From the Editor Mar/Apr 2023
Publishing is an interesting industry. We must do everything very far in advance to meet our deadlines. I’m writing this column on December 2, 2022, but you’re reading…
Human Interest
The Friends of Israel in Action Mar/Apr 2023
Halina Ostik, who fought in the Polish Resistance during World War II, smuggled Bibles into the country under the…
The Friends of Israel in Action Jan/Feb 2023
We enter 2023 thanking God that more than 90 people have graduated from our Friends of Israel (FOI) Bridges program…
Christian Persecution Nov/Dec 2022
A 28-year-old Christian in eastern Uganda has died from head injuries sustained in an attack by Muslim extremists in July…
The Friends of Israel in Action Nov/Dec 2022
Last spring, the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) telephoned Tim Munger, a Church Ministries representative…
Christian Persecution Sep/Oct 2022
In June, Islamic terrorists again stormed a church in Nigeria, massacring more than 50 Christians who were peacefully…
The Friends of Israel in Action Sep/Oct 2022
The Australian ministry of The Friends of Israel (FOI) has grown remarkably in recent years. Many of you know Deane Woods…
Christian Persecution Jul/Aug 2022
It’s official: The United Nations (UN) has formally accepted the concept of “Islamophobia,” a move that will…
The Friends of Israel in Action Jul/Aug 2022
College campuses are notorious for their hostility toward the things of God. Such animosity deters some people…
Christian Persecution May/Jun 2022
Islamic extremists stopped an evangelist in Uganda on his way to participate in a debate about Christianity and Islam and beat him…
The Friends of Israel in Action May/Jun 2022
Nobody has enjoyed COVID-19 lockdowns. But even when the government makes leaving home impossible, God can still take…
Christian Persecution Mar/Apr 2022
Muslims who kidnapped a Christian pastor in northern Nigeria killed him in December after receiving ransom payments…
The Friends of Israel in Action Mar/Apr 2022
The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (FOI) has launched an exciting new work called Encounter to expose Christians to the…
The Giant: A Preview of Revelation 13?
Giants have always fascinated me. That’s probably why I reacted so quickly when Laura, my administrative assistant, asked me…
We Lost a Mensch
If you’ve ever been called a mensch, consider it a great compliment. The Yiddish word is used to describe someone of noble character…
Christian Persecution Jan/Feb 2022
A 14-year-old Christian in eastern India clung to life for six weeks before succumbing to severe injuries…
The Friends of Israel in Action Jan/Feb 2022
In God’s grace, He delights in using us to make known His kindness that leads men and women to repentance (Rom. 2:4)…
Christian Persecution Nov/Dec 2021
As the world watched videos and images of people trying to escape the Sharia regime the Taliban is imposing in Afghanistan…
The Friends of Israel in Action Nov/Dec 2021
There would be no Christmas without Hanukkah. That’s a fact! Hanukkah commemorates God’s divine…
Christian Persecution Sep/Oct 2021
A house-church in Vietnam may face criminal prosecution and has faced community hatred due to COVID-19…
The Friends of Israel in Action Sep/Oct 2021
Polish nationalism and the place of Jewish people in Polish society have taken some troubling turns recently…
A Conversation with Joel Rosenberg
As part of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry’s mission to teach about Israel and the Jewish people, our North American…
Christian Persecution Jul/Aug 2021
NAIROBI, Kenya—A mosque leader had men rape three teenaged relatives of a church pastor in western Uganda…
The Friends of Israel in Action Jul/Aug 2021
It was a beautifully mild, sunny, spring day when our field representative Dr. Juan Carlos Espinoza set up his table in a local park…
The Real Friend of Israel
Many Americans are still reeling from the results of the 2020 presidential election. According to two surveys, between 76 and…
Christian Persecution May/Jun 2021
New Delhi, India—Hindu extremists attacked a group of tribal Christians preparing to celebrate the New Year…
The Friends of Israel in Action May/Jun 2021
God is not hampered by borders! Here in The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry’s International Department…
A Letter to My Dad
Another Father’s Day is just around the corner. My dad passed away in 2008; and at age 97, my mom still misses him. Perhaps that was why she showed me…
From Death to Life
Population 4.18 million. Situated like a jewel by the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, it beckons to tourists from around the world to enjoy its nonstop nightlife…
Three Spiritual Journeys
I was born into a Christian home and grew up learning about God and His Word. As an 8-year-old in summer Bible school…
Until We Meet Again
It is with both sadness and joy that we announce the homegoing of our dear friend and coworker, Bob Duarte, who entered the presence of the Lord…
Christian Persecution Mar/Apr 2021
Uganda—The Muslim husband of a 38-year-old mother of three beat his wife unconscious…
The Friends of Israel in Action Mar/Apr 2021
Nurith had hit rock bottom in her life. Her husband had suffered a severe stroke, and she was dealing with loneliness…
‘Hava Nagila’ and the Resurrection
“I don’t talk politics, and I don’t talk religion!” Ninety-year-old Ruth stood 4 feet 10 inches tall in the doorway of her home…
Inside View Jan/Feb 2021
Have you ever wondered if you would be willing to risk your life to save someone else? Many Europeans faced that decision during World War II…
Christian Persecution Jan/Feb 2021
New Delhi, India—Incited by Hindu extremists, thousands of tribal animists in India have driven Christians in…
The Friends of Israel in Action Jan/Feb 2021
COVID-19 hasn’t stopped the progress of the gospel in Jerusalem. Our field representative, Meno Kalisher, senior pastor of the…
Erdoğan’s Move Toward an Islamic Caliphate
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently declared that his decision to…
Christian Persecution Nov/Dec 2020
Nigeria—From January to mid-May 2020, Muslim terrorists hacked to death at least 620 Christians…
Abuse of Power
The moment I saw Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin pressing his knee on the neck of George Floyd as Floyd lay facedown, cuffed, and breathless, I knew…
Christian Persecution Sep/Oct 2020
Not only is Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari behind what several international observers are calling a…
Christian Persecution Jul/Aug 2020
April was a terrible month in Nigeria as Muslim Fulani herdsmen again attacked and murdered Christians, including children…
Inside View May/Jun 2020
A good friend of mine who is Jewish once told me Jewish history in Christian countries follows a pattern. Initially, Jewish people are welcomed…
Christian Persecution May/Jun 2020
The global persecution of Christians has reached unprecedented levels: “260 million Christians experience…
Christian Persecution Mar/Apr 2020
CHINA—As more government officials in China are empowered to close churches and a “social credit” system threatens to…
Christian Persecution Jan/Feb 2020
Muslim Fulani herdsmen kidnapped and killed a pastor’s wife in Nigeria three days after killing a Baptist pastor…
History in a Minor Key
The air was cool, a hint of dampness pervading it. I stood huddled with my Jewish friends. In front of us lay a massive mound of gray ash…
Nightmare and Blessing
I recently had a horrible dream. I was lost, very far from home, and nothing looked familiar. I felt anxious, afraid…
Christian Persecution Nov/Dec 2019
AKWANGA, Nigeria — As a Baptist church member tried to fight off an armed Muslim Fulani herdsman…
Christian Persecution Sep/Oct 2019
Widespread evidence shows that “today, Christians constitute by far the most widely persecuted religion,” according to an interim report…
Christian Persecution Jul/Aug 2019
HYDERABAD, India—Christian persecution has grown much more severe in India, and tribal villagers are being taught that Christianity is anti-Indian…
Remembering Rennie Showers (1935–2019)
News of the passing of renowned theologian Dr. Renald (Rennie) Showers in April generated a massive outpouring of condolences…
Christian Persecution May/Jun 2019
EGYPT—A Christian mother who was kidnapped and tortured in Egypt for her faith now fears for her daughter and her pastor-husband…
Who is a Jew?
For centuries, Jewish people have been asking themselves, “Who is a Jew?” Today a new wrinkle has developed, and it involves Christians…
A Look at Life in Israel
Many of our readers have asked us what life is like in Israel, especially for Jewish believers in Jesus. So we asked Meno Kalisher to answer a few questions for us…
The Great Divide
Why should Israelis and American Jews see eye to eye? Americans and Israelis are not alike. They have different concerns, interests, lifestyles, and even a different calendar…
Israel’s Broken Political System
Many Americans scratch their heads trying to figure out Israel’s political system. Here’s an overview of it from someone who truly understands it…
Helping Israel’s Lone Soldiers
What do you do when you have no place to go for Shabbat? That’s when the Lone Soldier Center in Memory of Michael Levin becomes a lifesaver—in more ways than one…
Inside View Mar/Apr 2019
It was troubling to watch the video of Rafi’s Jeep going up in flames, the victim of an incendiary balloon launched in Gaza and carried by the wind into Israel. Within seconds, the entire Jeep was aflame…
What Lies Beneath
They say the tip of an iceberg represents only 10 percent of its volume; the other 90 percent sits quietly below the surface. April 2019 marks 130 years since Adolf Hitler’s birth in Braunau am Inn, the largest town in northern Austria…
Christian Persecution Mar/Apr 2019
EGYPT—The Egyptian government has rejected a proposed bill to remove the religious designation required on ID cards, reflecting the enormity of the discrimination…
The Hate That Won’t Die
A friend of mine told me a story recently that I think you’ll appreciate. A few years ago, her daughter Andi attended an event at Disney World that called for audience participation…
Jewish World Update Mar/Apr 2019
In response to the increasing anti-Semitic attacks in France, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed Diaspora Affairs and Education Minister…
Inside View Jan/Feb 2019
I was sitting in a room with approximately 5,000 people last summer in Washington, DC, listening to then U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. She delivered a remarkable speech that reflected on her year and a half at the UN…
Big Shoes to Fill
Nikki Haley’s departure as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations elated the political Left and saddened those who love Israel. In less than two years, Haley set a new American standard that leaves her successor with big shoes to fill…
Christian Persecution Jan/Feb 2019
PAKISTAN—Authorities in Lahore, Pakistan, continue their refusal to arrest the Muslim hospital officials who killed an innocent Christian man, Sunil Saleem, more than eight months ago…
Jewish World Update Jan/Feb 2019
Pro-Israel students at Columbia University in New York City recently hosted a protest against the school’s “pervasively hostile environment” toward Zionist students…
Christian Persecution Nov/Dec 2018
IRAN—“We told them many times that Jesus is our Lord and you cannot take Him away from us,” Iranian Christian Marziyeh Amirizadeh told the audience at the recent Ministerial to Advance…
Jewish World Update Nov/Dec 2018
“Holocaust memory and Jews are under attack [in Europe],” said Elisha Wiesel, commenting on the recent desecration of the childhood home of his late father, renowned…
U.S. Quits UNHRC ‘Cesspool’
After more than a year of warnings, the Trump administration has followed through on a pledge to withdraw the United States from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), calling it a “cesspool of political bias…”
Christian Persecution Sep/Oct 2018
INDIA—India’s Jharkhand state has recently become the sixth state in India to implement a new, draconian “anti-conversion” law that authorities are using to target and imprison Christians under the false accusation of trying to forcibly convert people…
Joseph in His Egyptian Context
Some Bible critics claim Joseph was the invented hero of an Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) literary drama written years after the purported event. But ancient Egyptian records support the biblical account…
Jewish World Update Sep/Oct 2018
“You are the ammunition for Hamas’s guns; you are the warheads for its missiles,” Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon told the UN General Assembly when it recently condemned Israel for…
From the Editor Jul/Aug 2018
Some things seem almost too absurd to be true. But life is filled with absurdities when it comes to Israel. Do you see the ladder in the photo below? It has leaned against the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem for at least 150 years…
Inside View Jul/Aug 2018
I recently had the privilege of spending several days in Israel with new Jewish arrivals to the land. They varied in age from teens to older adults, but the same theme defined their testimonies. They had an innate desire to return to the land…
Freedom of Speech?
Josh Blackman, a law professor at South Texas College of Law and frequent guest lecturer on college campuses, found himself the object of protest at City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law earlier this year. Professor Blackman was…
The Emerging Realignment
Saudi Arabia recently granted Air India permission to fly over its territory on new routes to and from Israel. The decision to open Saudi airspace to commercial jets bound for the…
Archaeology on the Back of a Camel
When I was a student at the Hebrew University, Professor Avraham Malamat told our class no camel bones had ever been found from the time of the Patriarchs. The problem, as the professor saw it, was that…
Jewish World Update Jul/Aug 2018
The brutal murder of 85-year-old Holocaust survivor Mireille Knoll marks the 11th time in 12 years someone has been viciously killed in France specifically for being Jewish and attests to the alarming rise of…
From the Editor May/Jun 2018
As I sat in church a few weeks ago, a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time turned around to tell me how cute my grandchildren are. My first thought was, How would you know what my grandchildren look like? They live 600 miles away. And then it dawned on me: Facebook!
Scrubbing the Nazi Stain
Someone who stands before a faucet many times a day scrubbing up for fear of germs and general contamination suffers from mysophobia. The condition, which can lead to extreme anxiety, disrupts normal contact with others…
Christian Persecution May/Jun 2018
CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION is the worst it has ever been, according to a recent study by Christian persecution watchdog Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). “In terms of the numbers of people involved, the gravity of the crimes committed…
The New Titans
It rarely snows in Washington, DC. So when the big North American blizzard known as Snowmageddon dumped more than two feet of snow in the U.S. capital in February 2010, shutting down the federal government for an unprecedented four days…
Using the New World of Connectivity
Pastor David Lemming logs onto social media almost every day. He stays in touch with his people by encouraging them with a Bible verse, linking last week’s sermon so they can watch it online, and sometimes giving them a glimpse into the sermon he’s preparing for the following Sunday….
The Cyber War Against Israel
Facebook. YouTube. Instagram. Twitter. For most of us, these sites serve as entertaining outlets where we post pictures, share opinions, and watch videos of cats (so I’m told) or of a deer eating a snowman. (That one was viewed several hundred thousand times.) But for Israel, social-media platforms have become…
Echo Chambers of Hate
Every 83 seconds, someone uploads an anti-Semitic post to social media. In 2016 alone, more than 382,000 anti-Semitic posts appeared on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram1—many of which were never removed—denying the Holocaust; portraying the Jewish people as genetically inferior…
What If Abraham Had Never Existed
“Abraham never existed, but his cousin did!” said one of my professors during a graduate course on Israel’s early history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He believed Abraham and all the…
Christian Persecution Mar/Apr 2018
KENYA—A group of Somali Muslims recently broke into the home of a Somali Christian widow and brutally attacked her three children in a small Kenyan town…
Inside View Jan/Feb 2018
A friend recently told me, “When I look at all that is happening in this world, I have to believe we’re getting very close to the end.” He was referring to the end of this age when God will begin a new time on Earth that will pave the way for the Messiah.
“And Now We Say, ‘Heil Hitler’”
How would you feel if you discovered your third grader marched to the cafeteria giving the Nazi salute? “The children were standing with their [right] arm[s] out in front of them and the teacher was modeling the position,”…
Christian Persecution Jan/Feb 2018
The Chinese government has begun a renewed crackdown on believers attending unregistered churches and Christian parents taking their children with them to church. Chinese law strictly forbids adults to teach children religion and…
Upside Down
Surveying the current geopolitical landscape can give me a headache. The world is embroiled in a spiritual battle. Right is made to look wrong; wrong is made to look right; security threats loom large; and if we don’t keep our eyes on the Lord…
Israel in the News Jan/Feb 2018
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said recently Israel will not accept the new, unified Hamas-Fatah government unless Hamas renounces terrorism and acknowledges Israel’s right to exist. “Israel opposes any reconciliation…
Follow the Money
A big Art Buchwald fan in my younger years, I’d expectantly scan the editorial pages for his usually hilarious, syndicated column that parodied some of the ridiculous aspects of current events. I thought of the late Mr. Buchwald recently and wished I…
No Longer Science Fiction
When a quadcopter from the Gaza Strip landed in southern Israel recently, the Israel Defense Forces released a brief statement saying it had taken it away for checks. The seemingly mundane incident is, in fact…
Christian Persecution Nov/Dec 2017
Three Egyptian military officers recently beat a Christian soldier to death for his faith and then claimed he died of natural causes. Joseph Reda Helmy, a believer from Kafr Darwish village, had completed one month…
Israel in the News Nov/Dec 2017
Israel has provided free medical care and hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid to more than 200,000 war-afflicted Syrians over the past year. The project, called “Operation Good Neighbor,” launched in…
From the Editor Sep/Oct 2017
There has always been a generation gap. Growing up, I never felt my parents understood me, my taste in music (Dad said if it wasn’t classical, it wasn’t “real” music), or my desire to…
Inside View Sep/Oct 2017
On our spring Up to Jerusalem tour, we made a stop at the headquarters of The Jewish Agency for Israel in Jerusalem to deliver funds donated to help Jewish people in other parts of the world…
Getting Back to Basics
I was sitting in the front row at the Embassy of Israel in Washington, DC, when Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer made a statement that drew applause from the Christian leaders in the room: “The stronger the Christian identity…