation.”

Perhaps what he says is true, and based upon some recommended readings on his website i.e. Jimmy Carter, Jim Wallis, Shane Claiborne, Walter Brueggeman, I would say that he would have been reading many “half-truths, unfair and imbalanced news, well-planned propaganda, and misinformation.” Since the authors mentioned above all have faulty fact faculties it is no wonder Mclaren chooses not to discuss facts. Facts are just those annoying little things that get in the way when someone is trying to make a point that they are just so sure of being right they don’t want to bother themselves with anything as bothersome as facts. Would have Mclaren actually used facts to support his position on the situation in Israel I would have some definite points on which to argue against him.

In one of his posts Mclaren mentions Shane Claiborne, a fellow emergent church Christian and bigger useful idiot, who made a name for himself in part by being a tool for Saddam Hussein. During the invasion of Iraq in 2003 he traveled to Baghdad to lend his support to Saddam (in my book that was, and remains, a crime punishable by jail time but who am I to split legal hairs). He also views the United States as a reincarnated Roman Empire enemy of God type country. Not sure if that tells you much about what type of company Mclaren keeps but if you are anything like me you might be trying to grasp how any self proclaimed “Christian” could side with a genocidal, rapist, evil tyrant like Saddam Hussein.

In the future should Mclaren decide to make his case against Israel with facts I implore him to do so in the public eye so his beliefs can be dissected and inspected for truth. Why if he so chose he could do so on his blog and I would respond in kind on mine, or perhaps on his blog so all could see and judge between the two. Perhaps, and this is a legitimate point of contention, I am a nobody and he wouldn’t feel the need to respond to me. In that case I would be happy to enlist any number of qualified friends of mine, whether American of Israeli, to respond to him.

Meanwhile some questions for Mclaren to consider:

-If the Palestinian people are the peace loving people that you describe what would a Palestinian controlled Israel look like?

-Why are you silent about Palestinian terrorism against innocent Israeli civilians?

-If the barriers between the West Bank and Israel were simply taken down would all bombings of Israeli citizens stop, or would the bombings and shellings that necessitated them in the first place continue?

-Can you substantiate the claims you make about Israeli torture of innocent Palestinians?

-If Palestinians were absorbed into Israeli society would they coexist peacefully as they have proven not to be able to (see Jerusalem) or would they make good on their promise in the Hamas Charter that “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.”

-Would the peace that resulted be appealing to you if it included the demeaning of women as is routine with Arabic culture in the Middle East?

-What do you have to say about the Palestinians training their children to hate Israelis and to honor suicide bombers?

-Is their Biblical precedent for the current “peaceful” means by which Palestinians are struggling for their independence such as random mortar attacks, rocket attacks, and suicide bomber attacks on innocent civilians within Israel?

Those questions are just for starters. Any chance you will want to respond Brian?

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