Christians United For Israel
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pro-Israel Christian organization that defines itself as "a national grassroots movement focused on the support of Israel." It is the "largest" pro-Israel organization in the United States.
CUFI draws support from the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. Operating under the leadership of John Hagee
John Hagee
John Charles Hagee is an American founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, a non-denominational charismatic megachurch with more than 19,000 active members...
, it provides a national association through which churches, parachurch organization
Parachurch organization
Parachurch organizations are Christian faith-based organizations that work outside of and across denominations to engage in social welfare and evangelism, usually independent of church oversight. These bodies can be businesses, non-profit corporations, or private associations. Most parachurch...
s, ministries, and individuals in America promote pro-Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
ism financially and politically.
Foundation
In February 2006, John HageeJohn Hagee
John Charles Hagee is an American founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, a non-denominational charismatic megachurch with more than 19,000 active members...
revived a movement focused on the support of Israel. He called upon Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
leaders in America to join him in launching his new initiative. Over 400 leaders, each representing a denomination, mega-church, media ministry, publishing company, or Christian university voiced support and Christians United for Israel was created.
Legally incorporated on February 7, 2006, and operated out of Hagee's hometown of San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, CUFI is focused on communicating the perceived need for closer links between Christian ministries in America and the state of Israel.
The first college chapter of Christians United for Israel was established at California State University, Bakersfield
California State University, Bakersfield
California State University, Bakersfield is a public university located in Bakersfield, California, United States which was founded in 1965. CSUB opened in 1970 on a campus, becoming the 19th school in the California State University system...
, with more "CUFI on Campus" chapters planned. At the 2011 CUFI Washington Summit, it was reported that "CUFI on Campus" chapters had been formed or were in the process of being formed on over 75 college campuses and CUFI was reported to have a presence on 225 campuses.
"Christians United for Israel" was originally formed in 1992 by David Lewis. After a period of inactivity, Hagee sought and received permission from Lewis to use the title for his own organization.
Main objectives
- To educate and build Christian support for Israel throughout America: CUFI seeks to rally evangelical Christians in support of Israel for biblical and moral reasons. CUFI pursues this goal through the distribution of literature, DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s, Middle East Briefings, and holding annual Nights to Honor Israel in communities throughout the country.
A Night to Honor Israel
CUFI host "Nights to Honor Israel" events in cities across the United States. The events have the stated aim of expressing "Christian solidarity with the State of Israel and the Jewish people". Such "Night to Honor Israel" events have often sought to include members of local Jewish communities. In fact, any funds raised are often given to the local Jewish federations to assist with efforts in Israel. One such "Night to Honor Israel" event was covered by Minnesota magazine TC Jewfolk in 2010.Washington/Israel Summit
CUFI holds an annual summit to enable delegates to personally speak with their representatives on behalf of Israel. In response to particular current events, CUFI also mobilizes its members through Rapid Response Alerts to raise popular support for Israel and lobby the U.S. Congress in support of Israel.National Night to Honor Israel 2008, 2009, 2010
On July 22 CUFI held their 2008 National Night to Honor Israel. Ambassador Dan GillermanDan Gillerman
Dan Gillerman was Israel's 13th Permanent Representative to the United Nations. He was appointed in July 2002 and assumed his post on January 1, 2003, serving through 2008.- Education :...
, Pastor John Hagee
John Hagee
John Charles Hagee is an American founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, a non-denominational charismatic megachurch with more than 19,000 active members...
and Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) spoke with live music interludes. Senator Lieberman opened his speech by saying "I am your brother Joseph." In his speech Lieberman re-affirmed his support for CUFI, Israel and Pastor Hagee. In addition Hagee cleared up some myths regarding his beliefs on Israel. The attendance, which many thought would be down from previous years, exceeded all expectations. With the Washington DC Convention Center packed from front to back without an open seat in sight attendees waved American and Israeli flags in support for CUFI, America and the State of Israel. For the first time CUFI hosted several prominent Catholic leaders in a show of unity between Pastor Hagee and the Catholic Church. Father Roger Hunter-Hall spoke and praised CUFI and Pastor Hagee. Pastor Hagee said when the fabricated statements regarding his beliefs on the Catholic Church surfaced he did something that the media wasn't expecting, they acted like Christians. Hagee and the head of the Catholic League met and quickly realized they were being pitted against each other by their enemies for political gain. CUFI held an annual Washington Summit July 20–23, 2009. The most recent CUFI annual Washington Summit took place on July 20–22, 2010. Israeli PM Netanyahu addressed the gathering by videoconference.
Support for Jewish People
CUFI states that during the Holocaust, too many Christians were silent and that Christians today must stand up for Israel and protect Israel’s 6 million Jews from the second Holocaust, concluding that: "We must get it right this time. Our faith demands it. The times require it. Silence is not an option."At CUFI's 4th annual convention, CUFI Florida state director Scott Thomas, who is senior pastor at Without Walls Central in Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
, states that CUFI's support of Israel is not related to Christian eschatology (one of the features of dispensationalism
Dispensationalism
Dispensationalism is a nineteenth-century evangelical development based on a futurist biblical hermeneutic that sees a series of chronologically successive "dispensations" or periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants.As a system,...
, which holds that the modern state of Israel has a central role in bringing about the second coming of Jesus Christ) since Christians believe that there is nothing they can do to speed up that process. Thomas also cited Chapter 12 of Book of Genesis, which states that God will bless those who blesses the Jews and curses those who curse the Jews, and said that his Christian faith couldn't exist without the foundation of Judaism.
Support for Israel against Iran
John HageeJohn Hagee
John Charles Hagee is an American founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, a non-denominational charismatic megachurch with more than 19,000 active members...
announced on July 16, 2007 in a speech during the CUFI Washington summit that he is a proponent of a pre-emptive nuclear strike on Iran in order to save the State of Israel.
On its website, CUFI states that:
- There is a new Hitler in the Middle East -- President Ahmadinejad of Iran -- who has threatened to wipe out Israel and America and is rapidly acquiring the nuclear technology to make good on his threat. If we learned anything from the Holocaust, it is that when a madman threatens genocide we must take him seriously.
Executive Board
- Pastor John C. Hagee, Founder and National Chairman, CUFI
- Gary BauerGary BauerGary Lee Bauer is an American politician notable for his ties to several evangelical Christian groups and campaigns.-Biography:...
, President, American Values - David BrogDavid BrogDavid Brog is the Executive Director of Christians United For Israel , an American pro-Israel Christian organization. He is the author of In Defense of Faith: The Judeo-Christian Idea and the Struggle for Humanity and Standing With Israel: Why Christians Support the Jewish State...
, Executive Director, CUFI - Shari Dollinger Magnus, Associate Director, CUFI
- Bishop Keith A Butler, Founder and Pastor, Word of Faith International Christian Center
- Pastors Mac & Lynne Hammond, Senior Pastors, Living Word Christian Center
- Michael Little, President and Chief Operating Officer, The Christian Broadcasting NetworkChristian Broadcasting NetworkThe Christian Broadcasting Network, or CBN, is a fundamentalist Christian television broadcasting network in the United States. Its headquarters and main studios are in Virginia Beach, Virginia.-Background:...
- Pastor George Morrison, Senior Pastor, Faith Bible Chapel
Prior to his death in 2007, Rev. Jerry Falwell
Jerry Falwell
Jerry Lamon Falwell, Sr. was an evangelical fundamentalist Southern Baptist pastor, televangelist, and a conservative commentator from the United States. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch in Lynchburg, Virginia...
sat on the Executive Board. In early 2008, he was replaced in his seat by his son, Jonathan Falwell.
See also
- Christian ZionismChristian ZionismChristian Zionism is a belief among some Christians that the return of the Jews to the Holy Land, and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, is in accordance with Biblical prophecy. It overlaps with, but is distinct from, the nineteenth century movement for the Restoration of the Jews...
- DispensationalismDispensationalismDispensationalism is a nineteenth-century evangelical development based on a futurist biblical hermeneutic that sees a series of chronologically successive "dispensations" or periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants.As a system,...
- Israel lobby in the United StatesIsrael lobby in the United StatesThe Israel lobby is a term used to describe the diverse coalition of those who, as individuals and as groups, seek and have sought to influence the foreign policy of the United States in support of Zionism, Israel or the specific policies of its government...
- John HageeJohn HageeJohn Charles Hagee is an American founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, a non-denominational charismatic megachurch with more than 19,000 active members...
- Philo-SemitismPhilo-SemitismPhilo-Semitism or Judeophilia is an interest in, respect for, and appreciation of the Jewish people, their historical significance and the positive impacts of Judaism in the history of the western world, in particular, generally on the part of a gentile...