In Greek mythology, a story is told about Odysseus, a king of Ithica. This king is said to have waged war against the city-state of Troy. After an unsuccessful siege of the city, Odysseus conceived the idea of building a huge horse and hiding within its structure many of his best fighters, counting on the Trojans to see the wooden horse as a sign of their victory over the Greeks.
As Odysseus believed, the Trojans pulled the wooden horse inside their city walls, believing it to be a sign from the gods of their victory. At nightfall, the Greeks disembarked their hiding place, opened the gates for their fellow soldiers and the city of Troy fell. History has trumpeted the genius of Odysseus. The Trojans, on the other hand, have been seen as gullible and painfully naïve.
Why the quick lesson in Greek mythology? It seems the same type of strategic maneuver has recently been completed in the US House of Representatives, with many Republicans playing the part of the Trojans. Let me explain.
House Resolution 6090 (HR 6090), interestingly named the Antisemitism Awareness Act, was passed recently without a full committee hearing or markup, which would have enabled lawmakers to address many of the concerns voiced by those who see dangerous implications for American’s free speech rights under the US Constitution.
It should go with saying that antisemitism is evil. Labeling Israel as an apartheid state is the height of ignorance and delusion. Declaring Israel’s government and military leaders war criminals for their response to Hamas’ October 7, 2023, invasion and violent barbarity is unconscionable. The issue is not about addressing antisemitism. We must do that forcefully. The issue is that addressing antisemitism must be a genuine effort whereby all parties to any proposal agree that antisemitism must be prosecuted to the full extent possible while also denying potential applications outside the original intent of the law. Loopholes left intact that can be used to prosecute other parties beyond original intent is extremely dangerous to free speech rights in America. Therein lies the rub.
The House of Representatives under Republican Speaker Mike Johnson and his predecessor, Republican Kevin McCarthy, have practiced “airdropping” bills to the House floor which circumvents regular order, deliberation, and potential amendments. In other words, nothing can be debated, objected to, removed, or added. Lawmakers are left to vote yea or nay. Christians and conservatives decry that practice when the Democrats do it but are surprisingly silent when Republicans do the same thing.
At issue with this bill is any clear definition of what constitutes antisemitic speech. It seems that this bill is little more than a knee-jerk reaction to the violent antisemitic actions currently wreaking havoc on several college campuses across America. As such, the bill fails to adequately address the current turmoil and does not give any clear direction for the prosecution of offenders in the future.
If it cannot or will not be used to prosecute the current Soros-funded campus violence, then what is the point in touting this bill as some type of solution? I’ll tell you what the point is – it is mere political optics. In other words, HR 6090 is meant to shore up the Biden administration’s polling numbers among American Jews, a demographic that is in freefall away from Biden. The same strategy has been used by the current administration toward Israel, coddling the American Muslim population ahead of the 2024 election by denouncing Israel, threatening to withhold armaments, and giving a green light to the International Criminal Court’s issuance of arrest warrants.
Do you really believe that a bill to protect Jews from acts of violence would find favor with House Democrats without the Biden administration giving the go-ahead? Why are Republicans, Conservatives, and Christians so naïve?
Opponents of the bill cite the Bible as now being placed directly in the crosshairs of prohibited language. The standard by which courts in the future will decide what constitutes antisemitic language (depending on whether the Senate rubber stamps the bill as anticipated) was developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Why does that matter? It matters because the IHRA has provided what amounts to another step in the destruction of American civil liberties. I’m not saying that the IHRA has deliberately done anything nefarious. I am saying that their language needs revision and “tightening up” to make it specific, and clear.
Their broad definition of antisemitism begins with “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews.” This means that the thoughts, opinions, or perspectives of people are once again on trial.
What the IHRA has provided, and a majority of the House GOP railroaded through, is nothing more than the same broadly defined hate speech legislation that Conservatives and Christians have criticized from the very start of that dangerous and unconstitutional boondoggle. Why are some Christians and conservatives celebrating this bill?
Within the language the IHRA provided is this gem: “Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.” Using a cross, a Bible, or biblical passages can, under this bill, be deemed antisemitic.
Before we go any further, let it be known that this author is a staunch supporter of Israel. I have taught for decades and continue to teach that Israel is Yahweh’s people, that His promises in the Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic Covenants will be fulfilled entirely, that Israel has every right to exist in peace without the constant threat of attack, that Israel must stop being made the villain for the haters in the Muslim world and elsewhere, and that the church absolutely has not nor ever will replace Israel in Yahweh’s economy. My bona fides concerning Israel are impeccable.
I’m also sympathetic to the “something is better than nothing” argument currently heard in response to opposition of this bill.
However, Christians must be alert to the deceptive intrusion of anything with a stated goal of stopping and criminalizing certain types of speech and behavior. Legislation that purports to bring greater degrees of safety, offered to us during times of national crisis, always has ulterior motives buried deep within the language.
The Patriot Act and the FISA Court renewal are some of the most egregious examples of the violations of American life, liberty, and the right to privacy and personal freedom this nation has ever witnessed. I remind you that it was delivered under a Republican President completely written and white-washed as patriotic and necessary to fight terrorism. Beware the bearer of gifts presented with claims of greater safety. It is almost always a Trojan Horse.
Christians of all people should see the handwriting on the wall. Our judicial system has become progressive and Marxist. How do you think a judge will rule on a case when the defendant is a Christian pastor who was teaching from the book of Acts and happened to linger on 4:10-12 which says: “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
Or how about Acts 3:14-15 which says, “But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.”?
Consider 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16: “For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost.”
Under the proposed definition of antisemitism, Christian pastors who might preach from these biblical passages would be subject to criminal prosecution and sentencing if any Jewish person wanted to press the case and a judge wanted to make an example of him or her.
We must oppose antisemitism everywhere. We must stand for Israel and against the flood of wickedness unleashed against her in our day. But we must oppose antisemitism from solid ground. We must stand for Israel from the sure foundation of Yahweh’s Word. That means we will be very careful to examine everything purported to assist America in standing for Israel, and that includes clearly defined definitions and outcomes in any potential legislation considered.
I used to say that most everything the Democrats want I oppose. The Democrat party has lost touch with not just Americans but truth and reality. I can now add most Republicans to the same principle. They are either exceedingly gullible or, more likely, have given up trying to make a difference for Americans—especially Christian Americans. They have allowed the Trojan Horse of deception to enter the once-protected arena of the church. As author Daniel Silva observed, “The barbarians broke down the gates a long time ago…They’re living among us and devouring our children.”
God, please give us wisdom to navigate the days in which we live. We will stand with Your people Israel. That means we must be wise in considering anything offered by known enemies of Israel that is touted as coming to Israel’s defense. If it looks like a Trojan Horse, it likely is.
