Evangelicals, Arab envoys talk Israel

Top U.S. evangelical Christian leaders met with Arab ambassadors recently to discuss religious freedoms in Muslim lands and the perceived evangelical tilt to Israel. The Christians came to the meeting July 2 with concerns about restrictions on Christian belief in Arab lands, and the Arab envoys wanted to discuss why evangelicals seemed unstinting in its support for Israel, the Washington Times reported on Wednesday. Ralph Reed, the former executive director of the Christian Coalition who attended the meeting, told the ambassadors that support for Israel was “largely non-negotiable” but that the evangelicals “would love” more positive relations with Arab nations. The meeting at the Egyptian ambassador’s residence in Washington including envoys from Lebanon, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Kuwait, Egypt, Oman, Yemen, Bahrain, Iraq and the Arab League. Pastor Benny Hinn, an Israeli-born Christian, organized it. Many of the evangelicals attending are scions of preaching dynasties, including Rev. Jonathan Falwell, Paul Crouch Jr. and Gordon Robertson.