Mike Johnson has proven to be a terrible witness for Christianity in the public square so far, and his trend of being Israel First continues as he forwarded a hate speech bill that will compel the Department of Education to adhere to a woke organization’s definition of antisemitism.
As pointed out by Rep. Matt Gaetz, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance defines antisemitism in a way that condemns the Bible.
Rep. Chip Roy points out that House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican leadership advanced this bill quickly to score political points even though the bill outsources its definition in a way that’s anti-Christian. Other nay votes weighed in.
Antisemitism is wrong, but I will not be voting for the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023 (H.R. 6090) today that could convict Christians of antisemitism for believing the Gospel that says Jesus was handed over to Herod to be crucified by the Jews.
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) May 1, 2024
Read the bill text and… pic.twitter.com/Y0eeOiVfnw
Do you agree with all of these examples of antisemitism? Should people in America be prosecuted for saying these things in all contexts? I think not. This is a poorly conceived unconstitutional bill and I will vote no. pic.twitter.com/L3AI5MCFGw
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 1, 2024
Mike Johnson sent a clear message that noticing is not to be tolerated in education and that his commitment to backstabbing Christians is unwavering.
14 Responses
” … to characterize Israel or Israelis”
In other words, to try to use it to demonize Jews now, 2000 years later.
I understand the meaning and intent of the bill, but they should’ve done a better job of detailing the difference between stating historical fact, and constantly harping on something in history in order to suggest generational guilt and/or as a pretext for stirring up hatred of a given group.
Sort of like saying white people enslaved blacks. It’s true. It’s historical fact. But if someone constantly harps on it with the intent to stir up hatred of whites who had nothing to do with it, then it becomes more a matter of what they mean by “hate speech”
And those who have protested this bill need to do a better job of expounding on the scriptures. Matt Gaetz, for example, posted single verses from Acts 3 and 4, without considering the entire context and account of the Apostles preaching, being arrested, being brought before the counsel, as a whole. If you read on to Acts 5:29-31, Peter makes it clear that God did it in order to give Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.
The Apostles weren’t condemning the Jews, or trying to stir up animosity toward the Jews, or calling for any sort of revenge, but were rather sharing the Gospel and calling them to repentance.
And that’s a powerful example of God’s love and grace, when we consider that Jesus died for the sins of all who repent and believe, including those who killed Him, some of whom did later repent.
Biblically there is such a thing as generational guilt, and then again their isn’t. The reason is that we are all generationally guilty going all the way back to Adam. Paul makes this point in Romans 9 and 10. At the most important and relevant level, there’s only as much generational guilt as there is generational innocence or generational salvation. Which is to say, there is none.
The authors of the bill, proponents, opponents, all, as Christians, need to be doing a better job of explaining and detailing how and why it could be considered “hate speech”
Generally, I’m against hate speech legislation. But the issue at hand is more important than secular law and politics.
Paul made the point that we are all equivalent in that all have sinned, and the same goes for the ancestors of all. Right. Nobody’s ancestors are innocent.
I know things are a bit one-sided these days. There’s no doubt. There are many Jews who basically demonize any and all Christians, blaming us for the holocaust. They go around falsely claiming the nazis were Christians. So on and so forth. So that’s “hate speech” by the same standards.
We are called, though, not to recompense evil for evil. Not to fight sin with sin. Not to fight darkness with darkness. But to fight the darkness with the light, and the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s a part of the cross we are to bear. Sure, “hate speech” standards of society aren’t fair. They weren’t fair in the Apostle’s time, when the Apostles were accused of stirring up hatred. And they haven’t been fair anytime since. We of all people should understand that we live in a fallen and imperfect world.
Right?
“hate speech” is why they crucified Jesus
“hate speech” is why they killed the Apostles (which the romans did)
But Jesus and the Apostles didn’t stoop to bellyaching and whining about unfair standards of “hate speech”.
As Peter said, if you’re going to be wronged, then let it be for having not sinned …
I believe there’s a time and place to fight for fairness, and other times and places where we need to recognize that we live in a fallen world that is never going to be fair.
Jesus willingly went to the cross.
The ethnicity and nationality of those who put Him to death is not significant to the Gospel. It may show the power of the Gospel, in that He came first for Israel, that His own put Him to death, and that He died not just also for them, but first for them. As the scripture says, “first for the Jew and then the Gentile”, and Jesus made it clear that His ministry was first to the Jews. He sent Paul, and left it up to the Apostles, to minister to the gentiles.
So you could reiterate the historical fact that the Jews did it in order to show how much God loves them, and how tremendous His love for us is, that He would die on the cross for all, even those who condemned Him to death (Jews), and who hammered the nails (Gentiles). Or you could reiterate that fact in order to stir up hatred against them.
All sides need to do a better job of explaining …
The golden rule, right …
Dying by the same sword you live by …
If we condemn others for what their ancestors did, then we condemn ourselves for what our own ancestors did. Because nobody’s ancestors are innocent …
this tekton guy again. why do you even read this site if you are basically a jew worshipper?
Well, well, now look who wants to censor and silence the truth of God’s word.
What’s the matter, I didn’t tickle your ears?
Are you for free speech or against it? Make up your mind.
Tell me Leviticus, what do you think about all the protests going on at various colleges and universities right now?
Do you agree with the protesters who are calling for another “final solution” ?
Do you agree with their attacking and beating Jewish students?
Do you agree with the UCLA students who all converted to Islam in solidarity?
… I could ask dozens of similar questions.
I don’t know where you got the idea that you have to feud, war against, and constantly bellyache about the Jews in order to be a Christian. That is a gospel with which I am not familiar. It is not in my Bible. It’s not a sin to be a descendant of Jacob.
“4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory and the covenants; theirs the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them proceeds the human descent of Christ, who is God over all, forever worthy of praise! Amen.” – Romans 9:4-5
aiōnas – forever
eulogētos – worthy of praise
Last I checked, “forever” hasn’t ended …
Does it mean they get a free pass in to God’s kingdom? No. It means you should avoid your boasting, because the Lord can cut you off just as He cut off some of them.
Here’s that passage from Romans 11 for you again, since it apparently didn’t sink in the first time …
“13 I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in the hope that I may provoke my own people to jealousy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the first part of the dough is holy, so is the whole batch; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root, 18 do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.
19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 That is correct: They were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will certainly not spare you either.
22 Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And if they also do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into one that is cultivated, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!” – Romans 11:13-24
Don’t falsely accuse me of “worshiping Jews” when I am honoring and defending the word of Almighty God.
Your war against the Jews is not in scripture. It’s nowhere to be found in scripture.
You can believe your replacement theology, covenant theology, or whatever theology. But when you start hating on them, warring against them, trashing them, and so on, then you are in direct and clear violation of scripture.
It is not a matter of them being above you, ruling over you, fealty to them, or anything of the sort, nor is it the reverse.
It is not a matter of them getting any sort of free pass into Heaven.
It’s a matter of respecting the Lord and His word. He chose to bless and use them. So you respect it, as a matter of respecting Him.
I’m not about to take out or ignore Romans 9:4-5 any more than I’m going to take out or ignore 1 Thess. 2:14-15
There’s enough taking from, adding to, or otherwise butchering scripture as it is these days, without discernment ministries and apologists doing the same.
If you’re going to ignore the parts you don’t like, how are you going to condemn someone else for ignoring what it says about transvestism, homosexuality, or any other sin? And when forced by law to either affirm and support it or else, what will your defense be, when all someone has to do is point the finger right back at you and say, you’re also ignoring the parts you don’t like? You’ll have no defense.
Should the rest of us remain silent while individuals such as yourself work to take away our own defense, by compromising scripture just like the leftists, progressives and liberals?
No, you either accept it all, or you accept none.
You can go on and read Romans 9:6-9, which explains how we are grafted in. Read the rest of the chapter. Read the entire book.
Then look back at verse 2 …
Our attitude should be “I have deep sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.”
Not to hate on them, war against them, or anything of the sort, but to hope and pray that they will come to repentance. As the Lord is not willing that ANY should perish (2 Pet. 3:9)
In his book “A Ready Defense”, Josh McDowell wrote “Christianity does not supplant Old Testament Judaism; it is the fruition of it”
Replacement theology is wrong because the descendants of Jacob are, and always will be, the root of the vine, as Paul explained in Romans 11.